PREVIOUS STUDENTS MARK REILLY

Graduated 20 15

Your role now: Co founder & Creative Director of Beta Design Office founded in July 2020. As a multidisciplinary studio founded in 2020 and based in South London, beta. helps clients push boundaries of new product innovation. In all projects, beta. uses critical design thinking, implementing a three-phase user focused strategy to create experiences which are emotionally engaging. As a company, beta. incorporates a playful approach to form and usability with an inherent focus on function. beta. has partners, not clients –working through a highly collaborative process and offering a service that enables the company to become an extension of their team.

How did the programme help you get where you are: helped me forge a path for my design career. I have spent a lot of time working with other design students and one thing that the course does so well is not just understand the What and the Who, but challenge the Why. Northumbria helped me understand and see the real value in design thinking, making sure designs were thought through from the start, to make a real difference to users and the world around. Typical skills like CAD, rendering etc can always be taught. However coming up with the big idea is where the real value lies and this is what I learned most from.

What do you enjoy about being a designer? The freedom and constant challenges that being a designer bring, creating innovative mechanisms and designs that haven’t existed before is really rewarding. One of the most fulfilling moments is when you see reviews of your products and seeing your designs improve peoples day to day lives.