Seb joined us at the beginning of 2022 as a Junior Product Designer. Seb joins Tom and the design team in our studio in Poole. He is here with us for 6 months and joins us from the Kickstart Scheme.Seb joins Aetha Design from Bournemouth University where he studied Industrial Design. Seb speaks the most languages out of any of us here at Aetha and is definitely the most easy going of designers we have had join us. We took the chance 3 weeks in to ask Seb some questions on how he is getting on.

Tell us a bit about yourself – where did you grow up and where did you go to Uni:Hi, I’m Seb! I love to surf, play guitar, skate and cycle. I grew up in Paris and Quito, Ecuador so have experienced quite a clash of cultures! I then moved from Quito to Bournemouth to go to uni there (Bournemouth University), not only because it offered a good design course but mainly because it’s near the beach and surfing whilst being at Uni was definitely a must for me.

What did you study at Uni and would you recommend the course:I studied Industrial Design (BA) and yes, I would definitely recommend this course although its name has changed to product design Futures. The course is great, mainly focused on visuals, art and design as opposed to the more engineering focused Product Design and Design Engineering courses my uni had to offer

Have you worked anywhere else (even if it’s not design related):I’ve had about 10 odd jobs since starting uni, mainly being a bicycle courier jobs and waitering. I’ve also worked for the original lava lamp manufacturer (Mathmos) for my placement year and for an interior design studio (KTM Design).

Why Aetha: I’ve followed this studio since my final year at uni, where a lot of my friends studying product design were trying to get a placement with Aetha. I checked them out and have seen that they work with a bunch of cool projects and have a really nice work environment.

How was the interview process/what was your favourite part:It was fun! I had a project to work on to showcase my skills (can’t tell you what it is I’m afraid!) and had a design meeting with the whole team. My favourite part was definitely coming into the office and presenting my ideas to the team.

What do you hope to be involved in with Aetha:I would really like to learn to design a product from start to finish, from conceptualisation to CAD, prototyping and manufacturing.

Who is your favourite designer and why (for instance Tom likes Dieter Rams) if it’s him then that’s cool also:I’d say it’s maybe a tie between Ross Lovegrove for his use of organic forms in his designs or Jasper Morrisson for his simplicity yet genius design for everyday products/ furniture that work so well with any environment.

You have only been here just about 3 weeks – any highlights so far:Definitely the location, I love working next to the sea, where I can just admire the sunset after work! I’ve done loads of sketching and 3D work which I really enjoy doing and it’s great to bring ideas/ concepts to the table.

What do you love about Dorset – how do you get to the studio and do you love the commute:I’d say it would be living next to the sea, where I can just strap my surfboard on my bike and cycle to the beach and Surf occasionally! Also It’s so easy to get out of town and cycle to the forest or countryside.So I commute by taking the train and cycling. Very easy to get to but it’s just a bit too cold yet to come in just via bike. Although I’m hoping to commute on a motorbike soon!