Ravensbourne Interior Design student earns a commendation at the RetailEXPO Student Design Awards

BA (Hons) Interior Design Environment Architectures student, Sophie Bennett, impressed the judges and earned a commendation at the RetailEXPO Design Awards for her vibrant restaurant design, 

The RetailEXPO Student Design Awards aim to ‘inspire and inform the next generation of store designers by setting live briefs in partnership with major retailers and brands.’ Winners are usually offered paid internships at both the retailer they designed for, and at the design agency which acted as their mentor throughout the competition.

Each year, three retailers set challenges for university students across the country. This year, students at both Ravensbourne University London and Middlesex University were challenged to create a new 'grab and go' format for Pizza Express. They imagined how they would present a simplified menu and dining experience in busy travel terminals such as airports and train stations.

The judging panel consisted of retailers, architects and design experts, representing the consultancy and client sides of retail. The panel was chaired by our honorary fellow Lynda Relph-Knight. Lynda was editor of Design Week for over 20 years and now works primarily in design and creative education. Lynda sits on the Design School Advisory Board at Ravensbourne and helped deliver Ravensbourne’s first undergraduate symposium, ‘Futures in the Making’. 

The judges commented that ‘Sophie’s scheme is completely off the wall and in many ways dystopian; her design is refreshingly original and celebrates bold use of colour’. 

Associate Programme Director of Architecture, Dr Paolo Zaide said, ‘This is a tremendous achievement for a student and demonstrates Sophie’s ability to put her ideas into the real world. This has been an important experience and we’re excited to see what the future holds for Sophie.’ 

Sophie is the second student that has been recognised in a competition recently from. Architecture student, James Ingram, who was commended for his entry into the International ‘Nano-Nest’ design competition.