News: Fripp help with design of Comic Relief Red Nose

What's funny, red and smells, and was designed in Rotherham?

Fripp Design and Research, based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, has helped design the iconic Red Nose for this year's Comic Relief.

In the summer of 2010 Comic Relief approached the company to assist with the sign off of the Red Nose design for 2011.

During the design development of the Red Nose, photorealistic images of the proposed concept were required. With a very technically difficult brief, no 3D CAD and with a tight deadline, Fripp Design and Research used unique CAD technology, turning the work around and fulfilling the brief in very quick time.

The project was a crucial stage in the process from the 2D hand-rendered creative idea into a tangible product enabling the lead design to be signed off and the creation of a master mould.

This year's design sees Honkus, Chucklechomp and Captain Conk as mischievous new must-have monster Red Noses. Since the first ever Red Nose Day in 1988, nearly 60 million Red Noses have been sold.

Red Nose Day 2011 takes place on March 18 and noses are available from Sainsburys, Oxfam or www.rednoseday.com.

Tom Fripp, managing director at Fripp Design said: "Although the process was demanding and required a high level of skill, all executed within a limited time frame, being able to contribute to Red Nose day in some small way was not a prospect we would have wanted to miss out on. And in keeping with the spirit of the event the team was happy to give their time to working on this project for free.

"We are just hoping the public take the new noses to heart and buy them in large numbers."

Fripp Design and Research is one of the UK's leading product design, research and business consultancies. They doubled the workforce and turnover in 2010 and also significantly increased its customer base, adding well-known names such as B&Q, Boots, Balfour Beatty, The Wellcome Trust and Sheffield University to its portfolio.

Fripp Design and Research website

Images: rednoseday.com