PDR Consultancy in 2023: Year in Review
As we come to the end of 2023, our hard-working PDR Consultancy team is wrapping up yet another prolific year of commercial design projects. Plus, we’ve welcomed some amazing new team members on board and are proud to have attained several awards!
With 2024 on the horizon, we take a retrospective look at the events that unfolded right from the start.
JANUARY - MARCH
The year kicked off with a flurry of activity as we welcomed new members to our team. From the outset and throughout the year, we’ve experienced significant growth with eight new additions: Oliver Evans, Afaf Ali, David Balaam, William Dauncey, Olivia Goontillake, Siena DeBartolo and Davie Morgan, contributing to design innovation, and design research and marketing.
We shared On Your Doorstep, a collaborative exhibition at Oriel y Parc Gallery & Visitor Centre in St. David’s. This initiative aimed to inspire people to explore their local surroundings. In addition to our projects, we conducted workshops in partnership with Media Cymru and launched a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with V-Trak, an innovative wheelchair and seating company.
The first quarter of the year concluded with us attending events such as Naidex, Ambiente and German Design Awards 2023, where we proudly received a Gold German Design Award for our innovative recyclable haptic feedback steering wheel, Cercle. We also took our place in the highly acclaimed newdesign yearbook for 2023.
APRIL - JUNE
The second quarter of 2023 brought numerous accolades including 2 iF Design Awards for Brace Packaging and Bolin Webb Generation Razor, a German Innovation Award for Cercle and a Green GOOD DESIGN Award for Brace Packaging.
William Dauncey, our KTP Associate, hopped continents to attend the International Seating Symposium in Pittsburgh, USA in the pursuit of important insights to further his research in the field of seating, mobility, and assistive technology for people with disabilities.
What’s more, our design team had the opportunity to visit Fuorisalone in Milan, one of the most highly anticipated events in the design industry. Our designers encountered new innovative products and installations whilst also absorbing insights into new technologies and trends - a fruitful event!
JULY - SEPTEMBER
More travel followed in the summer, with Managing Director Jarred Evans delivering a presentation at the International Design Conference (IDC) in New York. Jarred’s presentation focused on the practice of sustainability and design - a recurring theme throughout 2023 for PDR and a key area of growth.
A major highlight from the event was the receipt of another award. Tabu* - a menstrual support initiative designed to empower premenstrual users won Gold in IDEA for 2023!
Shortly after, Business Development Manager Anthony McAllister made an appearance at IFA in Berlin, the world’s largest consumer electronics and home appliances trade show. Alongside keynote presentations and industry insights, IFA presented a great chance to reconnect with clients and form new potential business partnerships.
In October we received news that the Bolin Webb Generation Razor won a GQ Grooming Award by GQ magazine, a renowned men’s lifestyle and fashion publication running since 1957.
In November, we were particularly excited to visit MEDICA Trade Fair once again, providing the chance to reconnect with existing clients and forge connections with new potential partners.
Of course, the year wouldn’t be complete without our work in collaboration with Media Cymru. Our team took big strides towards the progression of the Media Cymru programme, achieving many milestones through workshops designed to bring together and empower individuals with limited exposure to research and development (R&D).
Going out with a bang, Stand - our paediatric support system, has been recognised by the German Design Award 2023 in the category of Excellent Product Design - Medical, Rehabilitation and Health Care. It’s an excellent way to end the year, with a fresh start in January full of anticipation for the next 12 months ahead.
Once again, we’d like to say thank you to our dedicated team members who consistently exceed expectations in their efforts. We also extend thanks to everyone we collaborated with this year and everyone who has supported us. Here's to even more success in 2024!