Fenella Holden

Brunel

I graduated in BSc Industrial Design in 2007.

My final year project was the RAC SOS Guardian. It is a device that assists people when they have broken down on the motorway, letting them know the safest position to wait and how long until help is on the way.

There were so many skills I gained at Brunel! Most importantly: communication skills. It is extremely important to be able to communicate yourself in a clear and professional way, as well as your designs. The design skills I have learnt at Brunel have helped me no end, including all of the software I have learnt and the design process. I have also learnt organisational skills and time management.

It was an amazing four years of my life and I grew as a person so much during that time! I am no doubt in a job I love today because of the time I spent at Brunel. I have also made life long friends!

Made in Brunel 2007

I was on the show team, which involved setting up and organising the show, as well as the parties to go with it! I helped to organise the launch party as well as the end of year boat party.

Being a part of the Made in Brunel show was great. Being on the Made in Brunel team helps you to feel more integrated into the year. There is also a great feeling of knowing how your final year show is going to turn out and the satisfaction of when you are exhibiting at the show.

As an exhibitor for Made in Brunel I was chosen to meet Ross Brawn, the British Motorsport Engineer. In terms of exciting projects, the setting up of the final show is very exciting and it was great to be involved in that. The final year boat party was also great to organise and it was an excellent reward for everyone’s hard work.

Exhibiting at Made in Brunel introduced me to the industry and helped me to learn how to present myself and my work. I also made several contacts through Made in Brunel and had a few interviews, however I got my current job from exhibiting at New Designers.

I exhibited at New designers, the experience at Made in Brunel prepared me for New Designers. New Designers differed as the focus of New Designers was to show what Brunel can do compared to the other leading Universities in the country. Both shows were a great experience.

Work

I spent my placement at Chanel on Bond Street in London, working in the Design Department there. Although my major was not connected to my placement, I learned about idea generation and I was able to spend time on thinking about my major in the time that I wasn’t working.

I really enjoyed working for a large brand and I knew I wanted to work for a large brand if possible when I graduated. The experience I gained at Chanel helped me to realise that although I enjoyed Graphics and Point of Sale design, I wanted to have a career in Product Design. I am now working for LEGO in Denmark as a product/toy designer.

I am currently designing toys for LEGO, it is strongly related to my degree and I am thoroughly enjoying practicing what I learnt at University in my work. I am loving my job right now and plan to stay at LEGO for the next few years.

Brunel graduates as a whole are well rounded, extremely conscientious and hard working. The thorough design process learnt at University makes Brunel students different to other universities.