An art college and cultural centre in one, CSM is renowned for the creative energy of its students, staff and graduates.

Fundamental to study at the college are experimentation, innovation, risk-taking, questioning, and discovery; generations of internationally renowned artists, designers, and performers - individuals whose work has defined or transformed our times - began their creative journeys at Central Saint Martins.

A part of University of the Arts London, CSM has 4,500 students from more than 60 countries, and offers foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in fine art; fashion and textiles; 3D design including product, architecture and jewellery; graphics and animation; acting, directing and performance design; and innovation management. Its graduates lead companies like Dyson, Puma, IDEO, Habitat, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. Through Central Saint Martins Innovation and the Design Laboratory its staff and students work with brands like P&G, LVMH, Adidas, Philips, Intel, Universal McCann, Gucci, L’Oreal and Audi.

Givenchy

Givenchy wanted to create a visual concept for a limited edition lipstick package they were planning to launch to market. They wanted a design to encapsulate the brand’s identity in a creative and contemporary way.

The brief included:

  • Customising the existing product packaging;
  • Developing exclusive beauty consultant accessories;
  • Creating an adapted gift with purchase;
  • Proposing a point of sale idea or theatrical marketing concept.

The brief was set up as a student competition and the marketing team from Givenchy came to Central Saint Martins and spoke with the students about their brand and its DNA. From here students took away the brief and with regular guidance and feedback were able to develop their ideas to meet the objectives set by the client. Givenchy met with the students again at the half way point to the project to monitor their progress and to help them further develop their ideas.

Givenchy purchased intellectual property rights for the designs created by Florence Bamburger, the overall winner of the project, and continued to work with Florence on her ideas after the competition ended. Alongside the packaging designs Givenchy also launched a hand gift accessory that was submitted as part of the project by fellow Central Saint Martins students Kanako Yamashita and Noburu Oikawa.

Procter & Gamble

Procter & Gamble wanted to ‘generate creative thinking within the team’ and approached CSM in search of ‘great creative insight to push the current boundaries.’ They wanted to develop a cross-cultural product for a global market and in this context the ‘Hair Care Product Display’ idea was launched. P&G wanted the students to carry out research and demonstrate their understanding of the brand essence of the Head and Shoulders and Pantene hair care range and come up with their own innovative display. They needed to enhance the user experience, overcome preconceptions about how people shop and ‘make every day life a little better.’

The students began by building up a picture of the shopper and shop worker and researching what makes a point of sale success. The students to then investigated how the concept could potentially be used for other brands within P&G. The designs needed to take into account modularity, sustainability, flexibility, ease of use for staff and smart design.

Forty-four students participated and ten were short-listed. The three winning designs included a highly flexible zoom-in, zoom-out concept, a dramatic arch installation and a cost effective, efficient pop-up stand. All ideas were deeemed exciting, usable designs, which met the brief and could easily be created as finished products. Plans are currently in place to develop the first prize winner’s concept model.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola Africa approached CSM to work on a collaboration project together with Vega Schools, a branding communication college in Johannesburg. Africa is an emerging market for Coca-Cola and this project was designed and to take cultural connections and insights from Africa and Europe in order to make this market grow, focusing on Coca-Cola’s Sprite brand. Coca-Cola wanted the research from London and South Africa to help identify possible design and marketing concepts that could be ‘cut and pasted’ into the African market.

Coca-Cola asked students to research and build up a narrative and identity for a typical Sprite drinker.  Using this information, the students were asked to come up with packaging that would inspire the purchase of Sprite, or an object that reminded them of an experience or event built around Sprite. The students needed to remain true to Sprite’s brand: urban, edgy, refreshing and energetic.

Of the 43 students that presented, six designs were chosen to move onto phase two of the project, which Vega Schools was responsible for developing into a marketing campaign. The positive results from the student project meant Coca-Cola had some real, exciting and usable design ideas.

Samsonite

Samsonite challenged students to design a travel accessory for the ‘future traveller.’ They were asked to identify a future traveller of their choice and to come up with designs that responded to the specific needs of that person. Linking all of the designs was the overarching goal of making travel a pleasure – for the business traveller, honeymooner, city dweller, or space traveller.

Students researched and explored scenarios before presenting their design ideas at a mid project review held with the Samsonite design team. They selected one of the ideas of each student to be worked on further. Students designed and produced samples based on the design scenario selected, which they presented at the final judging by Samsonite.

Samsonite was presented with 20 new, wide-ranging design concepts. As a result of the project five CSM students were offered work placements at Samsonite. Winners included:

  • Frederick Samuelsson (overall winner): a high-fashion expandable leather bag, designed with pleats, that unfolds easily, adjusting to the size needed;
  • Samant Khanna: couple’s interlocking suitcases, featuring two separate compartments that can be used together, or separated to be used independently;
  • Jonathan Hough – ‘Capsule One’, a modular toiletries container that defies zero gravity and uses nano electrode technology to link the pack to the users body –ready made for future space travel.