The Royal National Institute For Deaf People have started a new campaign about the dangers of loud live music by launching a competition to encourage design students to come up with a way of making ear plugs more attractive.

The charity says that young people who regularly go to venues playing overly loud music risk damaging their hearing long term. They want more people to wear ear plugs, which can reduce the harmful effect of loud music without necessarily affecting the enjoyment of a gig, but admit that many people resist using plugs because they look a bit stupid. They hope the competition
can find a way of making the plugs more attractive to use.