Video and audio transcripts

Video transcript

Hi, I am Angelo and I'm a product designer and I work at Design Resource which is a product design consultancy.

The thing I like about designing is basically the whole process. I love taking someone's idea or your own idea and basically seeing it through concept exploration and idea generation through to developing it into a real product. The whole process I really just love the whole process.

I don't think there's ever been a problem where you can't find a solution ? it's more about how effectively you can come up with a solution, and the costs involved. There's always a solution to a problem but whether or not it's the right solution?

I've always known about the Dolphin torch, I mean, it's been around since I've been born, it's older than me. Growing up at home my father always had a Dolphin that was lying around. I've always known about it? I guess everyone recognises the Dolphin, it's a widely recognised product. I just wanted to be part of that and be able to contribute and have my own involvement, I thought I had a bit to offer.

Audio transcripts

Angelo talks about how he first got interested in design when he was at school.

I have been interested in design I guess since my early teenage years. I've always loved drawing, I always thought I had a natural skill to draw. I was always drawing different things and drawing planes. And then I guess getting curious about what that could sort of lead to. I always loved cars and then I picked up on car design. I guess that sort of developed through my high school years doing my major work based on design.

The major experience at school was my major work, part of design and technology drawing I think it was called. We had to have a major work for our final year. So we got to choose a product or anything really and basically design it. And I chose to do a modular wheel for a car. I just loved the whole process, I just loved designing. I guess that experience there lead me to where I am now.

My father has always been good with his hands and always fixed everything around the house and made different things. He was always making furniture and a bit of this and that. I always respected him for those qualities. I guess I think I am pretty good with my hands too so if anything I picked up that from my father." Angelo describes a typical day at work as doing a variety of things all day every day.

A typical day at work can vary and it can just range from working on concepts through to liaising with model makers. It could be working with engineers or working alongside the 3D modeller on the product that you?re working on. You could be making foam models. So just depending on the day you could be jumping around from task to task and project to project depending on what?s needed. It varies - it?s never a routine where I do that in the morning or that in the afternoon - it?s just a bit of everything all day, it?s a variety of stuff all day.

Communication skills

At every stage you?re sort of communicating, whether it be through drawings, or presenting ideas to other team-mates in the project group, or communicating it with the client and then through drawings, sketches and so forth so that?s a vital part I think. And being able to communicate effectively through presentation skills is a vital part I think too.

Practical skills

I always loved making things myself, getting hands on and sculpting things, building new prototypes and mock-ups of how things would work. I think that?s another good talent to have, being able to work with your hands. You?d be making little proof of concept models, you?d be testing things to see how they would work. You?d be making foam models or just little mock ups, it doesn?t have to be foam, it can be out of wood or whatever.

Social skills

You always think you?ve got the best ideas and you?re the only one with ideas but sometimes that?s not right and it?s not relevant or it?s just not what?s needed at the time. So I think you have to always listen and be open to other fields or other possibilities and other solutions. So you work with other people so you can take all that in and come up with the right solution basically. You always have to be open to criticism from clients or other team-mates on your projects.

You get used to it - and a lot of times it?s not criticism but something that is helping the design process and coming up with the right solution. It?s not about a criticism personally on yourself, it?s just the idea that you?ve had that?s probably not the best idea at the time or that?s just not relevant.

Creative skills

I think you have to be creative at all times, whether it be creating a new idea, or creating a way you can make a model more effectively or efficiently, or coming up with an idea that is going to be efficient. I would say creativity is a very vital part of being a designer.