28.11.07
Falmouth 3D Design graduate’s career as toy designer takes off

A graduate from University College Falmouth’s acclaimed BA(Hons) 3D Design course, Stacey Dix, has been snapped up by London retail giant, Hamleys, to work as sustainable product and toy designer, the first in-house toy designer to be appointed since the illustrious Regent Street store was founded in 1760.

Stacey, who graduated from the College in June, won a Second Prize Yellow Pencil for her design of a contemporary 3D toy in response to a brief set by Hamleys in the Product Design (Innovation) category of this year’s Design & Art Direction (D&AD) awards. She has since exhibited at New Designers and at D&AD’s New Blood in London as well as at Hidden Art’s Cream of the Crop in Cornwall.

Stacey, whose degree project, Power Orbs, featured educational products powered by renewable energy, is thrilled about her blossoming career. Claire Ralph, Hamleys own brand development manager said: “Stacey has been working with the Hamleys buying team since August. We all loved the work that she produced for the D&AD awards and felt she could bring innovative design and creativity to the development of Hamleys toys. Stacey has since worked on several toy projects that will be manufactured over the coming months and included in our 2008/2009 ranges.”

“BA(Hons) 3D Design at Falmouth is all about exploring environmental, economic and social issues and their relationship to design so that our students’ designs reflect human needs both today and in the future,” explains course leader, Su Vernon. “We also encourage students to enter as many national awards schemes as they can and work with external companies, in order to gain invaluable real world experience,” she added. “I am delighted that this strategy has led to Stacey’s success and I congratulate her on this significant achievement.”

Falmouth’s 3D Design course is located within the Design Centre at Tremough – the glittering hub of the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative – where students from across disciplines collaborate and inspire each other, working together under one roof. Buzzing studios and a professional focus ensure that students graduate confident, experienced and ready to make their mark on the design industry. Many, like Stacey, go on to work in leading design studios or set up their own companies specialising in furniture, lighting, jewellery, toys, sports products, computer 3D visualisation, sustainable design or consultancy. Other recent success stories from the course include Sixixis, who have won innumerable major awards for their steam-bent wooden furniture, and Jethro Macey, who recently won an Elle Decoration award for his lace paving tiles.

“Working with highly enthusiastic and creative individuals throughout my three years of study at Falmouth was the key to my progress as a designer,” concluded Stacey. “The encouragement I received through group critiques and presentations not only enhanced my skills but also prepared me well for my interviews with the directors of Hamleys after graduation,” she added. “3D Design at UniversityCollegeFalmouth allowed me to challenge preconceptions of toy design and form research focus groups in the community. By studying the nature of play and gaining key insights into how children interact, explore and discover the world, I was able to produce strong sustainable design theories. Falmouth taught me the fundamentals of design and has successfully directed me into my ideal career as a toy designer with one of the iconic toy retailers in the world.”

University College Falmouth is a founding partner in the Combined Universities in Cornwall, a unique initiative to promote regional economic regeneration through higher education. The CUC is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One), the South West Regional Development Agency, and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall County Council.

For further information about BA(Hons) 3D Design at University College Falmouth, please visit www.falmouth.ac.uk/3Ddesign, email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or contact Admissions on 01326 211077.
For more information about Stacey’s work, please visit her newly launched website: www.staceydix.com.

For further information please contact Jilly Easterby, Head of Public Affairs, University College Falmouth, on 01326 213792 or email jilly.easterby@falmouth.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). UniversityCollegeFalmouth is a partner of the CUC.

Editor's notes:

Clare Morgan
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