Case study: product design

"If you think you have sufficient desire, motivation and ability you should give it a try. And if you trust in your ability to regularly come up with strong ideas and you keep plugging away, there is a good chance that you will find success.”

English brothers Adrian and Jeremy Wright set up their own design practice after working in the Design industry for a number of companies.

They have worked across a wide range of design disciplines. Specialising in products and furniture, they have also worked on website, brochure, photography, illustration and engineering based projects. Engineering features strongly in both their educations.

• 'If you want to progress you have to make opportunities for yourself, and starting up on your own is one way to do that.'
  
• 'The most important thing is being able to think about something from many different angles and learning how to communicate an idea to yourself and others.'
  
• 'London is a global design hub with loads of like-minded people (great for designers and employers). There are plenty of exhibitions and events to inspire and network at. However, the whole thing can be a bit wrapped up in itself sometimes, and we get a lot more out of visiting a factory in Lancashire.'

Career Journey

When people ask you ‘what do you do?’ how do you normally respond?
We tell non-design people that we design products and furniture for mass production, and people in the industry that we are industrial designers.

What does this actually entail?
We like to get involved in both the technical and visual aspects of a project.
Sometimes it can be just 3D CAD work for days on end, but we also spend a lot of time building models and developing ideas on paper. The computer is an amazing tool but it can often act as a barrier to the thought process.

How did you both train to become designers?

Adrian:  Engineering features strongly in both our educations. I studied Mechanical Engineering at Liverpool University followed by a Masters at the Royal College of Art in Industrial Design Engineering.

Jeremy:  Our training started with our choice of A-levels at school – we both studied Maths, Physics and Design and Technology and I also took Further Maths. Following in Adrian’s footsteps I started a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College, but I found the course a bit theoretical and lacking in application, and the following year transferred to Brunel University to study Industrial Design.

Is it something you always wanted to do?
Yes. Not necessarily industrial design but definitely something related to design or architecture.

Is it possible to explain your career pathway and how you managed to get to this point?
Adrian:  After spending most of the opening night of my RCA exhibition in the workshop finishing off another project, I returned to find a job offer from Foster and Partners. I worked there for two and a half years, followed by a stint at David Chipperfield Architects. Both jobs gave me a great insight into creating products to fit into a larger scheme (such as a building) unlike most products which need to “jump out” or get distorted in some other way.
Jeremy:  While I was at university I did a six month internship at Philips Design in the newly opened London office, and a week after I graduated I received a phone call from them asking me to design a mobile phone. After that project, I worked on a range of digital cameras and then a kitchen blender. I ended up freelancing for Philips for the next couple of years, before setting up with Adrian.

What are the main reasons that you decided to start your own business?
It always seemed like the natural progression. Design isn’t that established as a profession and designers are often hugely undervalued as employees. If you want to progress you have to make opportunities for yourself, and starting up on your own is one way to do that.

If you think you have sufficient desire, motivation and ability you should give it a try. And if you trust in your ability to regularly come up with strong ideas and you keep plugging away, there is a good chance that you will find success.

What do you enjoy most about doing your job?
Realising an idea.

What do you find are the most frustrating aspects?
There are many. The best designs not making it into production for all the wrong reasons. Chasing overdue payments. The amazing yet infuriating nature of 3D CAD.

Looking back over your career, are there any projects that you really enjoyed working on and why
In the summer of 2005 we went to Colorado for nine weeks to design a range of digital cameras for Hewlett Packard. The project was great, but the best part of the whole trip was the hire car. There’s something very cool about American cars.

Advice to Others

If you could offer crucial advice for people wanting to get into the Design industry, what would it be?
If you are interested in design, don’t necessarily do a design degree and try not to rely too heavily on 3D CAD. If you plod down the same path, you will have the same experiences and inspiration as everybody else and end up with the same ideas.

What do you think are the most important skills that people need to have if they want to be designers?
The ability to use both sides of the brain – creative and logical. You need to be creative to come up with original ideas and logical to analyse and develop those ideas.

Always start with a clear and original concept and constantly refer back to this as a point of reference. Learn different methods of developing and communicating a design, and don’t underestimate the power of a sketch or simple model as an effective communication tool.

Do you think it is necessary to study Design in order to become a designer?
You don’t need to have a formal design training to become a designer, particularly if you want to work for yourself. It can help to open doors, but so can other achievements. There are too many design courses on offer (and also too many designers) and the whole thing is too convenient.

The most important thing is being able to think about something from many different angles and learning how to communicate an idea to yourself and others. You can pick this up from many subjects and disciplines. For us, engineering has been a good way to differentiate ourselves from others and a great foundation for design. In itself, it isn’t very trendy or particularly glamorous, but a lot of the great Italian designers trained in engineering or architecture.

Do you feel that it is necessary to be based in London as a Designer?
London is a global design hub with loads of like-minded people (great for designers and employers). There are plenty of exhibitions and events to inspire and network at. However, the whole thing can be a bit wrapped up in itself sometimes, and we get a lot more out of visiting a factory in Lancashire.

Inspiration