Hywel Rh. Vaughan

It is amazing how quickly things change.  Two years ago I left a small village near Abergavenny, South Wales, where I had become accustomed to large mountains, wet weather and being able to see the stars at night.   I left to undertake a degree in Product Design Technology at The University of the West of England (UWE), with little or no idea of where exactly it would lead me.

Now I find myself living in the very centre of the vibrant city of Bristol.  Here there are no mountains or stars, but here is where design and creativity can be seen around every corner.  Oddly enough, the influence of this city tends to mainly fall upon those whose name begins with a B…  Banksy.  Brunel.  Bloodhound. Even though Hywel (pronounced as ho-well to the non-welsh-speaking person) does not fall into this category, Bristol has most certainly had an influence on my life.

It is so cliché to say to say that I have designed since I was little, but the simple fact is that I have.

Whether construction toys such as K’nex and Lego, or Paper Mache and cardboard tubes, I spent hours designing, building and implementing my creativity.

This continued with my enthusiasm for design technology throughout school and into a-levels.  I found that I spent the majority of my time working on my various design projects, so when it came to deciding which route to follow in terms of university and career, the choice was obvious.

This is not to say, though, that my life revolves entirely around design (although it does play a major part).  In between the cycling 10 miles to work and back everyday, working on fitness at the gym, swimming, climbing and walking, I enjoy drama, socializing and watching Battlestar Galactica.

I also like to spend some of whatever free time I have working on smaller projects.  These include writing (I currently have two books published), graphic design (for clients and for a small website design company; Cedyrn Creative) and individual conceptual work.

If I am to brutally honest; I am a geek.  I try to blog at least once a week, I tweet often and am continually connected to the internet through some means or another.  I do however like to think of myself as a calm and philosophical person.  I approach problems with a positive mental attitude and the belief that no task is insurmountable.  I enjoy team work, and get a particular buzz out of seeing something I have worked on reaching its full potential.

Now on my industrial placement year, I am lucky enough to be a part of a specialised and exceptionally dedicated team working on the next Land Speed Record vehicle; Bloodhound SSC.  There I am working on some of the smaller elements of the car as well as helping out the project wherever I am needed.

I always have something going on and choose the phrase ’social expansion’ over ‘networking’.  Real Product Designers don’t sleep.

I am Hywel Rhobet Vaughan, and I am a Product Designer.