Sam Rowbotham
Industrial Design and Technology
Final year project
Outdoor Easel for Plein Air Artists & Social Furniture for Panasonic Design Week
The easel’s modern design maintains an emotional connection to the heritage of those used by the likes of Monet, Pissarro and Renoir.
A lightweight, efficient and compact method of transport ensures that painters can reach their desired painting location unhindered.
Introducing a new way to store, transport and interact with the painter’s equipment, the product provides a compact solution that can be tailored to the user’s individual needs.
Sam Rowbotham
Since the days of Monet and Renoir, the traditional artist's easel has seen little change. My final year project seeks to address issues faced by the Plein Air artist and provide a stylish, yet functional solution. For Panasonic Design Week, we were tasked with identifying a gap in the Indian market and creating a product that aligns with Panasonic's core values. A contemporary, social item of furniture and manufacture chain was designed to meet the needs of the young, modern consumer whilst maintaining India's rich, artisan heritage.
Having a broad range of interests, the previous year took me to both Trondheim and Berlin. The first, taking part in the ERASMUS program, to enable me to focus on NTNU's woodworking module and Architectural Light and Colour. The latter, to work at an interactive design agency in Berlin - SinnerSchrader Swipe (Accenture Interactive). I feel it is important to pursue all areas of interest and not restrict yourself creatively to one specific practice and skill-set defined by an institution. I look forward to entering the world as a designer maker and being able to draw on experiences to influence decisions in my work.
Awards
'17 Diploma in International Studies
Experience
ACK Aviation (Parts manufacturer)
Placements
Feb '19 - July '19
SinnerSchrader Swipe Berlin