Who Am I.
Hey, I am Andrew a New Zealand-born designer looking for the next step in my journey. I grew up in Auckland in an active family of three boys; hiking, boating and skiing. From a young age, I have had an affinity for design and a desire to know how things work. My parents often found me and my twin pulling toys and electronics apart to understand how they worked. Lego and K’nex models were always built once and then "upgraded" or used to make bigger projects.
In my early school years, I was diagnosed with dyslexia which instilled my strong work ethic and dedication from a young age. In high school, I found passion in design and physics classes and rock climbing with friends in the afternoon. At university, I started studying engineering but found the lack of personal expression to not fulfill my creative passions. I changed to the newly offered Product design degree, which mixed elements of engineering, marketing and arts.
After graduating in 2020, I have worked on various projects within Product Design and Architecture Industries to build my design experience. Taking on niche roles such as designing throwing darts with Shot Darts and early childhood center furniture with Starex. In October 2024 I moved to Sweden with my partner to be closer to her family and seek new opportunities.
Work Experience.
Education.
Starex | CAD Technician
May 2023 – Dec 2024 | NZ & AU Market
My role at Starex consists of Designing and Modelling early childhood education center furniture. Balancing factors such as child ergonomics, industry regulations, and long product lifetimes in active centers. I breaking down designs into 2D forms to be CNC routers cut out of laminated Birch Ply. While I have been with Starex I have taken on more of a production management/planning role, improving my understanding of supply chains and factory workflows. I took on this position to develop my design for, manufacture/assembly skills . The fast project cycles have allowed me to learn from mistakes and work closely with production. See Work under Project tab or at www.starex.co.nz ShotDarts | Product Designer
October 2021 – December 2022 | Global Market
My role at Shotdarts consisted of developing and managing new products for the Shotdarts brand, Pro players and B2B clients. My projects entailed designing darts, dartboards, and dart accessories (such as lighting and cases). I started this role as the only product designer, entering a product development team with no clear process or accountability. I took on a leading role in this team by hosting meetings and implementing processes to streamline product development. Working with both in-house and overseas production teams to bring designs to life. I developed immensely as a designer and project manager in this role, learning to push ideas to the limits to keep ahead of the market. See Work under Project tab or at www.shotdarts.co.nzFlexi-House | Project Intern
June 2021 – October 2021 | NZ Market
My Internship with Flexi-House entailed building High and low-fidelity CAD models for engineering and presentation purposes. Flexi-house is a Wellington (New Zealand) Architectural start-up producing modular housing solutions. The mass manufacture nature of the Solutions meant it heavily relied on Industrial design methods. In this role, I developed professional CAD skills such as asset management and embedded design intent. I enjoyed the cross-industry nature of this project.Angelica Project | Architectural Technician
December 2020 – July 2021 | Au Market
I worked as a Remote Architectural Technician with The Angelica Project, an architecture practice based in New South Wales, Australia. This role involved helping the lead architect Brendan Walker with his commercial and residential projects. This role helped scratch my creative itch of being an architect when I was in high school. By gaining experience within a different design industry from what I studied I learned a range of new skills and methods that have expanded my toolset to tackle a broader range of design projects in the future.University of Canterbury | BA of Product Design
February 2018 – November 2020 | Major in Industrial Design
In December 2020, I graduated from the University of Canterbury with their new Bachelor of Product Design degree, majoring in Industrial Design. In undertaking this degree, I learned a range of design, engineering, and management skills. Collaborating with peers with diverse skills to deliver robust and throughout projects. Saint Kentigern College | NCEA level 1 - 3
February 2012 - November 2016 | School prize for Spatial Design
I finished my secondary education at Saint Kentigern College in 2016, leaving with endorsements in all three NCEA levels and course endorsements in Spatial Design, Geography, Physics, and Calculus. In 2016 won the school prize for Spatial Design.Skills.
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Solidworks
Alphacam
Fusion360
Rhino
ZW3D
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CNC
3D printing
Laser engraving/cutting
Woodwork
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Leadership & Delegation
Production Planning
Risk management
Inter-team communication
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Analysis
Creativity
Team-building
Critical thinking
Snowboarding.
Other then design I also have a passion for the outdoors and travel. In 2023 I decided to take a career break from the design industry. Undertaking CASI Snowboard Instructors courses at Big White. During this time, I not only got my CASI Level 2 but expanded upon my passion for snowboarding and teaching. I gained transferable skills such as team and risk management, self-evaluation and Communication. A passion is best shared.
