Product and Furniture Design BA(Hons): After you graduate

"My A-level choices were a strange mix of arts and science subjects. Product and Furniture Design attracted me as it allowed me be creative but at the same time very rational.

"I heard from my foundation course tutors that one of the best product design courses in the UK was at Kingston. When I visited, the well-equipped workshops were really impressive, which decided it for me.

"It was great to be studying with a group of people who were all passionate about the same subject – this atmosphere was very exciting and different from school. There was a real mix of international students, which I now understand was vital in widening my creative influences. The course is quite conceptual, but I think I learnt how to explain and justify my ideas. It was challenging at times, but always interesting.

"In my final year, my tutor suggested I went for an interview in London with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, which was approaching top universities in Europe and North America. The company was looking for a UK graduate to join their industrial design centre in Japan for three years. Along with one French and one Canadian graduate, I was chosen and started designing printers, televisions, projectors and Blu-ray players.

"After the three years at Mitsubishi, I moved to work at Toshiba. My work is now on the 23rd floor of a Tokyo skyscraper, Toshiba's world headquarters. I design video cameras, projectors, music players, digital photo frames and televisions. There are over 100 designers in the design centre and only two non-Japanese members. Living Japan is an amazing experience, I love it here - I feel very lucky to have this experience.

"I think the most useful element of my degree was learning to present my work in front of my peers and tutors at the critical reviews. Communication is such an important part of my work - being confident and clear in your presentation is essential if you want people to believe in your idea."

"I had always wanted to be an architect so enrolled for an architecture degree in 1986. However, at the time I was rather impatient and, when couldn't see when my first building was ever going to go up, I quit.

"Much later I decided to revisit design. This time I wanted a field that would give me the same sense of creativity, dealing with materials and volumes, but without the lengthy realisation process. Furniture and product design proved to be the perfect answer and I chose the course at Kingston because the generous mix of design disciplines housed in one campus gave a real buzz to the place.

"On the course I found the workshops extremely well-equipped, the workshop technicians very hands-on and keen to help, and the tutors enthusiastic. Oddly enough, the highlight was the late nights working towards the finals. Everyone really put their efforts together for the final push, and hard work became something fun and rewarding. 

"I was fortunate enough to get a good start to my career. In my final year at university I had entered a design competition sponsored by Muji and won an award. This led to much interest in my work. Then, during the degree show at New Designers, media, buyers and other influential people picked up on my work. These events gave me the conviction to pursue my design career in earnest.

"I started off freelance and now run a small practice, with a handful of design consultants. Initially I was commissioned to design furniture for bars and restaurants. Soon the commissions involved more responsibility. Now my practice's major activity is interior design.

"Variety is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my work. Not one day goes by with a repeated scenario. My work has ranged from designing products for a sustainable handicraft community in South Africa (LOSA project), through to major charity gala events (Save the Children, Brits Award Parties), to a 30,000 sq ft bar and restaurant on the island of Phuket and lovely modernist villas on the cliffs of Malibu and Cape Town.

"My degree helps the practical side of my work because I know how things get built and put together. I was taught the pragmatic side of design, which I would never have considered otherwise. Working discipline and willingness to withstand demanding jobs are also important - and this surely comes from those late nighters at Kingston!

"If you enjoy design and can't choose which aspect to major in, don't worry too much. I ended up being an interior designer without doing the degree course. Treat your degree as a journey, not a destination."