About me

With over 7 years industry experience in designing & product development of homeware and lighting, I pride myself on providing authoritative direction across 3D Shape and form. I have an in-depth knowledge of manufacturing processes and product materials, delivering consumer-focused homewares that fit the brand brief. I am a creative thinker and enjoy bringing concepts to life, taking inspiration from contemporary and historical design movements to create compelling designs for the ever-changing market. At the moment, I am the designer behind the hard goods ranges for Jasper Conran and Abigail Ahern, as well as the Debenhams in-house design studio ranges.

QuestionsProjectsExperienceTeam

Work history

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Homeware & Lighting DesignerDebenhams
Mar 2019 - May 2020London, United KingdomFull Time
• I lead the design across multiple product categories: Decorative Accessories, Cook & Dine, Accent Furniture, Lighting covering the Jasper Conran, Abigail Ahern, Julian Macdonald as well as own brand labels: Cosmo, Kyoto & Design For Life hard goods. • Project management of end to end design process. • Demonstrated strong awareness for the Debenhams brand ensuring all designs. remain true to the ethos of the brand. • Defined seasonal trend direction for various categories, to ensure product is on trend for the market and right for the Debenhams customer. • Designed and launched commercially relevant product which has exceeded sales targets at the right profit margins for the business. These products brought in new customers into Debenhams making the Home business highly competitive vs key competition. • Developed with the lighting suppliers to make all lighting packaging plastic free from SS20 onwards. • Worked closely with buyers/merchandisers/planners to analyse department sales data to inform future design decisions. • Identified gaps within collections to strengthen the category brands • Built strong relationships with team and suppliers • Regular comp shopping across retail sector. • Managed a freelance designer within the homeware team across decorative accessories & cook & dine. • Close working relationships with manufacturers, frequent travel to China to co-develop ranges alongside the factory/supplier team to: 1. Reduce critical path time 2. Reduce cost of development 3. Bring product to market quicker
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Senior Product DesignerCascade holdings ltd
Jul 2014 - Mar 2019Manchester, United KingdomFull Time
• I was twice promoted in the role from Entry Level Designer to Senior Product Designer for one of the largest lighting suppliers in the UK where I managed an extensive range of decorative lighting accounts generating significant revenue for Cascade, designing for retailers: BHS, B&Q, Castorama EU, M&S, Matalan, Tesco, Dunelm, Next, Very Group, Debenhams. • Strong awareness of designing for various customer requirements: brand identity, price & volume for each customer, working on both core and trend led ranges. • As the principal designer for specific accounts I led all project work, working with the customer from initial brief to final selection forming strong comprehensive ranges suitable for both store and e-commerce retail. • I was the lead within the team for trend direction for each season. • Created artwork for print using digital & screen printing techniques. • Organised mock-up/sample review for each project. • Built close working relationships with manufacturers in China & India: frequent travel to China with customers for development of range builds. • Managed 2 junior staff members, being their direct contact for all project work.

Skills

• 3D Modeling
• Product Development
• Product Design
• Print Design
• Supplier Management
• Project Management
• Freehand Sketching
• Homeware Design
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Microsoft Office

Education

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BA ( Hons) Decorative ArtsNottingham Trent University
Oct 2010 - Jun 2013Nottingham, United Kingdom
High energy course discovering new and innovative ways to use materials working with metal, glass, ceramics, plastics, textiles... with theory focused on early 20th century homeware product design to the present day. I specialising in metal & plastics for my final year project.