Heidi Overhill, a professor in Sheridan's School of Animation, Arts & Design, was an integral part of the design team for the SizeChina project which took the Gold Medal in the Design Research category at this year's IDEA08 competition, which announced its winners today.

For Immediate Release: July 18, 2008

Oakville, Ontario

Heidi Overhill, a professor in Sheridan's School of Animation, Arts & Design, was an integral part of the design team for the SizeChina project which took the Gold Medal in the Design Research category at this year's IDEA08 competition, which announced its winners today. The expert jury also awarded two "Best in Show" awards at this year's competition: one to SizeChina, a design research project that assembled data from a representative cross-section of people from mainland China to create the first-ever digital database of Chinese head and face shapes; and the other to Apple's iPhone.

The project director of SizeChina is Roger Ball, a professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University who previously taught at Sheridan in the Crafts & Design program. Heidi Overhill, who teaches in the Crafts & Design and Bachelor of Design programs, was the communications lead for the SizeChina project. "Heidi's contribution was essential to the success of the SizeChina project, "says Roger Ball. "Communication is a critical element of research, encompassing promotional materials, design awards submissions, and scientific paper editing."

According to Overhill, SizeChina "is the first research project ever to collect data about the anthropometrics of the Asian head and face, which is significantly rounder in shape than the oval Western head. Up to now, such information has simply not been available, making it impossible to properly design safety products like helmets, eyeglasses and medical masks for Asian users."

The project used 3D laser scanning to achieve a high level of detail in its data, which can be transferred directly into the various types of 3D modeling software used by designers to create their products. "In this year of the Beijing Olympics, well-fitted sports helmets can now be created for Asian athletes for the first time,"says Overhill. (Visit www.sizechina.com for a detailed overview and photo gallery).

The IDEA08 awards are among the most prestigious industrial design awards in the world, and are sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America. Over 1500 entries from 25 countries competed for the 109 Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals. The awards are intended to foster business and public understanding about the impact of industrial design excellence on quality of life and the economy.

Roger Ball, a Toronto native, has been designing iconic consumer products since 1983, for clients including Burton Snowboards, Bauer, Fisher Price, Cooper Canada, Itech Sports, Brine Lacrosse, Bell Helmets and Nike. In 1998, Roger won the IDSA Silver Medal in Consumer Products for the breakthrough Skycap snowboard helmet.

Heidi Overhill is past president of ACIDO (Association of Canadian Industrial Designers of Ontario). She served as Senior Designer at the National Gallery of Canada from 1983-88. As a consulting exhibition designer, her clients included the Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, and the National Museum of the Phillipines. She has been a full-time professor at Sheridan for the past five years.

Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning is Canada's largest arts school, with over 4,000 full-time students studying in the areas of digital media and communications, performing arts, and visual arts and design. Founded in 1967, Sheridan today serves 15,000 full-time students at campuses in Oakville and Brampton, Ontario. Sheridan offers a wide range of diploma, degree and graduate programs in the arts, business, community service and technology fields.

Media Contact:

Susan Atkinson
(905) 845-9430, ext. 2096
susan.atkinson@sheridanc.on.ca