Sliderz

Addressing what must be one of the top five flatsharing gripes – the toothpaste squeezed from the middle of the tube – a group of Kent teenagers have designed Sliderz, the cute toothpaste tube squeezers that have scooped them the Design Museum’s Design Ventura prize.

Design Ventura is an education initiative run by the Design Museum in partnership with Deutsche Bank for 13-16-year-olds, which sees one prize-winning design developed and sold by the Design Museum.

All profits from the products sold go to a charity chosen by the children, in this case One Big Community, a London-wide youth-led coalition committed to ending youth violence.

The winning team from Weald of Kent Grammar School are all aged 14-15 years old, and comprises Hannah Barton, Amy Crouch, Katie Le Sbirel, Isobel McCaffrey, Lucy Morgan and Constance Shea.

This year’s brief from the Design Museum was ‘handy’, and students entering the competition are tasked with creating not only the product itself, but to also show awareness of branding, packaging, marketing, cost and pitching.

The gorgeous little Sliderz that won successfully combine adorable aesthetics with practicality. Not only for use with toothpaste, the little squeezers can be used on any household tubes, and feature a magnetic back to pop on the fridge as not to get lost. They are sold in packs of three.

Sue Medway, operations and commercial director at the Design Museum, says, ‘The shop is part of a cultural organisation as well as a unique retail environment – as such Sliderz perfectly responded to that market.  It was witty, bright and well packaged.’

Sliderz beat more than 6000 students from 170 schools throughout the country, and were crowned the winner by a panel including Sebastian Conran, Sue Medway and designer Naomi Cleaver.

Last year’s Design Ventura winner was Pic Pins developed by pupils at Trinity School in Lewisham, south London.