Introduction
My main decision to study at Coventry University was made based on the fact that the Industrial design programme is recognized as one of the most important car design courses in the world.
I didn't look at the financial issues nor did I consider my age as a drawback to studying, but as an investment to job satisfaction. My communication skills and love of drawing made my decision to leave full time employment easier, as it felt like a last opportunity to gain knowledge in something I felt I was good at.
Reasoning for joining the course as a mature student
After several Art and design qualifications, I completed a course as Graphic Packaging Designer at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design but decided not to pursue this as a career. The course itself presented to me that design, at least in this category, requests a high competency in communication, perhaps even 90%, with the rest being reliant on ability.
Soon after that course I joined a friend's web design consultancy, where I had to learn Photoshop and HTML from the very basics, but successfully launched myself later that year as a competent web designer. The web was in its infancy at that time, so we spent much of the time explaining the potential and future of the medium.
A selection of freelance sites from 1997-98
As I attended meetings, I discovered we needed to know how people work, how they tick and, literally, how to read their minds. They would pay for our valued design and opinions as well as our ability to decipher and refine what they wanted. We achieved reasonable success, but I needed a change of regime and pursued full time occupation with several established new media companies.
More recent freelance work, including the Concept Climax website
What working for new media companies allowed was financial security, pensions and perks. It also allowed my CV to include well known and prestigious companies and offered free training and facilities should I choose to use it. After working for several companies and as a result of a series of redundancies, I made the decision to return to University. This decision was fuelled by the fact I was working as a programmer on the online distance courses for Reading University, which used none of my artistic and creative abilities.
I really didn't consider my age as a factor, but I did realize that by the time I qualify I would be 34 years old. My previous experience in the design industry would be a considerable advantage after I qualify, but I have resigned myself that I will have to start the work process from scratch, perhaps entering a job as a junior designer, with related wages.
1st year - Getting used to university life.
The history of Coventry looms over the city and I found that people wanted to both forget and be reminded about past glories. I really liked the urban mix of construction and regeneration of the city and most weekends I was out taking photographs, it helped me understand more about Coventry and its people.
My Family and girlfriend, who incidentally is a lecturer in Brockenhurst College, were very supportive of my decision - there have been times when it's been financially tight, and I knew if I needed help they would be there. My friends were slightly in awe too, particularly with the nature of the degree and the fact that I had the freedom and commitment to return to university.
Some of the sights and scenes that I have caught in Coventry
There is a clear emphasis on the student to develop their own style and technique, much of the drawing modules were almost like foundation art courses in their approach, with the same flexibility and exploration. The creative outlet came naturally to many students, but the more academic orientated subjects such as engineering maths and design analysis needed some serious concentration as I was a good 7 years out of education. I found that I wasn't the only one struggling, so learning and communicating with fellow students, helped me come to terms with making a point of understanding everything. Sharing tasks and talking about what we learned and how we learned is a skill which can translate into other disciplines.
A selection of my 1st year work
This stage of course has enabled me to be aware of how to observe a problem, research the solution and consider it for real world design. I recall speaking to students in the early part of the first year, and with some impatience commented on 'when are we going to draw cars?' or 'when are they going to teach us to draw cars?' I must admit I agreed to some extent, as I was pretty sure in my mind what I wanted to do. The way the course is structured allows the student not to commit straight away to a rigid pathway, for example I commenced the course with a view of sticking to the Automotive design route, the flexibility has allowed me as late as the beginning of the 4th year to finally commit to the specific type of degree, in my case Transport and Product design.
1st year car sketches
I spent some of my spare time practicing, copying and even tracing over car images to get my sense of proportions and rendering techniques. Many of the drawings are quite flawed when viewed with a critical eye, but they do show development and how I was influenced early in the course. They do make interesting comparisons with my more recent sketch work.
My personal summary of the 1st year was to introduce us to Coventry, allow us to settle in, absorb the course and have fun.
2nd year - Importance of research
After the summer break, we returned to Coventry to a new environment - I specifically wanted to live out of halls as the level of noise was unacceptable - music and parties often kept me awake. I voiced my opinions and no doubt made myself unpopular, so moving to a house with 2 other like minded students was the perfect environment for me to further my learning. This was very important, as it gave me a level of stability and somewhere which was more familiar to me. I am quite a private person, so I like the ability to maintain that.
The 2nd year was probably the start of the real course to me, we had a year to understand how the course is run, to try and comprehend the marking system and what is asked from us. What I learned from the 1st year is that I have to analyse and consider each step of each project, rather like preparation and planning your time and to achieve certain goals at the end of each phase.
Group meetings and real life user scenarios for a car designed with the female
Initiative and hands on experience of user testing and real life situations, such as hiring 3 supermini cars parking them in a Tesco's car park and writing, photographing and videoing women interacting in the cars to research factors regarding the Ergonomic module for a Female friendly car, not only produced tangible evidence to support our ergonomics project but also gave us an insight into the problems and issues the user has to deal with. Our commitment, such as standing in a car park for 7 hours on a cold November morning, as well as explaining the reasoning of the research using persuasive skills to ask women drivers to take the time to help us, had to be professional as we were representing the university - something as a mature student I completely understand.
The 2nd year was instrumental in developing researching practices, we spent time out recording data with physical interaction and first hand experience with the public. In both, individual and group research, we learned how to collate and extract the main points from our research data, as it's quite possible to find that so much of your research can be irrelevant.
The introduction of the clay module was to help us appreciate how forms balance each other, such as balancing negative and positive curves and shapes on a surface. This was important to the basis of sculpting on Alias. It was at this stage of the course that I started planning in advance and visualizing deadlines ahead of us, so in most cases, I would plot my own planner.
Clay sketchwork and model
I willingly admit I work quite slowly, so a fair amount of contingency would have to be considered, this was very important in group work as most of the 2nd year was based on relying relative strangers to help you get respectable marks. Inevitably, there would be people who wouldn't carry their tasks and you'd end up working twice as hard into the late hours to counter balance this. I feel I am a good judge of character, but as I have discovered in the past friends don't necessarily make good working partners. Treating the course as living in the real world - i.e. not being cocooned by the university experience was the best way I feel I could treat the course - wake up at sensible hours, sustain full days and stick to times for meetings etc. It probably also made a huge difference that I was not drawn to the temptation of alcohol abuse and other 'extra-curricular' activities as I had a chance to get that out of my system many years ago!
At the same time, I realized that I may never get the opportunity to stay in bed until 9.00am on a week day or have so much freedom in the way I approach, design and present my work. To see what I do, draw, design and produce as a personal journey which shows a prospective employer how I think and express myself.
I feel my development as designer and understanding that there is more to design than having a good idea and drawing ability was an aspect I would develop beyond most students as we had an opportunity of a unique placement for the 3rd year.
3rd year Concept Climax - running your own business.
Towards the end of the second year, Marcus, Simon and I toyed around the idea on designing and building our own sports car, initially encouraged by Lee Hall. What Simon realised as he befriended myself and Marcus in the 2nd year was that our strengths lay in teamwork and coping with carrying and managing the workload - evident in the ergonomic, innovation and aerodynamics projects. With my freelance and self-employed background, Simons previous experience in running business and Marcus's ability to learn very quickly with a maturity beyond his years, we considered it could be possible to actually form a company and have a placement with our own company.
October 2005 developments
November 2005 developments
Initially I researched the viability of releasing a brand new product into the specialised sports car market; I personally benchmarked competitors and painstakingly collected data which would be a requirement in the eventual brief we would produce after our research and initial findings. I pin pointed typical potential owners, asking them questions away from distractions and an environment in which they would be perhaps influenced by friends or other cars. This is where internet forums come into their own; people are quite happy to disclose personal demographics and information when under no pressure to give the 'correct' answer. Specialist forums, like kit car or specific sports car forums, are useful, but the success in the product lays in potential customers, who feel a traditional kit car is too basic, or a production sports car too common and too 'mass produced'. We also spent time at classic car and specialist car shows with the more traditional direct approach and asking individuals questions on what they look for in kit or specialist car. In addition to these we took similar questionnaires to live motor sporting events as well as static automotive trade shows.
December 2005 developments
The information collected helped determine the brief and purpose of the car. Following the decision to stop the research - constrained by our own deadlines design, parts suppliers and storage of the car were implemented. At the same time, we chased up potential leads for sponsorship, funding and we were inducted into both Visionworks and Advantage West Midlands, both of which were valuable in terms of useful contacts, especially when in comes to running your own business, copywrite issues, manufacturer supplies and help with office space. Due to my background I realised the importance of promotion and potential of the web, as most people would be using search engines to find out more about the car. As well as building up web presences, we designed flyers, postcards and brochures to help create interest and attract attention.
January 2006 developments
As might be expected in running your own business, issues such as business plans, projected cash flows and costing plans, staff and premises all have to be considered, as well as the issue of sourcing parts components and building the car.
February 2006 developments
After we negotiated a deal with an existing kit car manufacturer to use their chassis, we designated roles within the company as it became clear that we all couldn't be designing the car and it is here where we had to delegate specific roles.
March 2006 developments
April 2006 developments
May 2006 developments
I found myself working in a capacity of an engineer, in the early build on the car as well as designing the promotional print and web material, helping with the clay and fibreglass model work as well as the hours working in the intense sunlight stripping down the Microcab clay! We spent time pitching the car at trade and car shows, to drum up interest and seeking for deals on components - this by far was the most time consuming aspect of the project, as we essentially had to offer an incentive for exchange of free or trade priced specialists parts. We also took on 4 fellow 3rd year students on placements to create and design an interior design on a scale buck, which required an element of tact and diplomacy as we wanted them to treat the placement as seriously as we did.
June 2006 developments
We had the workshop inductions in the first year, but it was really in the 3rd year did we make the extensive use of the machining tools. In addition to this, we made use of the materials available to make models, not only blue foam, MDF and Faber Clay but also casting in fiberglass resin, all of which would be useful for the final year.
I also measured the Spire Sports car space frame chassis and plotted the results in a 1/4 scale drawing, which would eventually be used for the construction of the actual car.
I learned a huge amount, mostly about human relationships and the stress associated with running a business. Towards the halfway point of the project, I found myself doing things that I simply didn't come to Coventry to do - I never got a chance to use my ability to draw and was essentially undertaking roles I had to do for the sake of the company, not my portfolio. A number of manufacturers who agreed to help the project, proved impossible to contact gave me more reason to realise the mammoth task in hand. My own personal research into the market and trends of the British car industry suggested that unless you had huge funding, the success rate is incredibly low. The number of car manufacturers that have started and fallen on the wayside is something my colleagues I hope will be aware of.
I spoke to potential investors and all mentioned that this is an extremely high risk venture with a very low chance of return equity. I also contacted many motoring magazines, such as Steve Cropley from Autocar who mentioned to me, 'We were the story, not the car. We get at least 10 contacts a month with the same ambitions of producing a new car'. It is on reflection, rather ambitious for 3 students, with no automotive & engineering background, money or experience to expect miracles in the first year, but the prototype is on course to be completed. I can only wish the guys the best of luck, as it is an exciting and novel project for students to complete.
Our final visions of what we wanted at the end of 4 years of study are totally different - so I decided to continue the traditional route of the course for the final year, as I was very concerned by the lack of work in my portfolio and having missed out on much of the 3rd years advantage in portfolio reviews, sketching and finished projects.
¼ scale Climax model in front of the main University building
Initially the support from our tutors was very encouraging; they suggested that this kind of project was something they would fully endorse. The current course structure of the Industrial design program is to prepare students for placements and jobs within companies. What we have done is, hopefully, shown that it is possible to create a start up company and help students to think for themselves, as well as provide guidance to prepare students with real life situations. The experience of working in the Bugatti building was a necessity rather than demand, simply due to the space available. What Concept Climax received was the guidance and facilities from Visionworks, we were inducted in the setting up of a business workshops and seminars and were allocated a personal mentor who helped us with a business plan. However, most if not all of the contacts, manufacturers and promotion came from our own personal efforts. I feel the University could offer the facilities and guidance, but need to consider offering bursaries and use manufacturing contacts for students who wish to participate in projects similar to Climax.
4th year Minor project - Child toy - observation through interaction
After the 3rd year, the stress, personal and financial hardship, I encountered going back to a set regime and definite outcomes and fixed deadlines would actually provide an element of normality.
The minor and major projects show our understanding of the importance of research, design, analytical thinking and ergonomics of what we learnt over the 3 years. I had a clearer idea towards the end of the 3rd year of what I wanted to do once I leave Coventry. What the first 3 years taught me is that I have to design for the real world, and for that, every aspect of design has to be well resolved and considered. I've been 'toying' with the idea of designing wheeled toys for a while, as my interests lay in toy cars, such as Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. I spend a fair amount of money on Lego and die cast toys so a future in the toy industry for me is entirely logical. I started sketching for potential ideas, specific to small scale cars but soon realised that it would not be recognised as a valid project worthy of good grades, simply as the Minor brief has to cover levels of innovation and originality. Upon spending time with my friend's children and at Toys 'R' Us (a regular excursion for me), I started researching the idea on developing a wooden pre-school or/and possibly educational toy. Initially, I chose not to start with the design of the toy, but started on researching the development of children, pinpointing children needs of different levels of stimulation. Fundamental issues such as aesthetics, texture, size, safety and versatility helped shape the type of toy I would like to design. I looked into road safety as well as self build construction toys such as Lego, Meccano as well as less known toys sold in the Early Learning Centre.
With something as involving as a toy, first hand experience of children's opinions are important. I spent time passively observing friends children at play, watching them interact with human scale objects and create play scenarios out of the most basic of objects. I set upon building a mock MDF design of the proposed design for beta testing with the children. I was rewarded with positive feedback. It also helped me visualise the product as a viable solution much in the same way the ¼ scale model we made for the Climax created.
The children responded in ways beyond my initial thinking, which helped me set a more rigid brief and criteria to the project, for example the use of the toy in the bath or in the garden. The kids request for specific colours, materials and functions also helped me design the final solution. The toy industry is a very aggressive market, as I discovered when I visited a wholesalers and manufacturers toy fair exhibition at the Excel exhibition centre in London; it became very apparent how the toy would have to have a story, twist or feature which makes it stand out above its competitors. Environmental issues, manufacturing costs, durability and pride of owning the toy were considerations for the decision to use wood. As the project developed, I became aware that the Toy minor project was an important piece for my portfolio and potential for making me employable. Further more, I finally tackled, struggled and conquest Alias as a tool to present my ideas and potential for the toy. I was disappointed by the grade I received, but the fact that I can justify its potential and rational in portfolio makes up for this.
Development process of the toy project
Utility vehicle - sensible ergonomics.
The Major Project was a more traditional project in the way I approached it, as it covered familiar grounds of benchmarking, design and engineering research. Over the years, I wondered why so many scale vehicles produced by students on their final years were generally less imaginative as their sketches and ideas, but grasping the understanding of human ergonomics is essential in shaping the vehicle. From the start I chose not to consider the usual sports car route, as again I wanted to design a practical and versatile vehicle for the real world. My enthusiasm for classic and retro cars, lead me to researching kei class vans; Japanese class for micro vans and cars, which are constrained by engine and vehicle size. They are popular in urban cities in Italy and Japan which have strict vehicle size and engine classifications. Packaging a small vehicle within the constraints means that I have to be creative with the outer packaging, and I have to consider every last inch of space in the cabin. Fortunately, there are a reasonable number of such vehicles in the UK, so again, following the traditional path of questioning owners, finding out their reasoning, demands and uses for their vehicles helped shape the engineering and ergonomic rationale. I started sketching but felt that constructing the clay scale model would help dictate the styling. I have an idea that I would like to use a retro style for the exterior, but also explore the combination of using architectural design. I am interested in the successful integration of old buildings with modern developments and extensions. I see the vehicle I plan to design as combining retro lower shoulder with a modern glassy cabin.
The methods of marking of both projects were measured out in 10 minute presentations to members of staff who are specialised in Ergonomics, Engineering and design. The level of understanding, research and feasibility would have to be presented by the student. This method of presentation is common in the design world, giving students the chance to talk about their work in a realistic situation. I sat through several presentations of differing confidence and concepts, which reinforces my belief in the power of communication in design.
I will enter the work arena in June, which after four years is quite a daunting prospect. I have a portfolio which has elements of my personality, research, drawing ability and potential. In addition, I have the added advantage of previous experience in a design work office, as well as the level of maturity and conviction to research, design and justify a product.
Factors about the course
Certain aspects have overlapping factors throughout the 4 years I have studied in Coventry.
- Communication - sharing tasks and problems
- Constantly review and question your work - ask for advice from others, a fresh pair of eyes will see things you may not
- Find your ideal way of research and recording data
- Take advantage of the flexibility and freedom of different working practices and methods
- The placement year is vital to help prepare the student for the world of work
- User testing and scale models are vital to the design process
- Consider ergonomics and engineering in any design - after all you're designing for humans!
- Be prepared to think out of the box!
Another overlapping factor over the 4 years is the help and support of the technical staff and workshop assistants, this again became even more evident during the placement and final year.
Conclusion
The outcome of the course has differed vastly from my initial expectations. It would be naïve to assume just an awareness of design and ability would be enough to complete a qualification. The whole design process involves several levels, and the course offered the student most aspects of this, from aerodynamics, research, computer design and ergonomics to model making and the opportunity to run your own business. The final year should be evidence that you understand each level of study, and allows you to specialize in your strength areas.
I have the added bonus of not only having previous work experience, but also the Concept Climax project, which gave me a real insight into the factors, issues and hard work of a start up business. Notable aspects that made my 4 years particularly memorable here were the visiting lecturers - the chance to listen to inspirational speakers, including Seymour Powell, Jaguar, Rolls Royce and Autocar. In addition to this, many members of staff have overlapping skills and advice, based not only on their previous training, but also experience with industry and teaching. It is always worth asking questions.
The resources at the university, such as the unlimited use of the computers, excellent library, plenty of space to work and well stocked workshops and staff, has been instrumental regarding the practical side of the course.
As a 1st year student, the visual effect of a ¼ scale model or a highly polished rendering on an impressionable student is often of awe. As a 4th year, I can now break through the gloss and presentation and recognise the strengths and weaknesses in a piece of work. More importantly, I can question the consideration towards design, trends, ergonomics and engineering.
I also feel that there is a clear argument for the 4 year route as opposed to only completing the 3 years. The 3rd year placement year is a chance to show potential employers a level of understanding and commitment to your chosen discipline and the extra final year allows flexibility, personal development and the perfect opportunity to create a more conclusive portfolio. An aspect of the course, particularly in terms of understanding 3D forms in Clay and StudioTools Alias are the main physical evidence for the 4 year route. This also allows the student to have that extra year to be creative yet show an understanding of applied ergonomics, engineering and design for the real world.
