Sept. 21, 2009
Oriana Zens, of Dalton, Minn., designed a toilet brush and holder set in an industrial design class last semester at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie that earned her national recognition.
Zens, who graduated in May with a bachelor of fine arts degree, won first place — out of 200 entries nationwide — in a simple solutions design competition sponsored by simplehuman, a product design company based in Torrance, Calif.
Zens designed the toilet brush to feature stiffer and longer bristles to clean further into the toilet. She designed a brush holder to feature a no-drip scoop and flat bottom. The holder stands alone when in use and hangs off the top of the tank for convenient storage.
In addition, UW-Stout senior Justin Wolfe, of Menomonie, placed second in the competition. Wolfe designed a drawer and flatware organizer in the same industrial design class as Zens.
Wolfe designed an in-drawer organizer, which could attach onto a dish rack. The organizer features a stainless steel rack and plastic drip tray to allow utensils to dry completely, even when transferred into the drawer.
A student from the Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Mich., placed third with his design of a laundry station.
The simple solutions design competition is intended to promote creative problem solving among students through product design, and by doing so, increase public awareness of industrial design. The competition is open to students who are currently enrolled in design degree programs. The designs were judged on utility, efficiency, innovation, research utilized and aesthetics of the product.
For more information, contact Jennifer Astwood, assistant professor of industrial design, at astwoodj@uwstout.edu or 715-232-3699.
