A day in the life of…

1st in a series of product design alumni talks this morning and what a great way to start with 2015 graduate Martins Elerts all the way from Latvia. Martins talked about his work as project designer for Dixon Yacht Design. Fascinating insight into ‘day in the life of…’

Barcelona and a bit of F1 testing

Earlier this month Product Design students went on a study visit to Barcelona. Despite the weather we had a great time. One of the main visits of the trip was the F1 testing at the Circuit de Catalunya. What an amazing experience and the sounds were just awesome. Other visits included a guided tour of the Seat factory, the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (Design Museum) and the unfinished Sagrada Familia designed by Antoni Gaudi.

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

 

 

‘Stirring Stuff’

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Must read interview in the Top Gear magazine with Marek Reichman, Teesside Graduate and Aston Martin’s design boss, on creating a car for the world’s most famous secret agent.

Click on here to read the article.

 

Ad ‘Vantage’ Teesside

Tuesday night saw the successful launch of Creative Teesside 2014. The show celebrates the hard work and dedication of final year students in the School of Arts & Media. This year’s show was opened by Product Design Alumni Marek Reichman, Design Director Aston Martin. Marek, pictured with two of his own designs outside the exhibition, was truly impressed with the work on display and commended all the students on their efforts and achievement. The students and graduates appreciated the opportunity to speak to an inspirational Teesside graduate, designer and industry leader.

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