2. About Me
Over my 3 year course studying BA (Hons) Sustainable Product Design I
have looked into the areas of User Centred Design, Inclusive Design and
Design Specialism. The course has encouraged me to look at everyday
items from a designers point of view but also to research the people
that I am designing for so that I can create the best product or system
possible for that specific user.
I have also been taught how to tackle a brief that could be set by a
potential client, from researching the targeted area to sketching down
ideas and evolving them into problem-solving designs through models,
Computer Aided Design renders and finally into a finished prototype.
I have always been interested in the business side of design, exploring
different markets for niches and opportunities to design a product or
system that has the potential to be successful in the marketplace.
Portfolio// Projects Harry Benham
Logo.
Copyright Harry
Benham 2015.
3. Portfolio// Resume Harry Benham
Name Harry Perry Benham
DOB 14th June 1993
Nationality British
Phone 07800557597
Email harrybenham@hotmail.co.uk
Contact Details Employment
Grades
Allsaints Spitalfields Retail, Bath
Sales Assistant
1 year (2010-2011)
Gained teamworking skills and ability to engage
with people/customers.
Volunteer work for Cornwall’s RNLI
Charity Work
1 year (2009)
Gained research skills.
Cribbs Restaurant and Bar, Falmouth
Bar Staff/ Waiter
(2014-2015)
Gained an insight look at how a business is run
and built up confidence dealing with customers,
making them feel welcome and relaxed.
Job included opening up/ closing down, stock
management, cashing up.
The Shed, Box, Wiltshire
Barista/ Assistant
(2015)
Served customers in this Deli/ Restaurant, taking
orders, making drinks, and maintaining a tidy and
comfortable atmosphere for customers to be in.
Batheaston Holdings Ltd, Bath
IT Assistant
(2014-2015)
Created spreadsheets to control stock, compiled
emails to customers, drew up CAD designs and
renders of buildings and company plot. Also
maintained cleanliness and refurbishments of site.
Website www.harrybenhamdesign.co.uk
Higher
Education
Sustainable Product Design
(BA) Hons Degree
A-Levels
3 A Levels passed
Design Technology, Business
Studies, ICT
GCSE’s 12 A-C
4. Portfolio// Resume Harry Benham
High
School
Grittleton House School, Wiltshire
2004-2009
College
Royal High Sixth Form, Bath
2009-2011
University
Falmouth University
2011-2014
Education
Skills
Communication skills- Made several presentations
to groups of people, good listener as well as putting
my ideas forward, completed 6,000 word dissertation,
enjoy working in teams or alone.
Motivational skills- Always striving for improvement,
passionate about business, innovative and engaging.
Presentation- I understand the importance of
organisation and arriving to work on time. I arrive
appropriately dressed and ready for work.
Interests
Deisign and engineering has always been a keen interest
of mine, whether it be designing and creating an entirely
new product or sytem, or taking something pre existing and
imporving it in any way possible. My father has run his own
Furniture company for the past 30 years taking over where
his father left, and this has given me a keen interest in all
aspects of business, manufacturing and management.
I have always been interested in all the different roles
that staff play in production, e.g. time management,
communication and respect and how this affects the
success of an ongoing business. With this in mind I will
always strive to work as hard as possible as this in turn often
brings success.
Further Information
Autodesk Inventor, Fusion,
Photoshop, Indesign, Excel
Play the drums, reaching
grade 8 over 11 years
Full UK Driving License
Surf, Swim, Gym, Running
Sales trading hobby- Buy
and Sell online
6. This project tackles the issue of poor recording
footage when using small devices such as a
mobile phone or digital camera. I came up with
the concept when travelling around Europe in
summer 2013 as I wanted to record my trip using
my mobile phone and camera (both of which are
high quality recording devices).
The footage that I took played back with unstable
results and awkward jerky movements. I was
rather disappointed with the poor quality, so I
decided to search the market for such a product
that could solve the issue.
I found that there were products available to
stabilise recording devices but they were for large
cameras and they were also expensive (£100-
4000). I felt that there was a niche in the market
for a product that could be used with people’s
mobile phones or digital cameras etc. for less than
£100, so this project was the perfect opportunity
to create one.
Steadicam// Device Stabilization Harry Benham
7. The design features a curved semi-circle body which
wraps around the device, made from ABS plastic in a
variety of different colours. The handle, based at the top
of the product, is made from Polypropylene (PPE) and
can also be manufactured using a variety of colours. The
handle is connected to the main body via a ball and
socket joint which is dampened and acts as the counter-
movement to the users hand which stabilises the footage
being recorded.
At the bottom of the design is a clamp which is made up
of 2 rubber walls where the phone or camera is placed.
The walls slide up and down 2 threaded screws so the
device can be tightly secured using bolts. The clamp also
has the ability to change angles so that the user can film
wherever he or she pleases.
Steadicam// Device Stabilization Harry Benham
12. This project was self-directed which allowed me to steer
my learning in a focused way. I was required to write
a project brief that builds on one of the themes of the
course (Sustainability and User Centred Design).
The project began with the love and fascination of
traditional Windsor Chairs and how beautiful they are
to look at and own. My Grandfather was the founder
of a company called ‘Batheaston Chair makers’, who
specialise in traditional Windsor chairs made from Oak,
Ash, Beech and other Hardwood timbers.
I always wanted to design my own Windsor with a modern
twist and this was my chance to do so. In my opinion, the
windsor, although not cheap, is the best made and most
comfortable chair there is, however why not pay more for
something that will last forever?
The aim of this project is to prove how sustainable a
Windsor chair is, compared with alternative plastic chairs.
My objective is to design and build a modern windsor
which is made with sustainability in mind. To do this, I
needed to look into Embodied energy, Life cycle analysis
(LCA) and Transportation of materials.
Furniture// Modern Windsor Harry Benham
13. The seat was milled using a
specialised machine to create an
imprint suitable for comfortable
sitting. I had also extruded two
holes for the armrest to slot
into and a back panel for the
backrest. The seat also had four
holes extruded at the bottom for
the legs. Made from British grown
Oak, the seat was sanded and
varnished for a higher quality
finish.
The backrest is made from a
single straight piece of British Oak
for optimum support to improve
back posture. The armrest, made
from British Ash is made from three
steam-bent pieces which have
been nailed together, slotted into
the seat and glued. There are
also holes in the armrest for the
headrest.
Furniture// Modern Windsor Harry Benham
14. The Legs are made from British
Ash which have been machine
turned and are thin at the top,
getting gradually thinner towards
the bottom. The legs were
sanded and varnished after being
shortened to the same lengths.
They were then connected and
held together using stretchers
which increase the strength of the
chair massively.
During this project I visited
the University of Bath which
developed the Inventory
of Carbon and Energy (ICE
database). With the help of a
professor who helped develop
the database, we worked out
that my windsor chair has a
total embodied energy of 12 mj
(megajoules: how much energy is
used to manufacture something),
compared to a plastic chair
which totalled 78mj.
Furniture// Modern Windsor Harry Benham
17. This project focuses on children’s lighting using a
process called ‘rapid prototyping’ or ‘3d printing’.
3d printers are becoming more popular and
more advanced, so I decided to use this to my
advantage in this project.
My initial research was based around the children’s
lighting market, analysing several products on the
market to get a clearer picture to what is available,
price ranges, materials used and any requirements.
This then led to lighting that could be linked to 3D
printers, to be re-used rather than thrown away.
What is important to understand is that children
grow up, consistently changing their favourite
cartoon characters, movies, sports, music etc,
as trends come and go, so I needed to design a
product with this in mind.
To fully understand the limitations of 3d Printers,
the compatible materials, their ease of use and
costings involved, my idea to use 3d printers
to eliminate waste of children’s products was
extremely important to my research.
3D Printing// Childrens Lighting Harry Benham
19. 3D Printing// Childrens Lighting Harry Benham
The product is an encased light bulb, which projects different images onto the
wall of a childs bedroom. The idea is that the child can 3d print whatever he or
she wants using different layers of coloured acrylic so it can be projected onto
their wall. It also eliminates waste as the plastic can be reused and reprinted
into another object when the child decides that its time for a change.
21. Parkinsons
Mug
The main symptoms of Parkinsons disease are usually stiffness, shaking (tremor), and slowness of movement.
Symptoms typically become gradually worse over time. Treatment often provides good relief of symptoms
for several years. This project allowed me to focus on ‘Inclusive Design’, mainly for elderly people who are
most likely to have the disease. I wanted to improve an object that would potentially be dangerous for
people with Parkinsons Disease which would not necessarily be dangerous for people without the disease
so that it would be safe to use. The idea that I had in mind was a mug used for hot liquids such as tea,
coffee or soups etc.. As the main symptom of Parkinsons is shakiness of the hands, I realised it could be
dangerous for a patient to handle a mug with such hot liquid.
Medical// Parkinsons Mug Harry Benham
22. PD mainly develops in people over the
age of 50. It becomes more common
with increasing age. About 5 in 1,000
people in their 60s, and about 40 in
1,000 people in their 80s have PD. It
affects both men and women but is a
little more common in men. Rarely, it
develops in people under the age of
50.
One person in every 500 has
Parkinson's. That's about 127,000
people in the UK. Symptoms and
how quickly they progress are
different for everyone.
There's currently no cure, but drugs
and treatments are available to
manage many of the symptoms.
As well as affecting movement,
people with Parkinson's can find that
other issues, such as tiredness, pain,
depression and constipation, can
have an impact on their day-to-day
lives.
www.parkinsons.org.uk
Medical// Parkinsons Mug Harry Benham
24. Rounded brass bolts (brass
is well lubricated) to allow
gimbals to rotate smoothly.
Handles made from
ceramic to prevent
getting hot.
Both the inner and outer gimbal
are made from aluminium for
lightness and strength. The
gimbals rotate around the bolts
so that the handles are able to
move in all directions.
Main body made from
coloured ceramic.
As the user grasps the handles, the
shaking (tremors) movements will be
absorbed by the gimbals so that the
hot liquid in the mug stays motionless
and danger free. The user moves the
mug toward their mouth and takes a
sip as normal, safely.
Medical// Parkinsons Mug Harry Benham
31. Leisure// Digital Watch Harry Benham
This digital watch features a smart LCD touch-sensitive display
and side turnstyle button for navigation. The body is made
from Aluminium and the wrist strap uses leather for a more
comfortable wear (available in different colours).
The user can navigate through a series of menus to display
time, date, images, settings, and reminders. The use of
aluminium makes the watch lightweight and the styling
combines traditional design with modern technology.
Aluminium
Casing
Leather
strap
Brass
navigation
button
LCD Digital
Display
33. Entertainment// Headphones Harry Benham
These headphones wirelessly
connect to the users phone,
computer or other music device
with a 3.5mm audio jack using
the wireless transmitter. Once
connected and the headphones
are turned on, music will play from
the users device. The user can
turn the volume up and down as
well as power using the buttons
on the headphones. They use a
ball and socket joint to connect
the earphones to the headrest,
allowing comfortable movement
of the individual earphones. The
headrest is made from flexible PVC
(Polyvinyl Chloride). Both of these
features allow the headphones to
adapt to different users heads.
