College duo wins design prize for 2-sided USB stick

Two students majoring in industrial design at Anhui Jianzhu University were recently recognized for a design of a double-sided USB drive that has attracted interest from manufacturers.

Deng Xingxing, a 22-year-old senior, along with classmate Shen Shurun, won the "2013 Red Dot Design Award" for their project, "2-top" in October last year.

A total of 4,394 entries from 56 countries and regions were submitted for the Germany-based product design prize, which honors innovations in design concept, product design and communication design.

Deng explained their idea stemmed from how people always insert USB drives on the wrong side.

"At school we learn how to identify and resolve problems," said Deng.

While preparing for competition, the team studied past Red Dot winners since 2005 and consulted design experts.

Shen, a native of Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, said the team hoped to teach and inspire other students to capitalize on their ideas.

After formulating a business plan, Deng took on the task of finding an investor. But before making cold calls, he prepared by getting a sales job at a custom furniture store in Hefei, Anhui province.

Deng explains that selling furniture taught him the art of persuasion.

"I am a good talker, I prefer to express my ideas and opinions," said Deng, who hails from Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province.

Manufacturers in Guangdong province initially expressed concerns over the new design, as the product would involve costly retooling of mass-produced designs.

However, Deng's persistence paid off. He finally hooked up with a USB producer on Alibaba, a wholesale and manufacturing platform.

Si Fanglong, deputy secretary of the Mechanical and Engineering School in Anhui Jianzhu University, attributes the success to the team's work dynamic.

"Deng and Shen compliment each other. Deng is an extrovert, but Shen is introvert," he told Global Times.