A Design Competition with 100 000 Reasons to Enter

The Switch Design Competition is an ACDC Express initiative that encourages up-and-coming South African designers to establish their personal brand and win a prize of R100 000. The 2022 winner, Ryan McCallum, talks about the inspiration behind his winning entry.

ACDC Express is always searching for fresh talent and innovative design concepts, and the Switch Design Competition provides a platform for local designers – professionals and students alike – to gain recognition and experience. The winner of the 2022 competition was aspiring young Joburg- based designer Ryan McCallum, who not only designed his entry, but actually made it up too.

Tell us about your desk lamp.

It was inspired by nature. The Honey Dipper combines the natural beauty and sustainability of wood with modern LED technology. Individually addressable LEDs allow the user to select any out of a range of preset colour combinations – from the colours of a relaxing sunset to a vibrant ocean-inspired palette, and everything in between – allowing the lighting in a room to be tailored to a desired atmosphere. It’s seamless too, with all wiring and LEDs hidden in channels. Light from the
LEDs is directed downwards to diffuse off lower wooden disks, giving a unique aesthetic style that bare LEDs often lack. Inset aluminium touch buttons allow for custom colour and brightness control, provided by an entry-level microcontroller housed in the lamp base. While wood is typically considered a fairly high-end material, it is sustainable, and the lamp has been designed to last for life.

What was the “light-bulb” idea behind the design?

I’ve always enjoyed playing around with light and colour, but I feel that traditional RGB lights lack nuance, creating harsh monochromatic light. I wanted to make something that could create blended colour palettes to really enhance the desired atmosphere.

Not only did you design your lamp, you also made it. What motivated you to make your desk lamp come to life?

I had just started a part-time evening membership at Made In Workshop – a shared workshop with some amazing machinery. I was keen to get my hands dirty and learn how to use some new tools, such as CNC routing. Building the lamp was a great excuse to learn.

How do you think being the winner of this competition will benefit you in the future?

Designing/making requires a lot of experience – you can’t just start and instantly be a profitable designer. The prize money will aid immensely in allowing me to learn, as well as to buy useful workshop equipment.

What advice would you give prospective entrants when entering the Switch Design Competition for 2023?

Back your design. At numerous points during the design process, I considered simplifying my design, to make it cheaper/more manufacturable, as I thought that might stand me in better stead for the competition. I kept it as it was in the end, and I think that was crucial in making the Honey Dipper stand out.

ACDC Express will attempt to manufacture your design. Who do you feel its target market will be?

I think anyone who enjoys tailoring their atmosphere to a given setting would thoroughly enjoy having the Honey Dipper lamp in their home. Choosing a new combination of colour every evening when I use my lamp never gets old!

What are your plans for the future? Does it lie in designing innovative inventions?

I’m definitely going to continue pursuing design. I have embarked on a design endeavour called Undulate Design. If you like looking at custom beautiful things for the home, check out @undulatedesign on Instagram.

If you think you’re the next household name in the design industry, here’s your chance. Design an innovative automatic solar tracker, and you could win R100 000 in cash! The competition is valid from 1 May to 31 August 2023. Visit switch.awardsplatform.com.