James Wood

Having graduated from BU in 2012, James Wood has gone on to launch his own design studio and worked on major brands including the famous Chilly’s water bottles.

But a university education and career in design weren’t originally on the cards. With no-one in his family having gone to university before, James left school after completing his A-levels and worked for a few years in IT. It wasn’t until a friend told him he was going to an open day at BU that James decided to tag along.

He said: “I sat in on a course presentation about industrial design and it all just clicked. The creative aspects resonated with the subjects I’d enjoyed at school and I liked the focus on the psychology of design – not just making things but understanding how they made people feel or behave differently.”

Not long after starting the course as a mature student, James was diagnosed as dyslexic – but the tests also revealed a highly tuned ability to think three dimensionally. This helped James to better understand and channel his love of design to solve problems.

After graduating, and with a placement at Nokia under his belt, James secured a short-term contract in the tech sector with LG. He then collaborated with some of his former colleagues at Nokia, on a project to develop wearable cameras, before launching Studio Wood as a means of managing freelance assignments. He said: “I became interested in providing design services, as opposed to launching my own projects, and worked for homeware brands including Joseph Joseph. We designed a cutlery tray which made much better use of available drawer space by stacking cutlery diagonally. The item went on to become one of their best sellers.”

Then came the opportunity to work with Chilly’s to design what has gone on to become their iconic water bottle. James said “The founders wanted someone to help bring their product range together and to develop their existing bottle design to incorporate a sports lid for more active users. This coincided with an increased focus on sustainability in society, which has boosted their popularity, and Chilly’s has become our longest-standing partnership for the studio.”

In 2017, after years of working in and around London, James relocated back to Dorset, proving that it’s possible to run a successful creative studio outside of the capital. He now employs a team of seven and sees no shortage of young talent wanting to work in the area. He said: “Being based on the South Coast provides you with space to get outside and clear your head and be inspired by your surroundings, as well as offering a work/life balance that is difficult to achieve in London. It hasn’t held us back when it comes to recruiting either, with around 350 applications for a recent junior role. I am proud to be supporting the region in a small way, by building the business and making important connections.”

Find out more about Studio Wood and design and engineering degrees at BU.

James Wood – Team