Harry’s wand spells prizes for Edinburgh design students

Edinburgh: 05 juni 2002

Designing a home for Harry Potter’s wand has conjured up cash for students at Edinburgh College of Art.

International computer software company Axios Systems, which owns the wand used by the boy wizard in the film blockbuster Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, set a competition for students to design a display cabinet to hold it.

Students at the College’s School of Design and Applied Arts were invited to develop their ideas into working drawings. Winners Jordan Bell and Andrew Burton share £250. Runners-up were Christine Centmayer, Marianne Haugen and Jonnie Freestone, and third prize went to the team of Malcolm Mack, Nicci Kitchin, Lynsay Proctor and Neil Manson. All also received cash prizes.

Axios will finance manufacture of the winning design which will take pride of place in its boardroom in Edinburgh’s West End.

Ailsa Symeonides, the company’s Sales and Marketing Director, bought the wand - donated by author J.K. Rowling - at a charity auction last year in aid of Maggie’s cancer care centers.

“The wand has given us a lot of fun while allowing us to help a very worthy cause at the same time,” Mrs Symeonides said. ”We’ve been based in the city for many years and are very keen to support the local community and the Arts.

“All the entries were visually interesting but the winners considered commercial aspects as well. They also presented their proposal professionally by projecting their design onto the boardroom wall so we could visualize immediately what the finished display would look like.”

Les Mitchell, Head of the College’s School of Design and Applied Arts, added: “The students were delighted to be part of Harry Potter-mania. The commission set an unusual brief for the students and gave free rein to their creativity.”

Students of the School have a first class record in international and national competitions including wins in almost every category of the prestigious RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce) design bursaries and awards at New Designers and London Graduate Fashion Week.

The public can see the latest examples of their work at the College’s annual Degree Show from 15-25 June.

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