Undergraduate Profiles
Sophie O’Kelly: Product Design BSc graduated in 2012
I studied Product Design BSc, undertaking a year in industry to graduate in the summer of 2012. I think most people's reason for choosing Brunel is how welcomed you feel on the UCAS days, and how friendly everyone is. All of the students seem so happy and comfortable with the staff, and each other. The bond between all of the students is clear. When it came to picking Brunel against my other choices, Brunel is at a huge advantage as it is so close to London. As a designer, you need to constantly strive for new experiences and inspirations. Living on a campus university is fantastic for getting your head down in work, but when you need a break or want to do some design research, Brunel is a quick tube away from the Central London and our world renowned museums.
I am confident that I made the most of my time at Brunel, in terms of the whole campus, all of the facilities on hand, and in particular, all of the opportunities available to you as a design student. The course is fantastically inspiring, and really fuels people to pursue the field of product design they take an interest in. Brunel’s Design courses are a great basis to cover all the areas of design, but once you get to your final year, you are beginning to understand how vast a field it is. Brunel has the staff and facilities to cater for all of your interests within design, it's just up to students to push themselves to take advantage of the unlimited opportunities available, and the more you make yourself known within the School of Engineering and Design, the more opportunities keep coming.
All of the lecturers are extremely supportive, and you feel they hugely respect you. I think that's quite unique for an undergraduate course. It feels like the product design students are so important to the university, and that is truly reflected in the support from lecturers and researchers. Everyone is there to learn, and I always felt my opinion was listened to and respected by even the most senior of staff.
I can't speak more highly of Tony Waite, and the Placement and Careers Service which he is a part of. For the design students, we have a lot of pressure put on us to get a successful placement year, but also receive a huge amount of support to try and find one. Having talked to other product design students at other universities about the support they get in finding placements, Brunel stands head and shoulders above.
For my industrial placement, I worked at the Walt Disney Company for 13 months as a Product Development Intern. I found the role through our Placement and Careers Service, who had received contact from Disney. I could write an essay on all the work I did, but in terms of after that year, the impact it has made has been invaluable. Working for six months specifically on infant product at Disney Baby, I gained a great understanding and interest in the infant product industry. This made a direct impact on my major final year project, and allowed me to skip so many steps in research and understanding as I already knew so much, without realising it. My final year project was in collaboration with Guys and St Thomas' Hospital, and the professional etiquette and presentation style that I experienced at Disney, was truly reflected in my relationship with my client. I have no doubt that my final year would never be anywhere near as successful without the experience I gained on placement - and is something I always push to Level 2 students and below. Having experience working in a fast-paced, professional company is far more valuable than your degree alone, which every other student graduating has anyway... A placement is just another step on the ladder towards furthering your career. As with many companies, once you're in, "you're in". No one wants to spend a year training someone, to never see them again.
My major project was in collaboration with the Speech Therapy team at Guys and St Thomas' Hospital, designing a mouthing toy for infants. With my experience and knowledge of infant product market from Disney, it was a clear choice. I was able to use my commercial understanding, even when working on a medical product. The client was most impressed at how I turned the simple, medicalised idea, into a truly desirable, commercial product, which is being followed forward into further development, even after graduation.
Brunel and my time at Disney have completely shaped my future. At A-Level, your understanding and interest in design is keen, but we all look back now and laugh at how little we really knew. Brunel opens your eyes to the world of design, and acts as an incredible launch pad to wherever you want to go. I'm sad to see other students who don't value their degree or their time at university. The atmosphere, the teaching, the other students, the incredibly hard work, and the fun you have, will completely shape you as a person and designer. Seeing other courses - I'm confident I got my money's worth!!
Brunel students stand apart from other courses, in their understanding of business and the real product development process. The skills you learn at Brunel, turns you into a professional and intelligent designer. No, we're not Art students, and we could not be more proud of this. We understand the wider picture of product design, and how it affects a business and how it is produced and sold - refreshing for many employers to hear from a graduate.
To conclude, Brunel Design will truly challenge you, but at the same time, provide such support, respect, fun and inspiration, in a way I have never seen other students experience. Brunel has completely built me as a designer, I truly am Made in Brunel.
Emily Riggs: Graduated BSc Product Design in 2012
I graduated from Brunel in 2012 having studied Product Design BSc as a four year course with an industrial placement in the third year. At first I was a bit daunted at the thought of studying at Brunel and didn’t know how I would ever be able to make something that looked as good as the final year projects of past students I had already seen. My initial concerns were dissolved, as the expertise and patience of the lecturers and technicians means that they prepare you well, and offer support throughout your study.
There are a wide range of sporting activities at Brunel, and there is the opportunity for anyone to get involved in a club or society regardless of ability. I joined rowing in my first year having never rowed before, and was really lucky to use all of the facilities and coaching at the local boat club, at a very subsidised rate before becoming Women’s Captain in the second year!
I carried out a year-long placement in a London-based design consultancy, therefore, the placement itself was invaluable, and gave me the opportunity to work with clients and amazing designers to help develop my skills, and prepare me for my final year. The Placement Centre was really helpful (even picking up the phone on a Sunday!) with preparing CVs and telling us all about the different placements on offer.
Being involved in Made in Brunel 2012 was an amazing experience and involved working with students and staff across the school of Engineering and Design to prepare a book, website and exhibition of graduate work, while a team also worked on the branding communication and publicity! Friends, family and industry all attended the event and received the book, which is great for showing others the work and opening up job possibilities for exhibitors.
My final year project, Kulinda was developed to reduce the risk of HIV transmission from Mother-to-Child during breastfeeding, and the solution was focussed primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. The inspiration came from travelling both before university and in the summer holidays. The project was really enjoyable and having known nothing about HIV or breastfeeding at the beginning, I now feel a lot more educated on both! I gained a lot of contacts with experts throughout the project and am hoping that the product will go into production now that I have left Brunel.
I am currently on an internship at SeymourPowell in the Foresight Department, I am really enjoying it and hope that it is the area I can continue working in in the future.
I couldn’t recommend Brunel Design more highly and although the course is hard work it is so rewarding, and working with your friends makes it enjoyable too! I loved my time there, the support available is fantastic and it fully prepared me for leaving and going into industry.
Rachel Scott-Thompson: student on BSc Product Design
Work Placement Company: SMR Automotive Mirrors UK
Job Title: Trainee Design Engineer, Design Engineering Department.
Salary paid: £15,000.
How I got the placement: Placement and Careers Centre.
Work Placement Summary:
I’ve been working at SMR Automotive for almost a year now so my placement is nearly finished.
My duties involved assisting senior engineers, creating and amending engineering drawings, creating and amending 3D CAD models and assemblies, laboratory testing, tuning initial part samples, creating prototypes, compiling exploded views and Bills of Material for quoting for new business.
On starting the placement I was nervous but excited. After the first few days my nervousness disappeared and I was eager to learn all I could. Responsibility grew over time – not much pressure to start with, but the work I was given gradually became more important, and I was given more freedom after a few months. After about 4-6 months I was allowed sole responsibility for various quoting activities and small parts of projects.
During the placement I felt I was well looked after. My line manager always made sure I was happy with the work I was doing, and senior engineers are always on hand to help if I need it.
I set my own plan and goals through writing PDPs throughout the year. I was visited early in the year by my Brunel academic placement tutor, and will be visited again next week for my final presentation.
I very much enjoyed the year. It’s been hard work, but I’ve learned a huge amount. In fact, it’s been incredibly useful for putting into perspective many of the things I learned in my first two years at Brunel, helping me to understand the significance of the modules I studied and appreciate how they are applied in industry. It has confirmed for me that I definitely want to work in the automotive industry in my future career, but that there are other Departments that I could be equally happy working in. I made some great friends both in work and outside of work.
In summary, firstly the placement was fascinating and exciting, being involved in the automotive industry right at the design stage, but also it will be invaluable in my final year, for applying everything I’ve learned to my major project and other modules.
Richard Coomber: Student on BA Industrial Design & Technology
Richard is currently on Placement;
Company Name: Avon Protection - New Product Development
How I get the placement: Placement and Careers Centre.
Salary paid: £14,000. (Because of a July start, I also only had to pay about 200 pounds to tax over the 2 tax years)
Job Title: Student Design Engineer
The placement was advertised via the Placement Office and I submitted my CV to them. I was later interviewed and was offered the job within a week of the interview
My role was to bring new products and technologies into the industry via private client briefs and company directives. I would be given a project and would conduct primary and secondary research, identify my market user group, produce suitable concepts, take a chosen concept (by the client) through a prototyping stage to reach a solution which was then sold to the client as a marketable product.
I was fairly unsure about what the environment would be like so tried to keep an open mind. It was slightly daunting to be given so much responsibility, but I was encouraged to just do my best so I remained fairly confident.
I was given full freedom to produce my own designs. One amazing thing, I did not expect to be able to spend thousands of pounds on production tools based on my designs, and be given components to work on which would be in the field less than 1 year later.
I had a personal mentor who was also my boss. He made sure that any issues/worries were dealt with swiftly. I did however have the freedom to just go and work on my own. I preferred to go away and produce work and then come back and present my designs/findings once I felt like I had exhausted all of my creative ability.
I set my own goals throughout the placement. I wanted to improve my sketching ability and expose myself to the world of designing in context. My placement lecturer visited at the start of the placement to make sure I had settled in ok.
I enjoyed the placement very much so. I didn’t realise how much I had learnt until I was speaking to friends at the graduate show, the year above me. I’ve made many friends and connections throughout the year, and realised the area that I want to go into to further develop my design skills.
Travel opportunities were offered. Expenses were given when out on business. The use of the company workshop/lab was also available for personal projects.
In respect to future employment, the company said if they had a position open, they would put me at the top of the list for it if I wanted to work there. We did have a chat about what I wanted to do after university and I mentioned that I wanted to live closer to home, so probably wouldn’t be able to work for them for a few years after graduation.
In sum, the placement at Avon protection exposed me to the real world side of design. Having a factory bolted on to your office gives you a real sense of logic and rationale when you design something, knowing that you can’t just come up with pie-in-the-sky ideas which would never be produced, because the technology/manufacturing methods just don’t exist.
SHARANJIT KAUR: Final year student on BA Industrial Design and Technology
"I have been a creative person all my life and love sketching and drawing. I was on a trajectory to do art, then took a graphic design course at college on my GCSE’s. I loved the course for all the different areas that it involved like branding, and it showed me various different aspects and problem solving. On choosing A Levels, I chose four very diverse subjects as I did not know what career I wanted at that time. So I took Biology, History, IT and Product Design. When I started the Design A level, my teachers were impressed with my design thinking and capabilities. It was obvious that Design at that level was my strongest subject. I was passionate about it and everyone saw this. One teacher in particular, thought I had talent in design and saw how much I enjoyed it. Another teacher attended the School’s MADE IN BRUNEL show and gave me the show’s Design directory with all the projects. When I saw this I said wow !!!! this is what I want to do !! I then did some research about Brunel and was impressed with the Design department’s standing. From then onwards I had my heart set on Brunel even though I had not visited it yet. I came on two visits, one with the whole family, and then again with my mum. My mum adored the place she felt I would be safe on the campus, as other universities had campuses, but sometimes the design facilities where not in the same place and you had to take a bus. Brunel was ideal as everything was in walking distance. The lecture rooms, accommodation, shops and restaurants were altogether and I would not have the additional stress of travelling and could concentrate on the course. So my mum liked Brunel and my dad also liked the course !!! Having sat through the course talk he knew it was challenging and knew I would have to work. He was pleased about that so I came to Brunel!!
At Brunel I have found that the relationship with teachers and technicians is lovely in the Design Department. You can stop and have a chat with them at any time. The Design department is together as a unit and you worked together with staff and students alike, whereas other friends I knew at Brunel on non-design courses worked and studied more in isolation. Paul Turnock’s lectures were inspirational and stretched you too. In my first two years at Brunel, before my placement, I had some good times on campus. There are lots of recreational activities students can do. In my second year I learned to dance salsa and now I am in my final year I am learning street dancing. My friends do all sorts of different things e.g. hockey, the gym, badminton and basketball to mention a few. Everyone on the course has their own individual activities. Brunel’s location is fantastic. We are not paying the expensive Central London prices, but can get in to Central London easily by tube in 45 minutes. I love going to Covent Garden. We, as Design students, also go to group exhibitions together and I am in to fashion, and go to fashion shows. I even went to a toy exhibition when we did the autonomous design project in year 2, which gave me some good ideas. We also have access and go to museums and libraries in the City where we can read journals and get inspiration ! Central London is also there just to have a break from your studies, so we sometimes go to a bar or shopping for relaxation. Tomorrow night all my Design friends on the course are dressing up for Halloween and we have all chosen themes. We do so much together as a student group in Design. With your studies there is all the pressure and stresses, so it’s good to have this close relationship with each other to relax.
I did a year long placement at Bentley, the luxury car maker in Crewe. I applied on line through the extensive database that we have access to from the Work Placements Office. Initially, they asked a series of questions about your work ethic and you had to give examples of how you work as an individual and in a team. I also had to do exams on line for the company, in numeracy and literacy before I was called to an assessment centre which was a hotel in Crewe. There were four students attending the morning assessment. Firstly each student had a 45 minute interview with quite generic questions and also included a few design questions, testing your design knowledge. The question they asked was if you were to design a picnic table what factors would you include in the design process. Then I had to do a presentation and we were given 30 minutes to prepare for this. They gave you a scenario of locating a company in two different geographical areas and I had to say what the advantages and disadvantages were for each location. So the exercise was about taking in lots of information and producing ideas. The presentation lasted 10 minutes and was followed by an answer / question session, with the main purpose of seeing if could communicate, be focused and justify your ideas. The presentation and questions session was the real deal to separate the candidates. I knew what my points were and emphasised them in the questioning and re emphasised them. It was obvious they were looking at the strength of your character to hold and maintain your ideas. And I thought afterwards how this would happen in design settings in the real world. In such real settings you would have to justify your ideas at work and I think this a large party of design. Everything you do must have a reason. So I got the placement!!!
At Bentley I worked in the Concepts Department as a concept engineer and was paid 14 and a half thousand pounds for the year’s placement. The Department came under the pre-development umbrella. As a team we were the first part of what was called the “hard point” of a vehicle. So we investigated the initial architecture of the vehicle. It involved a series of investigations initially using CAD. One example was storage investigations e.g. consuls, boxes etc and the aim was to try to increase space, and my work involved a lot of competitor analysis of other luxury cars. We created physical and virtual space investigations e.g. where to place bottles, maps or car manuals, in fact everything to do with the car. There was a process behind these investigations and it was not aimless as we had mandatory parameters of where things would go in the car.
I must admit that Bentley was a brilliant place to work. One of my weaknesses after I had completed my second year was CAD. At Bentley I did a week long course in CATIA, a CAD software, specifically designed for the automotive industry. I was fascinated with what I could create after this course. It increased my confidence in using CAD which will really help my final year at Brunel. But these investigations were only one aspect of my work there. The whole placement was quite nice because you worked in a team and touched base together. The team consisted of about 20 engineers and we dealt with concepts and style feasibility across a broad area. Everyday there was something new and challenging and exciting e.g. one time three luxury cars were brought on site, a Lotus, Ferrari and Aston Martin, and an ergonomics clinic (validation team) was carried out, that is, the cars were set alongside each other and tested and compared for human usability. The year also included industrial placement monthly meetings, and we carried out a self development module and a “communicate clearly” module. Both the Concepts Department and the Personnel Department required us to carry out separate development programmes. And every two weeks we created a fortnightly log, a record of what we had achieved and we had to suggest how things could be improved. The placement was not restricted to these things though. For self-development we were required to become involved with charity work for St Luke Hospice in Crewe and we were asked to come up with money raising ideas and organise events. So these ranged from car boot sales to even a doughnut sale. It was fantastic as one company helped us by giving discounted doughnuts, and we bought hundreds of doughnuts and they all went !! Another area we became involved in was school liaisons for the company, and on one event we had school children creating card factories emphasising brand thinking and enterprise. The children bought their own material with a view to helping them understand costs and profit issues. It was quite interesting as we asked them the night before to bring as many materials as possible on the day and they and got points for recycling issues. I was part of the judging team ! It was so nice to get involved with students to help them if they were stuck in the creative process. On my placement I also learnt German on a voluntary basis in the evenings, as the company is owned by VW, and Bentley was part of the VW group so had close relationships with the Audi Company.
The placement has for me been a great opportunity and I learnt a vast array of skills from technical, to communication to commercial, and different aspects of all these things. In respect to personal development after the placement I actually emerged as a more self-reliant individual as for one year I lived completely by myself without my family, so my confidence and independence increased. Practically, my skill on CAD improved.
Looking back, this year in industry in was truly fantastic and I am now more critical of my own work, and I understand the needs of the end user and what I am trying to achieve, so I am more self assessing. The placement in the end was all about self improvement. So I learnt a lot of graphical skills and skills presentations. All investigations we did I converted in to visual presentations. It made it easier for the end user to understand what we did. I created a new system with a lot of dimensional data. The system was an EXCEL workbook. With so many different dimensions in the research and investigation processes there was, until I developed my system, no way of making comparisons of so much data, but my system automated everything, and anything put in Excel went directly to visual representation. Prior to my system the user had to copy and paste things, which necessarily involved errors and problems. I am proud to say that my system is now being used by Bentley.
In sum, my placement helped my personal development in technical, communications and business enterprise areas. As I said I am now confident with CAD !! Also, my general work ethic improved, because on the placement I got into a routine and set my deadlines to achieve each day. I had to time manage. Before my placement unless someone would tell me what to do, I might lose my way, but now I am confident to act independently and am self starting. So the placement was certainly for me a life changing experience !! When the placement ended I was invited to go back on an assessment scheme after graduation with a view to being offered a job !! So though not guaranteed there is a possibility of a job with Bentley in the end, and I will definitely go to the assessment centre to pursue this dream after my final year at Brunel!!!"
TIM HOLLEY : Graduated with First Class Honours BSc Industrial Design in July
2008.
"I have lived in Munich, Germany since 1996 and was educated at the Munich International School. I took Art and Design Higher Level as part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma.
I chose Brunel because of its reputation in the Design world, its proximity to London and London Heathrow and its strong connections with industry.
The course was stimulating from an academic viewpoint, to produce high quality work that has value. It was also challenging to manage workloads across the many modules we took. The environment was conducive to do work and everyone was motivated. A good thing at Brunel is that I felt like a person not a number in a big organisation; when I was studying the IB there was a close relationship with teachers and I was happy to find this translated to my Brunel experience. The Design department was small enough that everyone knew each other and all the staff were very supportive and willing to accommodate your different viewpoints and interests.
During my time at Brunel I undertook a number of internships. I did a six-month paid work placement in Boston, USA, at a consultancy called Proteus Design. I was an Industrial Design placement student working on quick turnaround, market-oriented products for various clients. I worked in a large team of industrial designers, engineers and marketeers. The company was quite surprised at the range of the skills and knowledge I brought as an Industrial Design student. I also did another paid placement in Munich, for f/p Design. During this second placement I worked on high-end products such as office chairs and furniture in a smaller team of four designers. The working environment was that of a small family and I was expected to be a part of the team and contribute to the success of the company from day one.
Final Year Project: Tio – A Light Switch to Help Children Save Energy
I undertook this project as a result of a final year project brief with a company called Onzo, based in Central London. I won the pitch and started working on the project ‘Tio’. The project is a system, consisting of a wall-mounted light switch and a computer programme, that aims to increase children’s awareness of energy consumption. The wall-mounted light switch monitors the amount of time lights have been on for and gives visual and tactile feedback to the child.
Increasing the younger generation’s awareness of energy consumption now will help to effect change in the future. Children play a key role in reducing energy consumption due to the fact that they will be among the key decision-makers in the next 30 years. A simple way to engage and educate them is to concentrate on lighting, which accounts for up to 15% of electricity use in the home.
The target market for Tio is seven to eleven year-olds. This coincides with a period in primary education during which children begin to learn about the environment, energy and the effects that humans are having on the world. Tio aims to bridge the gap between school and the home, allowing children to demonstrate their knowledge of energy conservation to their family and encourage their role as ‘energy champions’ of the home.
The wall-mounted light switch, which can be installed in the place of a standard light switch, controls the lighting in the child’s room. Tio is soft and tactile, thus encourages user interaction. The character of ‘Tio’ displayed on the light switch encourages children to turn their lights off: Tio is happy when the lights have only been on for a short period of time. The longer they are left on, the angrier he becomes. This acts as an emotional reminder to turn the lights off.
The Tio system gives children instant and cumulative feedback on their energy saving performance. The recommended ‘lights-on time’ is influenced by the child’s age, their daily activities and the time of day.
Typically, energy meters display energy usage in terms of monetary value or technical units, for example Euros or kWh respectively. This however, does not motivate or engage children. Tio relates lighting usage to topics that are meaningful to them; how energy affects trees, animals and the local environment. This not only makes energy consumption more understandable to the child but also shows the effect it can have on his or her life.
Information (‘lights-on’ time) is sent wirelessly from the wall switch to a computer. The computer programme allows the child to track their lighting-use performance over an extended period of time. The child takes care of a ‘virtual tree’ by moderating their lighting-use performance. This engages children to make a personal contribution to reducing energy consumption.
Tio was awarded the HSBC Award for Sustainability in June 2009. The judges commended the fact that the project focused on the future by educating the younger generation and that it made the complex subject of ‘energy’ more tangible and understandable.
The project was supported by Onzo, a company that designs unique products and services that encourage real and long-term behaviour change.
I would recommend Brunel and the Design course because it gives you a wide range of skills that can be applied to many different situations. I believe that this flexibility is something that employers are looking for now and in the future. As a team of students in our year I think we were much closer than we realise. I will definitely miss this support network upon graduating from Brunel."
CHRIS NATT : Graduated in BA Industrial Design and Technology (thick
sandwich) in June 2008.
"I studied Industrial Design and Technology BA. Brunel offers a well rounded course that allows the opportunity for students to push there creativity and technical abilities. The workshops helped me immensely to bring my projects to life. Brunel workshops are well maintained and staffed with many technicians that are second to none. The invaluable knowledge and help of these people has, in turn, helped me greatly. I have always found the relationship between staff and students at Brunel friendly allowing for good communication on a professional level, and during my final year, weekly meetings for personal and group projects with tutors helped strengthen and keep projects on track.
During my placement year I took part in an exchange to San Francisco State University, the experience allowed me not only to access courses not found at Brunel, but also the free time to experience an amazing city. During this time I carried a Digital SLR camera allowing me to capture the raw memories of the cultures, events and people I experienced during my stay. By experiencing and observing different cultures I have been able to apply the knowledge and experience gained as well as my knowledge of visual skills and mechanical knowledge to strengthen my design projects. During my second semester on exchange at San Francisco State University I was given the opportunity to work on a project run by The Whirl Wind Foundation. The project was to further develop one of their wheel chairs for the Third World. The wheel chair had to be designed to be manufactured using techniques and materials that would only be found cheaply in the country they were intended for. The most valuable part of the project was the time spent in a wheel chair within a modified workshop learning the obstacles that the users would have to face.
My final year project was called Sting. Sting is an infection control for the developing world. The project aims to find an alternative to current vaccination hardware which cannot be re-used. The objective is to reduce the spread of blood borne pathogens such as HIV due to the re-use of presently available needles and syringes. The commercial viability and cultural acceptance of such newly developed vaccination units within South Africa is a crucial consideration of this project. The project is currently being worked on and a patent has been applied for though Brunel's commercialisation department.
After graduation, I was approached by a London based company called Troika at the Made in Brunel show and worked with the company for 5 months as an intern. This proved very enjoyable and worthwhile. On top of the internship my three final year projects have also had much recognition. One project, entitled “Stimuli”, is an Intelligent lighting project. Using objects to make us more aware of our surroundings is not a new idea. “Stimuli 3” focuses on the idea of using the semantics of a colour and shape changing, to bring about light effects to represent changes in the environment. The Stimuli light draws inspiration from the behaviour of plants and how they respond to changes in their environment such as sunlight exposure. The device communicates changes in its immediate surroundings using semantics associated with changes in colour, movement and shape. The differing effects of the light creates an atmosphere reflective of the subtle changes happening around it. This project was picked up by several mainstream industrial design blog websites and has subsequently been featured in 5 magazines as of December 2008. As a result of the media coverage Stimuli was invited and will be showcased later this year at Innovation Lab (NEXT 06- get lost) in Denmark, the show focuses on new and emerging technology.
My second project was “Universal generator” which was chosen by Tom Dixon in the government project “Noise”. Universal Generator concerned Sustainable power generation for the developing world and was one of four artefacts produced as future product concepts for JCB. The ‘Universal Generator’ focuses on a generator that utilises kinetic energy, and can be set-up into each of the user’s personal situations to charge up the product. Applications like, for instance, being dragged behind cattle, or to create a wind turbine can be achieved. The scenarios are endless so long as a rotary motion can be created. The generator is a sustainable solution for developing countries with power needs, that will save money, produce a renewable source of energy and potentially increase new possibilities within life. “Noise” is a showcase of Britons creative talent. The showcase focuses on the next generation of creative talent in music, architecture, graphics, product design, fashion and film. http://noisefestival.com/Tom Dixon said "I think what’s interesting about it (Universal Generator) is that it’s tackling a very, very real problem which is energy generation, particularly micro-energy generation, in communities which might not have a lot of electricity. British engineering, for sure, is still potentially a place for Chris to go but there are very specialist manufacturers for these types of things all over the world."
I am continuing to work in collaboration with Brunel on the Sting project, developing the design aspects as well as applying for funding. The outlook of the project looks positive, and I will continue to be involved for the foreseeable future.
In conclusion, Brunel offers some great facilities, staff and many opportunities. If you are creative and technically minded, Brunel offers a place where you can exercise and push your skills without limiting the outcomes of your work to the computer screen. Working alongside so many talented designers during my degree at Brunel has provided an enjoyable challenge."
DUNCAN SHOTTON : Graduated in BA Industrial Design and Technology (thick
sandwich) in June 2008.
“I studied Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Art & Design at A-level. I left 6th form still pretty unsure of my career path and decided to do a one year Art & Design foundation course at Trowbridge College, which had a good reputation and allowed me to experiment in various creative disciplines. The actual work I produced at college wasn’t that great; I was always trying to invent things but didn’t have the technical knowledge or model making skill to build them. My tutors, focusing on elements they saw in my work, suggested I follow a path of either animation or industrial design in higher education. Industrial design was a much broader route than animation and with guidance from my tutor Rob, I opted to apply at Brunel because of its scientific approach to design.
I started the BA Industrial Design and Technology course in 2004 and was not as technically advanced as a lot of people. I couldn’t use any design programs and electronics scared me to death, so what was already a demanding course required me to work even harder to catch up. The BA course was a good choice for me, because it was more practically based, so after getting a brief idea of the theory of electronic or mechanical principles I was able to just get on and do it and learn in a live environment. The workshop facilities at Brunel are good, but even better are the technical staff within them. The technicians of Brunel are what make it great, especially for designers like me, who love to build. Their expertise, commitment and enthusiasm play a massive part in the wonderful projects that come out of the University.
My third year was spent on industrial work placement at the j-me design studio in North London, which was advertised through the Brunel job centre. j-me are a very small team which meant I had a lot of responsibility and had to work really hard. I was able to learn a lot about running a small business and played a big role in the business and design development for their 06-07 product range. I developed one of my own concepts, the ‘tape dispenser’ within the company, all the way through to production and I still smile to myself when I see it in the shops. I think having a year’s experience already under your belt, makes a big difference when you come to leave university both in an employer’s eyes as well as for your own confidence and portfolio.
I decided on a final year project through a mixture of inspiration from digital and analog formatting, robotics and a love of surprises. It was called ‘Digimech Clock’, produced as part of the Mechatronics module. It has been described as a modern take on the traditional grandfather clock, because it is large and mechanical, even though the 7-segment numbers it uses to show the time are typical of modern, digital clocks. The time is kept by the charging and discharging of 2 capacitors, each cycle takes exactly 1 second. These cycles are stored in various memory banks of a PIC microcontroller which in turn control the positions of the sliders relative to the black ‘display box’. The PIC sends instructions to 3 servos, each of which interacts with a ratchet and pawl that is linked to the pinion which couples with the slider mounted rack. The sliders are gradually cranked upwards and upon reaching the last number (e.g. the 9th minute) the same servo used to crank the mechanism up disengages the ratchets 'stopper' allowing the slider to fall to the first number (e.g. 0) again. The video of the clock, posted on you tube in July has been watched over 40, 000 times. It has also been exhibited behind glass at the 2008 Paris motor show as part of the MINI marketing campaign/stand and attracted attention from my current employer, Kinneir Dufort (KD), when it was exhibited at the Made in Brunel degree show in Angel Islington.
KD are an industrial design and innovation consultancy based in Bristol and I started work as an Industrial Designer last September. I’ve already worked on a wide range of medical, packaging and consumer electronics projects for international clients.
I’ve spoken to my colleagues, many of whom also bring perspectives from previous company experiences, and they all agree employers look to a select few universities to recruit graduates in design, Brunel being one of them. Brunel offers broad ranging courses and industrial experience to ensure students develop a comprehensive portfolio and skill set.”
For more information please visit www.dshott.co.uk
Heena Rai
Heena Rai graduated in July 2007 in the BA in Industrial Design and Technology (First Class Honours). She currently has a permanent job working for a company called 'Integrity Design Management' based in Marden, Kent. Her role involves supporting Design Managers providing artworks and visuals to help companies with their brand image. Heena has recently secured a new position as a Product Designer at VTech in Hong Kong and takes up the new role in late January.
"Royal Leamington Spa is where I grew up. I was keen to choose 'A' levels in Art, Psychology and Graphics that best suited my abilities and my creative nature. Rapid sketching for creating designs is something I always enjoyed. My time at Brunel has helped me to understand the 'total' design process from the function of products to fulfilling users needs.
I completed an industrial placement at Yell as a Studio Artist. I designed advertisements to reach a target of 15 adverts per day in the Accounts Executive team. The role entailed designing advertisements for clients to be displayed in the Yell Directory whilst working to strict deadlines. I received 1st prize in the advert design competition twice within the studio. The winning adverts were framed and displayed in the Yell Department.
My final year project, "mamatoto", is a holistic education resource for first time mothers-to-be. Over half the first-time mothers-to-be do not seek professional antenatal care because of a busy lifestyle or simply are not interested. But also, most vulnerable are the ethic minority groups because of language barriers. Mums-to-be who neglect their health can cause detrimental effects on their baby's health. One of the main hidden health risks is the amount of caffeine consumed, found in hot beverages and various foods. Research shows that 70-85% of pregnant women consume caffeine throughout their pregnancy term. Consumption of excess caffeine during pregnancy can result in low birth weight babies or even miscarriages. 'Mamatoto' aims to increase the awareness of the hidden health risks of excess caffeine during pregnancy. It serves as a practical educational resource by providing weekly health tips, stages of the baby's development - informing week-by-week information about their baby and monitoring their daily caffeine intake. The total daily caffeine consumed is displayed, and alerts the user when they have exceeded the recommended caffeine amount of 300mg. This personalised device is user-friendly which reassuringly guides women through their pregnancy term. 'Mamatoto' is also designed to cater for ethic groups to overcome the communication barrier.
My original idea received some welcome support from current midwives that I consulted during the project. According to The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines urge all pregnant women to be given adequate access to health matters. This discreet, stylish product will help provide guidance to those who do not wish to seek professional advice from their midwife.
Brunel Design was a challenge, but enabled me to gain further experience and develop a range of competencies which will contribute to the development of my career. Why would I recommend Brunel and the Design Department? Brunel provides supportive and dedicated staff, close collaborative links with industry as well as a great social life."
Fenella Holden
Fenella graduated in July 2007 in Industrial Design BSc, First Class Honours and has a permanent position working as a toy designer in Denmark for Lego.
"I was born in East Grinstead, Sussex and took my A levels in Graphics, English Language and Maths and AS Physics. I chose Design at Brunel because with my choice of A levels Brunel offered me the opportunity to do something scientific but also creative.
The course was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Brunel. There was a huge range of topics, which I found very interesting, and over the four years we covered a wide range of subjects from structural analysis to contextual design. I think the lecturers were inspirational and some have experience in industry, which provides a valuable real world insight, the lecturers we very approachable and supportive throughout my degree. We moved from Runnymede to the Uxbridge campus in the second year. In the final year we lived on campus and in my opinion it was the best year. The Uxbridge campus has everything you need and we experienced true University life in that final year.
In my third year I did a placement at Chanel Design UK. I worked on graphics and point of sale design and carried out a huge range of projects over the year. It was a great experience to live and work in London. My placement year gave me more confidence for my final year and a real insight into the application of my degree. On leaving the placement, Chanel offered me a full-time freelance job as their junior designer.
My final year project is the SOS Guardian, a concept for the RAC that makes the breakdown experience much safer and less traumatic. Compactly stored behind your tax disc, this reassuring product continually updates how long you will have to wait for help to arrive when broken down. Using GPS technology it sends the exact location of your vehicle to the breakdown company, it then informs you with easy step-by-step instructions where to wait in the best position of safety. The project was an interface design and usability study, and I looked at the user group in detail to design a product that was intuitive for them to use.
Why recommend Brunel? I think it is the best place in the country for Design."
Jade Hutchinson: graduated in July 2007 in Industrial Design BSc
“I am from a small island the Caribbean from called St Lucia. There I studied the sciences and wanted to become an engineer, but I also had a love of art. My creative side had me looking for a more creative outlet to than engineering. Research led me to two universities – Brunel, and another in the US. Although I longed to go to the US, Brunel’s Industrial Design course seemed to offer a better blend of technical and creative teaching.
Within the first few months I knew I had made the right choice. I was enjoying myself, despite my friends saying I could not enjoy school! They said the excitement would last one month, with the reality of work and the workload that is university. However, 4 years on and I am still enjoying it. Why? – The course was pretty much all the things I wanted. The model making and hands-on teaching offered the practical and creative side I wanted. And the course was engaging - kept me sharp and focused. I found it challenging since I had not done anything like that before – there was always something new to learn. Before I came to Brunel, all my enquires were answered by one of the tutors. Over the years, I felt like I was part of a family. I had the support of lecturers all the time and, if they could not see me immediately, they scheduled a meeting for me to discuss my work.
Brunel recruits students from all over the world and has a multicultural student population. I made many friends from many other countries. My halls of residence was particularly fun where I lived alongside Mechanical Engineering, IT and Computer Software Engineering students. Not only was there banter on whose course was better or worse and whose football team was better, we were also able to help each other on different aspects of our work.
I did my paid placement at a company called “Integrity Design Management” in Kent. My role was to support the design management team. There I learnt a lot about the use of design in business which has help shaped my perspective. I got to work with multinational brands like Virgin, Volkswagen and M&S. Not only was it a rewarding experience, but I am pleased to say that they have offered me a graduate job.
My final year project was on the subject of a flood warning. The device senses the depth and flow combination and estimates the threat level of the existing flood. It would be placed in flood prone areas to warning individuals of the danger. Pressure sensors are used to measure the threat and the danger is communicated using green orange and red lights operated by a software programme which compares the parameters.
Why would I recommend Brunel? – Importantly, the course is tailored to industry needs and is thus highly relevant. Core design skills are also taught which makes it loads of fun. The facilities are available managed by helpful technicians and there is always support from staff when you need it.”
Chloe Bower: graduated in Product Design in 2006 and now works as a Graphic
Designer in Chelsea
“I studied Product Design and it proved a varied course and I loved the way we got a taster for myriad aspects of design. I chose to study at Brunel through its reputation for design excellence. Brunel gave me a great start into design by preparing me for everything from graphics to product development and engineering. Using this technical training, I chose to create a major project based on my own experiences with light and study environments. The concept I produced was for a desk lamp which detects the light levels on your desk and adjusts itself to regulate the overall light level you are working in. This product, the 'Daylit Desk' uses natural light focused from outdoors when available and is supplemented by a light source of a quality very close to that of sunlight so as to reduce noticability on the switchover. This design also aids those users who suffer from seasonal depression as this type of aliment can be lessened by changing indoor lighting to a whiter, higher temperature coloured light. I did a year's industrial placement with Yellow Pages, where I designed layout, colour schemes and pictorial content of advertisements found in the Yellow Pages books. This placement was good because of the incentive schemes, team building days and the opportunity to see how large corporations work, and to develop a clearer understanding of what direction I would like to take after graduation.
Product Design at Brunel is a great opportunity for anyone to get a rounded view of design. It allows you to step easily into any discipline from graphics to engineering and I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about becoming a practical designer.”
Jordan
Her final year project was a hand-held price tag reader for blind and visually impaired people to use in clothes shops. A short description of the item is conveyed in an audio format through an ear phone to the user. The project was developed using RFID (Radio frequency Identification) technology which is set to precede the bar code allowing the price label to be scanned in any orientation and without a line of sight. It was developed with the help of blind and visually impaired children but was also designed to look cool and be a product they would like to use.
Since graduating, Jordan has worked at designing toys and licensed giftware for Character Distribution and Wanted Toys in London.
Rebekka
Rebekka was a 2002 Design graduate, won the coveted BBC Tomorrow's World Best Invention prize for her final-year project, a "smart" plant pot that can monitor moisture and temperature and be controlled remotely by telephone. A prototype is currently being developed in China. Rebekka has also been nominated for a WISE Excellence Award (which encourages women to enter sciences and engineering professions), to be presented by HRH Princess Anne.
