CHICAGO, February 27, 2007 - Harrington College of Design student, Megan Michelson of Johnstown, Ohio, garnered first place in a Functional Object Design Competition at Harrington College of Design. The competition was sponsored by Manifesto Furniture, specialists in custom-designed modern furniture as well as imports from Italy and Austria.

Instructors from Harrington’s Design Integration and Experimental Design classes facilitated the competition that was open to students from the college’s three design programs; Interior Design, Digital Photography, and Communication Design. Students were charged with designing any type of functional object including furnishings as functional objects. Objects were to be innovative, creative and useful.

A panel of judges reviewed 28 entries to select three finalists. The panel included Charles Harrison, industrial designer; Morlen Sinoway, designer; Richard Gorman, owner of Manifesto Furniture; Karen Klages, Chicago Tribune Reporter; and Crandon Gustafson, Department Chair for the Interior Design Program at Harrington.

"I was truly impressed by the quality and creativity of the designs by the Harrington students," said Charles Harrison. "It was a difficult selection process." Harrison is most famous for his work on the team that updated the View-Master.

Michelson, an Interior Design student, received the $500 Best of Show award for her design titled Shapes, a modular storage unit that serves as a division of space. The reconfigurable storage unit consists of two geometric shapes, the square and an "L" shape, and is designed to be accessible from both sides.

"The idea for Shapes was inspired by personal challenges of living in small spaces," said Michelson.

A $300 second place award was given to Younga Noh for a folding wooden chair that converts into a table. Christina Kolb received a $200 third place award for a leather-bound portable lap support that functions as a mini-work station for laptop computer use.

About Harrington College

Harrington College of Design is a four-year college that offers flexible scheduling for a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design, an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Interior Design or Digital Photography and a new Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Communication Design. Harrington is committed to creating the next generation of design professionals to lead and serve the global community.

Harrington has been a member of Chicago’s design and higher education communities since 1931. Located at 200 W. Madison St., Harrington seeks to foster an environment that maximizes students’ intellectual and artistic potential. The majority of the faculty is practicing interior designers, architects, photographers and fine art professionals.

Harrington is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), and is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Harrington is recognized as a private college by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), and is authorized by the IBHE to confer baccalaureate and associate degrees. The Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, formerly known as the Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research (FIDER).