Designed for Life

Talk about battery power and people's attention automatically turns to electric vehicles, but in reality, this is one sector of a rapidly growing market. With this growth, there is an increasing need for young people to enter the sector and help design and make the power plants of the future. 

In this episode, we talk with Jonty Deely Williamson, who heads up learning and development at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) 

Previously a science teacher, he has worked in Learning & Development for more than a decade in the rail construction, high-speed rail, food manufacturing and battery manufacturing sectors. 

Working on various projects including the Elizabeth line, HS2 skill development, installation of a new food manufacturing line, and supporting skills from operatives to directors, his role at UKBIC is to develop battery manufacturing skills and training courses at all levels for the UK.

UKBIC is a key part of the UK government-funded Faraday Battery Challenge, which has been delivered by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, with the aim of building a high-tech, high-value, high-skill battery industry in the UK. 

So sit back, grab 50 minutes to yourself and enjoy Designed for Life, in conversation with Jonty Deeley Williamson.

Thanks as always to The Edge Foundation for making these conversations possible.

In this episode, we talk with Nick Ford, founder of the design studio Pipsqueak and IP development specialist. Nick talks us through his school education, which took place at a time when neurodiversity was not so easily recognised or accounted for. 
Several very diverse jobs followed as Nick sought to find his way in the world of work from a mechanics role that wasn't quite what he thought it would be to a cleaner in an engine machine shop and a motorcycle courier. 

Whilst it is safe to say that none of these roles offered Nick what he was looking for, he gave each role his all, picked up information, and learned from each one. 
All of the above eventually led to the creation of a company that designed and made working showpieces and exhibits for museums. It was leading up to the Millennium, and a lot of business and money was available to mark the start of a new age. Sadly, Nick and his business partner failed to see the inevitable shutting off of this ready income stream. The once highly profitable business quickly lost cash flow, and the company had to close as a result. Thanks must go to Nick for being so open about how this happened and for sharing the learning and scars that live to this day.  

And so, finally, to Pipsqueak. I won't tell you how this new company got its enigmatic name—it's a great story that we include in the pod—but I would implore you to look at the diversity of projects that this design company involves itself in at https://www.pipdev.co.uk.

We cap this conversation off by discussing Nick's newly established company, Patentferret, created to help smaller designers and entrepreneurs protect their IP, a problematic field for many. We also discuss how Nick has helped over twenty school students with work experience and has used design principles to create a structure around this work, linking school students with university undergraduates seeking a working studio experience. 

This is a wide-ranging and, I believe, really enthralling conversation with a designer who loves what he does and is leaving a legacy that continues to develop and grow through his work. 

So sit back, put those earbuds in place and enjoy Designed for Life in conversation with Nick Ford. 

As always, thanks to The Edge Foundation for their continued support of Designed for Life. 

www.pipdev.co.uk

www.patentferret.co.uk

In this episode, we start a series in which we will talk with Design & Technology Association Trustees about their careers to date and the reasons why being a Trustee of the Association and being connected to its work is important to them. 

We start this series by talking with Bill Williams, Chair of D&TA Trustees.

Bill is an experienced CEO across the manufacturing and engineering sectors. He was formerly a member of the Board of Group Lotus plc, the CEO of the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME) in London, and is presently the Group CEO of Alloy Fabweld, a UK group of manufacturing and innovation companies based in Essex.

During his career, he has worked in the automotive and motorsport industries (including Formula 1 and MotoGP), as well as the pharmaceutical and food manufacturing sectors. He holds an MBA from Cranfield, is an Honorary Fellow of University College London (UCL), a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET).

He commenced his career by completing a Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeship with Michelin Tyre Company and is deeply passionate about apprenticeships and the need for design and technology in the national curriculum. 

Bill is currently in his third year as Chair of the Association and has been a Trustee for over six years. 

So relax, grab 51 minutes to yourself and enjoy Designed for Life - In conversation with Bill Williams. 

As always, huge thanks to The Edge Foundation for their continued support of the podcast.

This is the first episode with young graduates met recently at New Designers 2024 in London. 

Alex graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a second-class BA (Hons) in Product Design. I was struck by the simplicity of his design project and the clear communication of intent within his work. 

It is clear that Alex is very passionate about combating climate change and helping people to live more sustainably; his comment that "I want to utilise my design background to help to bring solutions to this sector" is, in my experience, representative of a significant percentage of his generation who recognises the massive challenges facing mankind and wants to be part of the solution, not a contributor to the problem.  

In the conversation, you will hear how Alex has mapped out a pathway to becoming a talented air source heat pump engineer. He is undoubtedly a talented and driven young designer, and I know he would welcome 'reachouts' from anyone who feels they may be able to contribute to his journey. 

Linkedin.com/in/alex-ball-439339224

In this episode, we are delighted to converse with Design education specialist, advisor, teacher and CLEAPSS consultant Trudi Barrow.

It seems like a strange statement, but we rarely have a design and technology teacher and leader on the podcast, so in this episode, we follow Trudi's journey into teaching but then spend a good part of the conversation talking about the subject, its challenges and where it may be heading to.  I have to say it was a pleasure to hold this discussion with someone passionate about the value of design and technology education and what it can offer young people.

Trudi has recently taken on a role leading for CLEAPSS within design and technology, and many people will have seen her online journey as she has deep-dived into the use of AI and where this can be utilised within design education.

I really enjoyed this conversation, and I think you will too, so get those earphones in and enjoy Designed for Life in conversation with Trudi Barrow.

Trudi's website: www.trudibarrow.com

Futureminds Home Page: https://sites.google.com/view/cleapss-futureminds/home  

https://www.cleapss.org.uk

In this episode, we are delighted to talk with Dawn Foxall and Roy Ballam about the recently released paper commissioned by the Textiles Skills Centre, 'Unravelling the Fabric of Textiles Education'.  

As we seek to move the subject forward, building from the bottom up being our approach at the Association, we need to carefully look at where textiles fits into primary and secondary education. Our view is that we want to keep textile education within design and technology, a position that is perhaps challenged by the large number of textile teachers who are now delivering examinations within art and design in secondary education. 

We were, therefore, somewhat relieved and delighted that this report strongly indicates that textile teachers have moved predominantly for the assessment methodology adopted through art & design and a strong desire to "teach to their expertise" at KS4 and KS5. A large majority have stated in this report that they would come back to design and technology if the examination requirements were adapted to allow them to do this within the subject; this giving us a clear steer as we seek to start the process of reform. 

We drop the normal format of the podcast and dive straight into the report on this episode; there is so much that demands discussion. Thanks to Dawn and to Roy for giving up their time to talk with me. You can download the report from the TSC: https://www.textilesskillscentre.com/

As always, huge thanks to the Edge Foundation for their continued support of this podcast. 

In this conversation, we follow Gordon Fraser, Co-founder of the Marloe Watch Company, on his journey from a difficult school experience to co-founding a successful British-designed watch company.  

With his Co-founder Oliver, whom he met online, the two founded The Marloe Watch Company and produced their first two watches without meeting (and living in two different countries). As the company grew, Oliver was the first to 'give up the day job' and concentrate 100% on the success of their venture, followed closely by Gordon. 

Gordon discusses the importance of understanding user requirements while designing a watch that you, as the designer, would be proud to wear. We also discuss the importance of storytelling in design and how we are all seeking to buy and wear objects that help define our tastes and unique persona. 

You don't have to be a watch lover to love this conversation (although I have to confess that I am). Gordon's passion for what he loves to do shines through as we discuss the highs and lows of owning your own design business. 

Gordon uses a phrase that is worth exploring on its own: his growing "intolerance to imperfection," especially when design translates to manufacturing. Process and 'value engineering' push you as a designer to one compromise too many. 

So grab an hour to yourself. Take the dog for a walk, place us in your ears for your gym workout or just grab a coffee and listen to Designed for Life - in conversation with Gordon Fraser. 

https://www.marloewatchcompany.com/
And if you want to fall down the rabbit hole we discussed on the pod (and I would recommend it) follow this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FhTu3aGM60&list=PLB00JHoTw1TeX82Qw8hoFLRJI89Us_jMw

In this episode, we are in conversation with Claire Holman, modelmaking professional and lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth.

We follow Claire's journey from a fairly nomadic start as her family moved first to Zambia and then to England, closely followed by Scotland as her father's work dictated their journey. This was followed at age sixteen by Claire leaving school and taking on a YTS course (if you are old enough, you know. If not, a government initiative to direct young people into training and employment). Here, she was subjected to some deplorable practice as the college concerned used the course as a 'cash cow', and the students were an essential part of the payment process for the college...but no more!

Sometimes, it takes a negative experience to produce a positive, and the bitter taste that this left with Claire drove her later in her career as she took a role (twenty-five years ago now) with the Arts University Bournemouth) "every student has a right to have teachers that are present, not just in the physical sense, but are on the journey with them, fully engaged".

We follow Claire's journey in modelmaking both in the UK and Canada and finally talk with her about what she has learned in over twenty-five years of educating students in design, modelmaking and prototyping in Bournemouth.

This discussion is one for students and educators nationally. Claire's love of teaching and her desire to get better at what she does professionally with each passing day comes over clearly in our discussion. I just know you are going to love this!

https://aub.ac.uk/
BA(Hons) Modelmaking: https://aub.ac.uk/course/modelmaking

NEW - BA(Hons) Creative Technologies: https://aub.ac.uk/course/creative-technologies

NEW - BA(Hons) Design for Sustainable Futures: https://aub.ac.uk/course/design-for-sustainable-futures

Other AUB courses of interest:

NEW – BA(Hons) Interior Architecture for Health and Wellbeing https://aub.ac.uk/course/interior-architecture-health-and-wellbeing

BA(Hons) interior Architecture & Design: https://aub.ac.uk/course/interior-architecture

This episode sees us in conversation with Sophie Hague - 2022 RSA Student Award winner and UX Designer.

Sophie found school difficult, not so much academically, but she found it over-stimulating, crowded and overall, just not an enjoyable experience. The one exception to this was design and technology lessons, where she enjoyed the 'open-endedness' of problem-solving activities and just 'clicked'.

As she progressed on her learning journey, Sophie found out just how she liked to learn. Experiential learning worked for her and she realised that to truly understand a topic, she needed to touch it, to feel it or to see the problem set within a real-world context that she could relate to. This metacognition became a major part of Sophie's development, and she developed a sound and blossoming love of learning.

At the age of 11, Sophie decided she wanted to be a designer, and she has been following that pathway since.

Her first degree opened doors in her mind that naturally led to a post-graduate Masters taken at Leeds University. It was here that Sophie was introduced to the RSA Awards, of which she says: "The brief allowed me to explore who I wanted to be, not only as a designer but also as a person. It changed my perception of what design is, what it can be and what I can make it".

This episode is the story of a young designer discovering her own academic ability as she explores the world of design. It was a joy to record, and I just know you are going to enjoy it too.

https://www.thersa.org/blog/2023/11/rsa-student-design-awards-winner

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-hague-b08b66197?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

https://www.instagram.com/sophs.design.stuff?igsh=MWNia2dra3hhN2J3cQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

https://www.sophiehague.co.uk/

Denim jeans have become an integral part of modern-day life.  The majority of us own at least one pair (I personally have to confess to seven)! But how are these garments made? At what cost to the environment? And when they reach end of life how many of us give proper thought to where our once-loved products end up?

Josh Myers is on a mission to turn these discarded garments into aesthetically beautiful products that see the material being given a second life, good news for the environment, and with his patented product Denimolite providing beauty, strength and flexibility of use, the potential uses are endless.

In this episode, we follow Josh's journey from a rural upbringing in Cumbria to life in London and South Bank University, where during the Covid lockdown, he started to experiment with materials and shredded denim mixed with resin (encouraged by his father, who is a prosthetic engineer brought some favourable results. Hundreds of hours of experimentation later, Josh has created a beautiful and highly adaptable material that takes discarded garments and turns them into something really quite special https://indd.adobe.com/view/f1af327f-41e9-4353-8185-6bab9e26ac50

Join us in this conversation, within which we follow Josh's journey from school to university and through the creation to date of his award winning material. This is a story of success over adversity, of persistence, and of tenacity...through his own words, Josh has become slightly "obsessed" with making Denimolite a success for the good of others and for environmental good. 

So grab the dog for a walk, take us to the gym, or just find a cosy chair, pour a coffee and listen to Designed for Life, in conversation with Innovator, founder and company owner Josh Myers. 

https://www.denimolite.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/denimolite-ltd/