Ravensbourne student designs winning trophies for XOXO Soda creator football tournament
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A Ravensbourne University London Product Design student has seen his trophy design brought to life through an industry collaboration with fast-growing drinks brand XOXO Soda, creating the official awards for the brand’s first-ever creator football tournament, the XO Flavour Cup.
The project saw third-year BA (Hons) Product Design student Shakeeb Mohammed respond to a commercial brief set by XOXO Soda, designing a trophy concept to celebrate the winners of the tournament, which took place at Powerleague Shoreditch on 29 September 2026.
This collaboration gave opportunities for some of our undergraduates to present their ideas to industry professionals and develop a design to be manufactured for a live event.
Shakeeb quote
I am thankful to XOXO for the opportunity to turn my idea into reality. This journey, from initial sketches to a finished product, has allowed me to claim the title of Designer. It represents a significant milestone in my career.”
The collaboration grew from an existing relationship between Ravensbourne and XOXO Soda, which first partnered with the university by providing drinks for students and guests at its End of Year Showcase private view.
When XOXO Soda subsequently approached Ravensbourne about producing trophies for the XO Flavour Cup, Sidney Belle Turner, Industry and Employability Advisor, proposed turning the opportunity into a live brief for Product Design students. Rather than simply producing the trophies in-house, the task gave students the opportunity to respond to a commercial challenge and pitch their ideas directly to the client.
Students were invited to develop concepts that captured XOXO Soda’s playful and energetic brand identity. The brief called for a consistent trophy design that could be adapted into three awards, with the winning concept selected by the XOXO team alongside Ravensbourne staff.
XOXO Soda
Holly Patrick quote
We wanted the XO Flavour Cup to feel like it belonged to the community, not just to us, so asking a Ravensbourne student to design the trophy made complete sense. Shakeeb took the brief and ran with it, and the trophies he designed became some of the stars of the day. Watching the winning team lift something made by an emerging designer said everything about what XO stands for. We’d love to work with Ravensbourne again.”
Shakeeb was selected to develop his concept into the final trophy design. He created and 3D-printed a prototype, which he presented to the XOXO team in person at Ravensbourne.
Following feedback from the client, Shakeeb refined his design and handed over the final files for production. Due to time constraints and workshop availability, the finished trophies were manufactured externally, with Shakeeb’s design forming the basis of the awards presented at the tournament.
The project gave Shakeeb experience of the design process, alongside incorporating client feedback and preparing a prototype for manufacture.
Sidney quote
It’s been fantastic to see Shakeeb collaborate with XOXO Soda on such an exciting live brief, bringing fresh creative ideas to a real industry project. Collaborations like this are a great example of learning with industry, giving students the opportunity to develop their skills, build valuable connections and gain hands-on experience that will support their future careers.”
The XO Flavour Cup brought together 20 content creators for a day of five-a-side football and social content.
Following the matches, the XOXO team highlighted Shakeeb’s contribution and Ravensbourne’s involvement before presenting the trophies to the winning teams. The awards marked the culmination of a project that had taken a student concept from an initial design to a commercial event.
Matthew quote
The collaboration with XOXO provided our BA (Hons) Product Design students with the perfect opportunity to engage in an industry set brief and gain valuable insights into a commercial level project. We are extremely proud of our Year Three student, Shakeeb Mohammed, who demonstrated high level creative thinking and technical skills by designing the final set of trophies that were used at the event. We look forward to the next collaboration project with XOXO.”
The project reflects Ravensbourne’s commitment to embedding industry engagement into the student experience, enabling students to apply their skills to workforce challenges and develop experience that can support their future careers.
Through opportunities such as this collaboration with XOXO Soda, students can explore how their ideas translate into professional practice, gaining insights into client relationships and the journey from concept to a finished product.
To find out more about studying Product Design at Ravensbourne University London, visit our website.
