[MDA2013]

2013 Melbourne Design Awards

Website

Winner 

Project Overview

UpperCup is the world's finest reusable coffee cup. Designed, developed and manufactured in Melbourne.

Project Commissioner

UpperCup

Winner 

Project Creator

Charlwood Design

Team

UpperCup is a completely self funded project. I'm a veteran of hospitality. A lover of coffee, design and travel. And a dad to a two year old Staffy. I'm also about to embark on a crowd funding campaign, to raise the necessary funds to pay for my injection mould tooling to bring UpperCup to life.

Charlwood Design

Project Brief

We believe in good design that enhances our experiences, that is innovative and long lasting . We create products that are aesthetically beautiful, functional and environmentally friendly.

UpperCup is the simple, elegant and functional cup inspired by our daily coffee travels and the notion that good design can make our favourite rituals even more enjoyable. UpperCup is about celebrating a culture of good design and creativity. We believe in appreciating the finer things in life, in creating something that will contribute and enhance your everyday experience.

Project Need

UpperCup is defined by it's double wall design. It gives the cup a beautiful and elegant aesthetic. It serves the function of insulation, keeping your coffee hot inside and your hands cool on the outside.

The upper and lower lid components are connected by our uniquely designed button mechanism that creates a spill proof seal. The upper lid rotates 180 degrees to expose or seal the drinking spout. We've also created a unique "dam wall" design between the cup and lid, ensuring added protection that will prevent spills or leaks. Our innovative and intuitive lid design makes UpperCup the perfect travel cup.

The low down on UpperCup's features.
- It's made from super durable, high quality, long lasting Eastman Tritan copolyester.
- It's BPA free.
- The double wall design keeps your fingers cool and your cino hot.
- The rotating lid mechanism ensures a spill free seal for the perfect travel cup.
- UpperCup is dishwasher safe and will always retain it's high quality finish.
- It's available in two sizes: 8oz and 12oz.
- We've made sure both cup sizes are barista friendly so it'll fit under espresso machine spouts.

Design Challenge

We decided to use the patented copolyester, Eastman Tritan for UpperCup after an exhaustive search to find the highest quality material. We're rapt we found it because it's long lasting and durable. It has a high quality finish and is high density, meaning it will never absorb smells or flavours so the only thing you'll taste is your favourite coffee.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a crucial element in our journey and is all about marrying timeless design with the highest quality materials. Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution. UpperCup has been designed to last many years – always retaining its relevance and quality.

UpperCup is designed and manufactured in our home town of Melbourne. Sustainability is also about utilising local resources. It's a great feeling to know that our product is made a short distance from where we're based. We go out on a daily basis and see the progress of the cup, we chat face to face with everyone involved to make sure we get a finished product of the highest quality.




This award celebrates creative and innovative design for either a component or overall product. Consideration given to aspects that relate to human usage, aesthetics, selection of components and materials, and the resolution of assembly, manufacturing and the overall function.
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