Press Release
A' Design Award in Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design Goes to ReCover Smartphone Repurposing Service by Anastasia Klimova
The international grand jury of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Anastasia Klimova for sustainable products, projects and green design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2021 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design category for ReCover Smartphone Repurposing Service by Anastasia Klimova. The recognition forms part of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the A' Design Award Means
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
Regarding ReCover Smartphone Repurposing Service
ReCover is a conceptual service that allows smartphone owners to turn obsolete phones into useful devices such as a webcam, a security camera or a touchpad. The ReCover application scans the hardware and firmware of a phone and then suggests suitable options based on its condition. A kit is ordered, and a new operating system prepares the phone for its new role. The phone is placed inside a case made of injection moulded recycled ABS plastic. ReCover keeps old phones out of landfill and offers useful hardware at a low cost.
About Anastasia Klimova
Anastasia Klimova is an Industrial Designer currently completing the BA Product Design program at Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, United Kingdom. She is committed to designing technology that enhances human ability and exists in harmony with nature. She believes that designers' skills make them capable of addressing the most challenging of current and future global issues. Anastasia has extensive experience working in the industry, having interned at hardware company Logitech, design consultancy LAYER and grassroots menswear fashion brand Glitch Anomaly.
Award Record
With this recognition, Anastasia Klimova is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. All of the awards belong to the 2020 - 2021 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design Award
The A' Sustainable Product Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good sustainable products by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to sustainable product designers, green product manufacturers, eco-friendly product brands and industrial designers from all countries. Entries typically include sustainable projects, environment friendly designs, recycled, upcycled and bio-degradable products. Awarded sustainable product designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/sustainable-product
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/115778
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/115778
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!115778
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/281606
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- ReCover Smartphone Repurposing Service
- Function
- Smartphone Repurposing Service
- Category
- Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Sustainability
- Colors
- Dark Gray, Gray, Silver, Lavender and Light Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Anastasia Klimova
- Country
- Great Britain
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2020 - 2021
- Design ID
- #115778
Credits
- Image Credits
- Anastasia Klimova
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- ReCover is a conceptual service offered by smartphone manufacturers that helps non-tech-savvy users to repurpose obsolete phones into useful devices. Intelligent ReCover app allows user to find a suitable repurpose solution. The service helps users to save phones from the landfill and acquire new useful hardware for less. ReCover is intended to be offered directly by device manufacturers who can profit from old devices by providing subscription-based services without developing new hardware.
- Inspiration
- 7.1 billion smartphones have been produced since 2007. In the UK, only 12% of those went on to be recycled. 57% of Britons have old phones lying around, which amounts to staggering 125m devices. Most brands strive to offer more recycling options, but according to Ellen McArthur Foundation, repurpose is more sustainable since materials remain in use longer and less additional energy is spent. Old smartphones remain powerful electronic devices, and their potential inspired me to create ReCover.
- Research
- Market analysis, user interview and survey were used to gain research insight. My goal was to determine what kind of users were most likely to have old phones and what their needs were. Research has revealed that users in developed countries were more likely to hoard old technology devices. Millennials, this project's target market, were found to need simple and affordable repurpose solutions the most due to the combination of financial challenges, higher environmental awareness, and being the most DIY-averse demographic.
- Challenge
- Fitting a wide range of phones of different sizes, camera and charging port locations was a significant challenge during this project's form development. Additional challenges included software integration across various phone manufacturers. Research conducted into complexities of jailbreaking and rooting led to the conclusion that the service will have to be offered by the company that released the original OS, which has opened up a possibility of a dedicated OS that would tailor the phone's system for the chosen repurpose solution.
- Realization and Technology
- ReCover hardware was designed to be extremely affordable and is made of injection moulded recycled ABS plastic, using off-the-shelf elements such as bi-coloured LED panels. On the inside, memory foam was used to make sure phones of a wide range of thicknesses can be secured. Other materials such as 70% transparent optical beamsplitter glass and extra thick 200gsm vellum were used to discretely conceive the smartphone inside the ReCover webcam and touchpad cases respectively.
- Operation and Interaction
- User downloads ReCover app and launches intelligent hardware and firmware scan after which app gives user options of what their phone can become based on its condition. User orders the ReCover kit of their choice. When it arrives, the app erases current OS and installs new OS that optimises phone for its new role. It takes less than 5 minutes to put the phone in the ReCover case, set it up and start using as an entirely new product.
- Project Duration and Location
- This project has started in Nottingham, United Kingdom on 03 October 2020 and finished on 11 December 2020.
- Specifications
- 132.5 x 181.5 x 22 mm (webcam), 171.5 x 45.5 x 80 mm (touchpad), 109 x 181.5 x 44 mm (security camera)
- Keywords
- sustainability, technology, smartphone, e-waste, recycling, upcycling, service, affordable, webcam, security camera
