Design and Innovation Consultancy Continuum Joins Forces with PBS' Popular New Kids Reality Competition Show 'DESIGN SQUAD'

    BOSTON, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring, WGBH Boston launched DESIGN
 SQUAD, a new reality competition show airing on PBS. The series, which
 immerses two teams of energetic and sharp high school students into the
 world of engineering and design, concluded its first season on location at
 award-winning design and innovation consultancy Continuum.
     In the finale, the stakes were high, as the two teams of four young
 designers spent three days in Continuum's newly renovated studio outside
 Boston utilizing their open studio space, various design resources and
 machine shop to create a summer sled for venerable retail giant (and actual
 Continuum client) L.L. Bean. This episode also reveals the winner of DESIGN
 SQUAD's first season, who receives the grand prize -- a generous
 scholarship from the Intel Foundation.
     Continuum's designers coached, cajoled and cheered on contestants
 throughout the three-day shoot. Chris Hosmer, design strategist and Michel
 Arney, principal industrial designer, participated on air in the finale,
 using their real life experience designing for L.L. Bean to motivate and
 inspire the budding designers.
     Model Shop Manager Richard Ciccarelli helped contestants navigate the
 model shop by introducing both teams to sophisticated (and fun!) modeling
 techniques like computer controlled milling and vacuum forming, both of
 which were used to construct the wheels for the teams' sleds.
     Contestants closely mimicked Continuum's design process of thorough
 researching and brainstorming, concept exploration, prototyping and
 exhaustive testing. To help contestants engage in as authentic a process as
 possible, Continuum's model shop created a 20 foot grass hill inside
 Continuum's studio, complete with real grass and a foam filled crash pit.
     The "Winner Takes All" episode begins airing nationwide May 16th. The
 finale airs in Washington DC on June 14th, New York City on June 24th, in
 Chicago on June 30th, in LA on July 1st, and in Boston on July 7th.
     Check local listings or see the URL below for other nationwide air
 dates and exact times.
     http://pbskids.org/tvschedules/airdates.html?title_id=DESQ
     More on the aim of DESIGN SQUAD:
     Designers and engineers have led a creative and technological
 revolution that has improved the quality of our lives, yet kids and adults
 alike do not fully understand the technology and design concepts that
 benefit their daily lives, the engineer's role in society or even the exact
 nature of a designer's job.
     DESIGN SQUAD presents viewers with positive role models like those at
 Continuum, communicating and promoting engineering and design to the public
 as a fun and engaging process.
     DESIGN SQUAD is one of the few places on TV where kids can learn about
 these careers, and the series is an integral part of a national educational
 outreach initiative to spark viewers' interest into pursuing engineering as
 a career.
     About Continuum:
     Continuum is a design and innovation consultancy that helps turn ideas
 into realities. Through exhaustive investigation and user research,
 Continuum undertakes a deeply immersive role in a client's business to
 formulate design and brand strategies that are both fiscally sound and
 consumer relevant. Since 1983, Continuum has created meaningful design for
 companies worldwide including American Express, Andersen Windows, Procter
 and Gamble, BMW, Master Lock, Moen, Samsung, Johnson & Johnson. Continuum
 has offices in Boston, Milan and Seoul.
     http://www.dcontinuum.com
 
     PBS
     http://www.pbs.org
     http://pbskids.org/designsquad/
 
 

SOURCE Continuum