Meet the Team: Patrick Richards
We’re pleased to announce the arrival of our newest recruit, Patrick Richards, a BEng Product Design and Manufacture graduate who has joined us as a SMART Partnership Associate Designer.
SMART Partnerships is a Welsh government scheme to aid businesses seeking to expand their R&D initiatives. It can subsidise the placement of associates within local businesses, while also enabling them to receive mentorship from research organisations such as us.
Patrick is attached to 3 Sixty, a creative production house in Cardiff that specialises in products and services for retail, interiors, and exhibition spaces. We asked Patrick some questions to better get to know him and his new role.
Can you give a bit more of an insight into what you have going on at the moment?
"I’m working on a redesign of the LED Lightbox, which is used in most shops and exhibition stands that have promotional images printed on fabric covering the front. I’m specifically looking at how we make them more environmentally friendly. It’s a very exciting project with the potential to make a really big impact as lightboxes are absolutely everywhere."
What appealed to you about the SMART Partnership Associate Designer role?
"I designed lots of electronic products while at university and have since spent time working as a lighting designer for theatre, I wanted to work in eco-design so the role seemed perfect. There was also the opportunity to have my own project to get really stuck into - rarely so early in your career do you get the opportunity to run your own project with a client."
What’s a typical day on the job like?
"So far I’ve mainly been doing research, I’ve spent a lot of time shadowing different people to get an understanding of how 3 Sixty operates and conducting my own desk-based research. I’ve also started putting some ideas down on paper so there’s been a lot of time spent sketching."
How have you found balancing your time between 3 Sixty and PDR?
"So far I’ve been spending most of my time at 3 Sixty which has been great and I’m looking forward to spending more time at PDR. I really like the ability with the SMART Partnership role to gain experience from two different working environments and collaborate with colleagues from different industries."
What are you looking forward to over the coming months?
"I think it’s going to be an interesting couple of months for the project. I'll start testing some prototypes soon which I’m looking forward to. I've had a couple of other ideas already that I want to get into the real world and test whether they can work, so I’m looking forward to that as well."
What do you like to get up to outside of work?
"I spend a lot of time running, I started during lockdown but have just kept it up. I ran my first marathon in April, the Manchester Marathon, and raised a bit of money for the British Heart Foundation.
I’ve also supported Cardiff City for a long while, which isn’t always the most enjoyable experience, but I’m looking forward to the next season. After living in Nottingham for University and then London it's nice to be back in Cardiff so I can watch them every other week.
I used to work as a theatre technician so unsurprisingly I enjoy going to the theatre and Cardiff’s a great city to do that. I went to see Nye at the Millennium Centre a couple of weeks ago which was great."
To enquire about working with us, get in touch.
