Students Revolutionise Wallet Design The surfing wallet is a small pouch with a compartment for a car key, coins and notes, and made from waterproof fabric with a waterproof zip. Photo: Jesse Thompson A slim, flexible wallet designed to slip inside the pocket of a pair of skinny jeans or another tailor-made to hold a USB stick could be the money holder of the future. Both were among the creations from about 80 Brisbane industrial design students who were recently given the task of revolutionising the standard wallet and turning it into a consumer-oriented product. The event, which marked World Industrial Design Day, saw students tailor their designs to the needs of a user of their choice. "We chose the wallet because it's a small, everyday object with lots of potential to be personalised," said event co-ordinator and QUT industrial design lecturer Dr Shayne Beaver. Some of the designs included compartments for USBs and guitar picks. Another was a tough, but attractive wallet for surfers, while another was designed for women who wore skinny jeans. "Some focused on a high quality finish for someone who wanted their wallet to be durable as well as aesthetically pleasing," Dr Beaver said. Others chose someone who might be doing a lot of surfing or travelling, and so the wallet had to be durable but also adapt to the weather. There was also lots of variation in the things they carry, and whether or not the wallet would be able to carry cash and a phone, or just small amounts of money and space for cards. Others made them to be discrete, so you couldn't see it. That way, if you were travelling you could keep it hidden. Despite the inventive creations, Dr Beaver said she didn't believe traditional designs would be taken off the shelves any time soon. "People are getting fussier, and many want a product more suited to their needs," she said. There's a lot of personalisation in wallets now, and lots are even being replaced by phone cases with space only for cards and a set of keys. But I don't think the traditional wallet will go away. Dr Beaver said she hoped to pitch several of the more successful designs to production companies later in the year.