This month Tim Johnston sat down with Louise Beard, Business Manager of product design specialists Hillside.
Q:
Hello Louise thank you for meeting with me today and taking time out of your busy schedule. So let’s start with the company, Hillside Product Design has been a key player in the frontline process of manufacturing for many years now. Where and how did it all begin for you guys?
A:
Hillside Product Design is guided by Managing Director Chris Howsam, who has worked in product design consultancy since 1985 advancing through the usual career path to being a partner. Fifteen years ago, Chris made the decision to relocate to Devon and set out on his own. Hillside Product Design has been going from strength to strength ever since. With a career spanning over 30 years, Chris has accumulated a unique blend of visual, practical and technical expertise. Forever staying abreast of current trends and innovations he is supported by a team of highly acclaimed design and engineering experts who all share a passion and drive for creating fresh, innovative and successful products across a broad range of industries.
Q:
Hillside are known for being a very diverse product design company. Can you tell us a little bit about some of the projects you have undertaken in recent times and how they vary from job to job?
A:
We do design products for a broad range of industries covering the consumer, engineering, retail and smart sectors. We are very proud to have been included in the development of these projects, some allowing for lots of innovation making it particularly unique upon launch. Some have complex mechanical design including moving parts which can be challenging to resolve within the constraints sometimes imposed. And some projects we are particularly proud of because of how elegantly they solve some complex problems. However, we have a policy of confidentiality regarding our clients and our relationships with them, so unfortunately we wouldn’t be able to single out a particular product by name.
Q:
How long does it take on average from the first idea to a finished design and then a final product on the shelves?
A:
This can vary greatly depending on the complexity of a product, the availability of funding, intellectual property searches, compliance testing, toolmaking and deadlines for trade shows and exhibitions. We generally say that launching a new electronic product would take nine months. However, a simple single part product could take as little as a few weeks, or a complex product requiring extensive research and development including intellectual property searches and patent applications could take eighteen months or more.
Q:
Devon is a beautiful part of the world. Do you find there is a real sense of community between yourselves and the companies you work with locally?
A:
We do enjoy close working relationships with a large number of great South West based companies. With the continued advancement of improved IT and communications the South West has become a force to be reckoned with in terms of technical, professional and manufacturing industries. Devon and the greater South West have a fantastic number of diverse manufacturing industries which offer a broad range of skills and services which prove invaluable in bringing a new product to market.
Over the years we have built up a strong network of alliances. In addition, our contacts include Intellectual Property Lawyers, marketers, graphics designers, packaging experts and investors. In fact, we pride ourselves on being able to assist clients to bring a product to market regardless of how little experience or knowledge they may have in the process.
And yes, Devon is beautiful. We are very fortunate to live and work in a stunning part of the country with incredible sea views – it could be said it helps the creative thought processes.
Q:
Where do you see current trends in product design?
A:
Our industry was one of the early-adopters of 3D-printing technology, for the purposes of quickly producing prototypes and physical models. As the cost of the technology has decreased, it has put it within the reach of small businesses, so that we can produce cost-effective prototypes in-house, and it’s now cheap enough for consumers themselves to buy a 3D printer, download designs from the Internet and print them at home. As the technology matures and new applications and materials are found to use with it, this trend will continue for a long time to come.
The other main trend we’re seeing is the growth of the Internet of Things, where products have the capability to connect to the Internet. The potential for the Internet of Things is huge and so far we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the possibilities there may be, not to mention the questions and challenges it brings.
Q:
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring young designer, who is just starting out in the world of product design, what would you tell them?
A:
Don’t stop learning! Product Designers need to be up to date on a huge number of topics. New developments and advances are occurring all the time in manufacturing, electronics and materials. Styling trends come and go and return. Regulations and compliances for products change all the time. Every designer should spend some part of their day expanding their own understanding of local, national and global issues.
