Great day out visiting the EBAC factory. Thanks to product graduate and Senior Design Engineer at the company, Clyde Pittaway, for arranging what was an immensely enjoyable and detailed tour of their fascinating plant .
Tag: Alumni
Mārtiņš latest yacht to hit the water
Latest project worked on by Product Design graduate Martins Elerts who now works for Dixon Yacht Design in Southampton. Mārtiņš said he worked on the surfacing of the deck spending many hours refining every square millimetre to get it perfect.
Our order is in.
More info on the yacht can be found by clicking here.
Tees Made in London 2018
Last week, in the sweltering heat of London, students from product design exhibited their final project work at the New Designers Exhibition in Islington.
New Designers takes place every year at the Business Design Centre which was once the Royal Horticultural Hall. Over 3.500 graduates exhibited from institutes all across the UK.
New Designers allows students to showcase their work alongside fellow graduates from across the UK with the aim of getting themselves noticed and that first foot on the ladder, which will help shape their future.
Funding for the exhibition was raised by the students, through organized events and ‘live’ projects, and through sponsorship. Alongside the exhibition students produced postcards, mini portfolios , business cards and t-shirts to help promote themselves and their work.
This year was arguably our most successful to date with plenty of interest for all the students and potential employment opportunities. Good luck class of 2018.
‘Design Plumbing’: an insight into the life of Product Design alumni Matt Hulbert
Matt Hulbert; BA Hons (First Class), MSc
Having graduated from Teesside University’s prestigious Product Design course in 2010, I found myself working within the exciting world of commercial design just three months after graduation. I joined a team of like minded designers at E3Design in Newcastle, where we worked on many household products that millions of people still use daily. At E3 we considered ourselves to be ‘Design Plumbers’ – called in at any point within the design cycle to assist in which ever way we were required to do so. Every day we were met with new challenges, whether it was to re-engineer a specific type of valve for costing down purposes or the conceptualisation and production of specialist laboratory equipment, no task was too big or too small. I am a big believer that Product Design is a creative extension of problem solving, and to be successful within the industry it’s more important that you develop a plethora of skills. My time at Teesside helped me to do just that, we were encouraged not only to develop our drawing, CAD and model making skills but importantly to ask questions and constantly address problems and apply creative thinking to overcome them.
It’s this core skill set that helped me to find my place in the industry and then go on to successfully design and launch my own invention, a digital golf training aid called TALON. In 2014 I left E3 (whom I continue to work closely with) and started Ojee Golf Ltd with my father, Paul. The last three years I’ve been fortunate enough to embark on an incredible journey, we successfully crowdfunded the TALON on Indiegogo selling 178 TALON units to 20 different countries. We’ve raised more than £150K in funding and were invited to Orlando and Shanghai to help promote UK business.
One of my greatest achievements to date has been realigning with Teesside University on the very course that I graduated from just seven short years ago, only this time as a part-time lecturer. I owe a great deal of gratitude to the University, the course and the lecturers so it feels good to play a part in the future of the course. If I can help to instil the same design values in today’s students that I learnt during my years on the course than it will give them everything they need to help pave their way into a successful design career.
All aboard at Cannes
Product Design graduate Mārtiņš Ēlerts, who now works for Dixon Yacht Design in Southampton, has just got back from the Cannes Yachting Festival where the new Sealine C430 motor boat was unveiled.
“This is not the first boat that I have worked on to hit the water, but it is the first project where I had the privilege to see the entire development process. From the beginning, the very first sketch, initial CAD model, all the way to a finished boat moored up at the Cannes Yachting Festival. My main role in this project was to build the exterior CAD model, which was then further developed by our team of engineers and naval architects.”
It’s a fairly rapid design process, as most of the fine design features are created on the go. Some quick dirty 20 second sketch might happen every now and then, but usually all the different ideas are quickly modelled in 3D and agreed on, or dismissed, without ever touching a piece of paper or pencil. The main advantage is the ability to see and evaluate every idea from all angles in the correct proportions in the actual environment. Might not sound like the traditional design process, but it’s the reality of working in a small team, with short deadlines.”
“Now just have to wait for the chance to go on sea trials with the team.”
And here is a video of it on water
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1usynPl_zc
Product Design alumni receives honorary doctorate
John Barratt, President and Chief Executive Officer of US-based global design consultancy TEAGUE, received an honorary doctorate in Business Administration at this year’s graduation ceremony.
Founded in 1926, TEAGUE is considered to be the most important design consultancy in the world. John joined TEAGUE in 1999, after working in leading positions at Philips Design. He has dedicated his time to building on TEAGUE’s heritage, strengthening partnerships with some of the world’s leading brands including Intel, Starbucks, The Boeing Company and Samsung and pushing TEAGUE’s longstanding mission ‘to build a new and better world’ into the 21st century.
John studied at what was then Teesside Polytechnic, graduating in 1988 with a BA (Hons) Three Dimensional Design – Industrial Design. John said of his time at the University: ‘Teesside helped shape the person I am today. It taught me the philosophy of doing over talking, thinking through making and creating a culture that prioritises the ‘we’ over ‘me’. The notion of team is something I learned at Teesside and the experience has been the foundation to my life’.
You can listen to John here.
Ben traces his journey to Dyson
Ben Russi, 25, who graduated from Teesside’s BA (Hons) Product Design and Industrial Transportation in 2012, is now working as a Design Engineer with Dyson, the company best known for it’s revolutionary vacuum cleaner design.
Originally from Saltburn, Ben, a former student at Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough, met with students currently working on design projects as part of their degree studies.
He said: ‘I studied at Teesside University largely as it was so highly recommended to me by my college lecturer. It gave me a great grounding in product design and helped me to make up my mind about what I wanted to do.
‘It’s been great meeting the students and telling them about my journey since studying at Teesside and it’s been really good to speak to them about their own projects and ideas.
‘I really enjoyed my time at Teesside, so it’s been great to return and see all the reminders of being a student here. Speaking to the students too is a great reminder that just a few years ago I was one of them myself.’
Ben, who is now based in Wiltshire, joined Dyson in 2014 as a Graduate Design Engineer before moving into the role of Design Engineer.
He said: ‘It’s a great place to work, I’m inspired every day. The degree at Teesside helped to give me the confidence to apply and push for a role with such an innovative company.’
Fun in the sun.
Great to see the Class of 2016 enjoying their graduation in the sun today. It was probably a shade too hot but it certainly added too the day. There was a fantastic atmosphere in campus heart and throughout the University.
Also what a pleasure it was to meet up with Product Design graduate John Barrett, who was here to receive an honorary doctorate from the University. John graduated in 1988, from the then Teesside Polytechnic, and is now President and Chief Executive Officer of US-based global design consultancy TEAGUE.
John gave a wonderfully inspiring speech, talking fondly about his time at Teesside and how the course helped to mould his hugely successful career.
Good luck to all our graduates.
New Designers 2016
The New Designers exhibition is one of the most important annual events for Design students, and a chance for students from across the nation to meet with industry figures and employers. Held in the diverse London district of Islington at the Business Design Centre, the show offers students a chance to showcase their work and canvas ideas to a variety of Designers, buyers, trend predictors and members of the public. The atmosphere and venue encourage curiosity and invite viewers to a whole range of different Design and Crafts related displays.
As of 2016, New Designers will have been going for 31 years – an established, and well recognized show to be sure. The exhibition is supported by many Event and Media partners. These renowned establishments, such as The Design Trust, The Design Museum, Design Nation and Icon, are among many expected to be attending the coming show.
Held each year, usually in late June and early July, the exhibition is a regular spot for third year design students at Teesside University. For some, this is a springboard opportunity to help launch their new careers, or begin to develop a contact network – invaluable in the field of Design. Employers also look to find fresh talent among graduates, and many former Teesside students have been offered work placements and internships while displaying their work at the exhibition. The exhibition also caters for younger students, with regular campaigns aimed at high school, A-level and college academics. For younger students considering university level study, this is an excellent opportunity to meet tutors and graduates in person.
Click the image above to see more Class of 2015 work at New Designers.
Here, we can see the previous third year’s finished stand at New Designers. The location is prime, and although the show is supported by sponsors and partners, the price of our stand requires some fundraising and more than a little creative thinking.
You can read more at NewDesigners.
They’re Back.. Class of 2015
A huge congratulations to the Product Design Class of 2015 on graduating last week. It was great to see everyone and catch up on their careers to date. Well done.
