Luke
Peart

Why NTU…

Why did you choose NTU and your course?

Getting stuck in the practical elements of design work interested me greatly while I was at secondary school, and my love for both designing and building my own products led me to study Product Design.

With a great location in the heart of the city of Nottingham and a very active atmosphere, I considered NTU a wonderful university to settle at and begin my journey on the BSc Product Design course. The rapid prototyping facilities within the university made NTU an even more attractive choice for me.

What do you think about the course staff? How do they support your learning and university experience?

In a word, the course staff are simply fantastic. Having continuous access to valuable feedback and advice on my project work, even on independent projects, has helped me grow a lot as a designer.

Have you been involved in any live projects of briefs on your course and if so, can you talk a bit about one you really enjoyed?

Yes, I participated in the 2023 Starpack Student Awards. Brief E of the Starpack competition was about reducing plastic waste via corrugated cardboard, as there are still so many industries using plastic packaging when there are more sustainable yet viable alternatives. I chose to redesign Evian’s bottled water packaging, and enjoyed the challenge of creating something functional and practical yet unique to Evian’s branding and marketing.

Does the “real” NTU match what you’d imagined? How does it compare with your friends’ experience at other universities?

It really does. The services available to students and the events held for us are great. I’ve particularly enjoyed attending the department-led socials and outings, and getting to interact and network with people that study in the same building as me. My friends also had similar experiences at their universities, but noted that there was a need for more one-on-one time with their tutors. So I’ve grown to appreciate the support from my tutors even more after my friends advised me to make use of my sessions with them.

How would you promote NTU to potential students in 10 words or fewer?

Simply the best place to grow as a student :)

Placements

Could you please explain more about your current / recent placement, and what you did during this time?

I’m currently on a 2+ month summer internship with the industrial design team at Pentagram, a well-known design company with offices all around the world. So far I have been involved with concept ideation and creation through working on live briefs from multinational companies, and have had the opportunity to present my work to real clients and prototype my ideas in the company’s studio + workshop.

How did you source your placement? Did you get support from NTU?

I came across the summer placement opportunity through a scheme called 10,000 Black Interns. After submitting a general application, I submitted my portfolio for review and attended multiple interviews, both of those stages being made much easier to go through thanks to assistance from my tutors and the NTU employability team. Their guidance had a very positive impact on my performance during the application process.

What is your favourite project that you’ve worked on during your placement and why?

I’m currently working on a campaign design for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty along with two other placement students. We have been given full creative control over the exhibition and award ceremony for the campaign, and I am responsible for the spatial design of the venue and design of the trophy that would be presented to applicants of the clients new graphic design competition.

What skills have you gained by completing this placement?

Through constant interaction and collaboration with my team and getting stuck into my projects, I have developed my CAD skills in familiar and new software’s such as Keyshot and Rhino. I have also been able to develop my soft skills daily through ideation and a ton of drawing!

How will these skills enhance your employability for your chosen career?

The experience I have gained from working within the company alone has been stellar so far and will definitely help me when finding a job after graduation. But I believe learning how to approach projects, improving my client-facing skills and strengthening my ideation skills will propel me towards the front of the product design industry after graduation.

What advice would you give to an NTU student about to begin a placement?

I would say be open to learning about anything. There are so many people in every industry who are keen to share their perspectives with others. They are willing to talk through their work and even teach others about what they know, so take advantage of that.

About the future...

What’s next for you after NTU?

I have another 3 years to go before I graduate, so I plan to explore the different career options that interest me most through personal projects, conversations with my tutors and course mates and likely a placement year!

Has the employability team helped you plan for life beyond NTU?

Having just completed my first year on my course, I have only utilized their assistance for securing my summer internship. I will no doubt interact with the team more as I get closer to completing my degree, but so far they have provided me with great advice regarding getting experience for the future.