Alexander Douglas

BSc (Hons) Product Design

Great products have purpose, and to me purpose means helping people, something which not only makes like easier, but makes life better. I feel that if you don’t design with purpose then what you make has no rationale. Only by using my abilities and knowledge to help and improve the lives of others am I able to give my work purpose.

I feel that if a design or product doesn’t try to challenge what’s already out there then it’s not driving creativity or trying to improve peoples lives. If as a designer, you don’t look to challenge yourself and your work you’re just coasting along.

By critically analysing a product I can get a better understanding of how it works and a better understanding of how it was made. Doing this helps to figure out how best features can be added to a product so it can work more efficiently for the end user.

Throughout the later stages of the design process I use CAD software to develop my design, using the numerical accuracy to my advantage and create perfect virtual prototypes. Only by keeping the user central to the process am I able to get to this stage in the design process.
Understanding how a product can be made fit for manufacture is critical to the design process. By evaluating a design and doing this in the final stages helps designers bring a product to the end of the process and into production.


Mae pwrpas i gynhyrchion gwych, ac i mi, mae pwrpas yn golygu helpu pobl – rhywbeth sydd nid yn unig yn gwneud bywyd yn haws, ond yn gwella bywyd hefyd. Os ydych chi’n dylunio heb bwrpas, yna does dim rhesymeg o gwbl i’ch gwaith. Dim ond trwy ddefnyddio fy ngalluoedd a’m gwybodaeth i helpu a gwella bywydau eraill y gallaf roi pwrpas i’m gwaith.

Os nad yw dyluniad neu gynnyrch yn ceisio herio’r hyn sydd eisoes ar gael, nid yw’n sbarduno creadigrwydd nac yn ceisio gwella bywydau pobl. Os nad ydych chi, fel dylunydd, yn ceisio herio’ch hun a’ch gwaith, dim ond symud gyda’r llif ydych chi.

Trwy ddadansoddi cynnyrch yn feirniadol, gallaf gael dealltwriaeth well o sut mae’n gweithio a dealltwriaeth well o sut y cafodd ei wneud. Mae hyn yn helpu i ddarganfod sut y gellir ychwanegu nodweddion gorau at gynnyrch er mwyn iddo weithio’n fwy effeithlon i’r defnyddiwr terfynol.

Yn ystod camau diweddarach y broses ddylunio, rwy’n defnyddio meddalwedd CAD i ddatblygu’r dyluniad, gan elwa ar ddefnyddio’r cywirdeb rhifyddol a chreu prototeipiau rhithwir perffaith. Dim ond trwy gadw’r defnyddiwr wrth wraidd y broses y gallaf gyrraedd y cam hwn yn y broses ddylunio. Mae deall sut y gellir gwneud cynnyrch yn addas i’w weithgynhyrchu yn hanfodol i’r broses ddylunio. Trwy werthuso dyluniad a gwneud hyn yn y camau terfynol, mae’n helpu dylunwyr i gwblhau’r broses gyda’r cynnyrch a chyrraedd y cam cynhyrchu.

The need for a new design was found late in the design of my timeless record player as existing turntables offer few colour variations. This project found its materiality to be its USP by allowing the consumer to customise their turntable with different woods, granite and colours of components to better suit their home, style and preferences. One of my favourite modules with thanks to my Dad for his record player knowledge.


Canfuwyd yr angen am ddyluniad newydd yn hwyr wrth i mi ddylunio fy chwaraewr recordiau bythol, gan nad yw’r trofyrddau sy’n bodoli yn cynnig llawer o amrywiadau o ran lliw. Canfu’r prosiect hwn mai ei fateroldeb oedd ei bwynt gwerthu unigryw, wrth alluogi’r defnyddiwr i addasu eu trofwrdd â mathau gwahanol o bren, gwenithfaen a lliwiau cydrannau i weddu i’w cartref, eu steil a’u hoffterau yn well. Dyma un o fy hoff fodiwlau, a diolch i’m Tad am ei wybodaeth am chwaraewyr recordiau.

Design for manufacture was incredibly important when designing a timeless record player, ensuring that I could make the project feasible and functional is critical to the success of a project. Here you can see all the components of the record player and how they in turn can fit together, with three suspended sub chassis for the motor, platter and the tonearm the turntable is able to reduce the vibration transfer between components effectively.


Roedd dylunio ar gyfer cynhyrchu yn bwysig dros ben wrth ddylunio chwaraewr recordiau bythol, ac mae sicrhau y gallaf wneud y prosiect yn ddichonadwy ac ymarferol yn hanfodol i lwyddiant prosiect. Yma, gallwch weld holl gydrannau’r chwaraewr recordiau a sut y maen nhw’n ffitio â’i gilydd, a gyda thri is-siasi crog ar gyfer y peiriant, y plât a’r fraich, mae’r trofwrdd yn gallu lleihau trosglwyddo dirgryniad rhwng cydrannau yn effeithiol.

My second-year industrial design module we were asked to pick a conventional household object to spend the next five weeks designing the object in different styles. I chose to design kettles and the style shown is deconstructivism, an architecture style known for its absence of harmony, continuity and symmetry. One of my favourite modules of my whole three years here at Cardiff Met, thanks to Dr Claire Andrews for her tutelage on this module.


Ar gyfer fy modiwl dylunio diwydiannol yn yr ail flwyddyn, gofynnwyd i ni ddewis eitem gonfensiynol yn y cartref, a threulio’r pum wythnos nesaf yn dylunio’r eitem mewn arddulliau gwahanol. Dewisais ddylunio tegellau, a’r arddull a ddangosir yw dadadeiladu, sef arddull bensaernïol sy’n adnabyddus am absenoldeb cytgord, parhad a chymesuredd. Dyma un o’m hoff fodiwlau yn ystod fy nhair blynedd yma ym Met Caerdydd, diolch i Dr Claire Andrews am ei hyfforddiant yn y modiwl hwn.

My groups entry for the W2W, Perch and Greyfox student design competition 2019. Looking at the design of furniture in the work environment that would improve natural human interaction. How the desk would live within a circular economy is important to reduce waste, and consumerism, how can we mend instead of replacing? Working with Toby and Jamie we found a lack of inclusive furniture in the work environment and tackled that in this brief too.


Cyflwyniad fy ngrŵp ar gyfer cystadleuaeth dylunio myfyrwyr W2W, Perch a Greyfox 2019. Edrych ar ddyluniad dodrefn yn yr amgylchedd gwaith a fyddai’n gwella rhyngweithio naturiol rhwng pobl. Mae’r ffordd y byddai’r ddesg yn byw o fewn economi gylchol yn bwysig er mwyn lleihau gwastraff a phrynwriaeth, sut allwn ni atgyweirio yn hytrach na dechrau o’r newydd? Gan weithio gyda Toby a Jamie, gwelsom ddiffyg dodrefn cynhwysol yn yr amgylchedd gwaith, ac aethom i’r afael â hynny hefyd yn y briff hwn.

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