Industrial Product Design
POR TFOLIO
Wout Verstegen
Hi, I’m Wout!
Wout Verstegen
I am a industrial product designer with a huge passion for the outdoors. Backpacks fascinate me most, but I love tents, sleeping bags and other equipment as well. This goes hand in hand with sustainability. Outdoor products are a perfect harmony of ingenuity and caring for the natural world.
As a designer I am constantly busy with solving problems and I love ideating and analysing. Always asking the right questions leads to a good design. How could we do this differently? Why did this break? How do people interact with this solution?
Every project is a new challenge. That is what I like about design. I am challenged to expand my knowledge and learn new things.
I am experienced with the following software:
Experience
Education:
- 2023 - Current
Masters Innovative Textile Development
Saxion University of Applied sciences
- 2017-2023
HBO Industrieel product Ontwerp
Rotterdam University of Applied sciences
-> Minor Designful Innovation
- 2015-2016
HBO Teaching Engels
Rotterdam University of Applied sciences
-> Cambridge Advanced English Diploma
Internships: 2019-2020
2022-2023
Internship Innospense. Development team Medido 3.0
Graduation Griekspoor
Work experience:
- 2019 - current Advisor Camping and Outdoor Vrijbuiter Gouda
- 2017-2019 Server Fort Wierickerschans
- 2017 Dish washer Restaurant ‘t Vaantje
- 2016 Dish washer Restaurant Skoop
- 2011-2017 Mail man Reclameverspreiding Bodegraven
Courses:
- 2012-2017 Comic illustration
Sheet metal Pizza oven
This idea was part of a school course with the goal to design a fully functional sheet metal product. It was meant to accompany a sun shade.
I wanted to make something people could enjoy doing together underneath the shade, so my idea was this pizza oven!
Early iterations had a small lid. Getting pizzas in and out of the oven would be difficult. This also meant cleaning would be a big challenge. I changed the design to make the whole top half the lid so these problems would be solved.
Soft drink: Vera Sundown
This assignment came from a random combination of ‘Aloë Vera soft drink’ for the target audience of festival visitors.
I used mood boards and persona’s to get to the idea of ‘Vera Sundown’.
I wanted to bring the bright lights from festivals and the rock ‘n roll identity to the image of the drink by using neon on the label, but I used the aloe vera plant for the design of the bottle itself. Many aloe vera products use round shapes. I used that in the shape of the bottle as well to create that relation.
I learned to use surface modelling during this assignment.
Public Seating Square 1940
The assignment was to create a piece of furniture for a public space. I was assigned Square 1940 in Rotterdam. After being on location I wanted more people to enjoy this part of Rotterdam. This square has lots of sunlight and is next to a nice harbour, but nobody used this place for a nice break or even stood still. It looked more like a crossing.
My main goal is to create something people would seek out to take a break. Part of the assignment was also to get people to socially interact, so I curved the bench. This meant people would be in each other’s field of view and hopefully interact more.
To the right you see pictures of a scale model I made of the bench.
Internship Medido
In 2019 I did an internship at Medido. I was part of the development team of the new Medido. In collaboration with design studio Bananagun I built and tested many prototypes. I was also responsible for communication with manufacturers. I have been part of many meetings where we discussed where to take the project next and what problems needed to be solved.
The new Medido wanted to get rid of the stigma “medicine dispenser.” With a drastic redesign Medido wanted to be an addition to the interior and give independence to elderly. That is why they designed it to look like an old clock, but with a modern look.
Especially this attracted me to the project. The role design plays in communication between the designer and the user is for me one of the most fascinating things in the field of design.
Hole Punch
In my second year I designed a hole punch to punch holes in leather.
The challenge was to redesign a metal tool ‘s handle into a tool using a handle made of only plastic parts.
Also, we needed the design to be inspired by a piece of architecture or art. I chose a café designed by the architect Thomas Heatherwick.
My design makes an ergonomic grip using the altitude line-esque shapes present on the exterior of the café.
I also designed a plastic hinge part that can be injection molded.
The original tool
Roparun Bike Light
The University’s RopaRun team contacted us to design a bike light that would help the runner see where they would be going while running at night.
After much exploration and tests I came with the idea to attach the light onto the seat post. By attaching it to the seat post, the light would fit almost any bike.
During testing I looked a lot at a solution that would give enough light, but also what would be user friendly.
The construction is made from multiple parts that would all fit on the smallest 3D-printer. The parts needed to be 3D-printed due to the small scale production.
The only other parts you would need are cheap components you can get online.
Hobby shelf
I wanted to give two big hobbies of mine a good place, so I decided to take up another hobby and design and build a wooden shelf.
In this project I learned to use a biscuit-joiner, table saw and making a sawing plan. I learned a lot in a short amount of time with the help of the wood workshop assistants at the RDM in the harbour of Rotterdam
The shelf needed to fit a record player and art books, so it became quite deep. This could cause the side to be quite boring, so I left them open. This way you can approach the shelf from all side but the wall of course. One side even has an extra space for storing small things.
Book trading Shelf
My parents have a lot of books. They wanted a good way to get rid of a bunch of books, but also have new books to read. So I built them this trade library.
This weather-proof cabinet serves a library in our front garden. People can place or take books.
The cabinet has long legs that go deep into the ground. This way it is very stable. The transparant window in the door gets people intereseted and invites to take a look.
It has already weathered many storms without damage to the books.
Eerste waterdichtheidstest