Ryan Walling of Flushing was one of 11 winners whose designs were chosen for use in BIC lighters as part of the company’s 40th anniversary celebrations in 2013. Walling, a 28-year-old Baker College student, accepts the plaque at the BIC lighter factory in Connecticut with Chris Mills, president of North American consumer products, left, and Mario Guevara, CEO of BIC Group, right.
FLUSHING — Ryan Walling doesn’t smoke, but still finds the colorful designs used on BIC lighters appealing. While looking at the various lighter designs people had submitted for a contest held by BIC, Walling, a 28-year-old Baker College student, decided to put himself to the test.
He hardly realized
BIC liked his design so much that he will be named one of the grand prize winners in the company’s Best of You Lighter design competition.
“I wouldn’t call myself an artist,” he said. “I took art classes throughout school and I’ve done them, but I don’t paint or anything for fun. “I have family members who love art, they’re painters and artists and stuff like that.”
The competition marked the company’s 40th anniversary and invited customers to create designs using the design tools on the company’s website and then submit their entries online. From more than 1,000 entries, 20 finalists were chosen and 11 grand prize winners were selected through online voting.
BIC brand manager Mark Funderburk said the design tool was already on the company’s website before the contest, so the decision was made to build a contest around it. He said the entries were whittled down to 20 using a variety of criteria, including originality and theme.
The grand prize winners spent a weekend in New York and had the opportunity to visit BIC Lighter’s factory in Connecticut to watch the designs being placed on the lighters. Walling was surprised by the popularity of his work, which he completed in about half an hour, layering colors until he thought it looked right. He erased three different designs before settling on a fourth, layering colors that he thought worked well together. “I wasn’t completely happy with it, but other people did like it, so I guess that’s all that matters,” he said.
Walling was notified in December that he had been selected as one of 11 grand prize winners.
“I didn’t expect to win,” he said. “I guess they have thousands of people designing lighters.
“I didn’t expect mine to stand out that much.”
Walling, who has yet to see his lighter in a shop, was surprised he won because the design was made just to do something, and admitted it would be strange to see a lighter in a shop or gas station. “If I saw one, I would pick it up,” he admitted.
