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DesignU From Smith System Takes the Stress Out of School Furniture Configuration

Online tool enables users to visualize furniture performance in different room scenarios

PLANO, TEXAS (Nov. 18, 2008) – School furniture innovator and manufacturer Smith System has launched a unique online design planning tool. The new tool is configured to help those involved in the furniture purchasing process better understand how the furniture will function in the day-to-day classroom, computer lab and library environments.

Accessible at www.smithystem.com/designu, DesignU enables dealers, designers and school personnel to simulate different furniture configurations and design the optimum learning environment based on curriculum and teaching methodology.

“When we first started in this business, classrooms were set up with desks in rows and the teacher at the front of the classroom,” said Bill Risdall, vice president of marketing for Smith System. “Now with cooperative learning and new methods of teaching, furniture needs to serve a different purpose. This tool helps administrators work with the furniture before, during and after the purchase to design a room unique to their teaching styles or library needs.”

Since DesignU can be used for a variety of different needs, a wide spectrum of audiences can benefit from it. Users can visualize the end result, specify products or test different room configurations without physically moving the furniture.

Features of DesignU include:

Customized designs – Recognizing rooms come in different shapes and sizes, users can either select from pre-configured room layouts or create custom configurations. Room layout patterns are flexible to adapt to different curriculum and collaborative or traditional teaching styles. In addition, users can mix-and-match furniture and trim colors to create a truly one-of-a-kind space.

Detailed overview – DesignU incorporates 3-D visualization technology and Adobe Shockwave Player which allows users to view the classroom layouts in finer detail and more realistic scenarios. Through this technology, users can view detail as granular as the desktop finish.

About Smith System
Founded in 1905, Smith System (www.smithsystem.com) has helped American education evolve by being ready with the right furniture at the right time. An industry leader in school furniture innovation, Smith System is committed to developing products that support the optimum learning environments -- addressing the needs of the student, the demands of the curriculum and the realities of space, maintenance and budget.

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Media Contact:
Bill Risdall
Smith System
972.398.4050
billr@smithsystem.com

Media Contact:
Eva Keiser
Risdall McKinney Public Relations
651.286.6765
eva@risdall.com