Hello,
My name is Stephen Hughett, and I am an experienced Industrial Designer residing in Ohio. I hold a BFA in Industrial Design and have worked for over thirteen years in both consultancy and corporate design studios. My proficiency extends to all phases of product development, including research, design strategy, front-end innovation, design conceptualization, VBL development, 3D CAD modeling, prototyping, manufacturing, and launch support.
Currently, I am serving as Senior Industrial Designer at Toughbuilt, where I am actively involved in DFM and VBL development. Our team of designers are working diligently to bring over 50 new Toughbuilt products to market.
During my personal time, I enjoy going on adventures with my wife and two daughters. We also spend a considerable amount of time renovating our 1970’s home.
my design journey...
My design experience began at a young age when I became obsessed with creating visual art and problem-solving. After watching my Dad work with SolidWorks for his job, I quickly took up the program as a fun pass-time when I was thirteen year old. These hobbies ultimately drew me to Columbus College of Art & Design where I received a BFA in Industrial Design in 2011.
Immediately following graduation, I began working as a Junior Industrial Designer at Nottingham-Spirk Innovation Firm in Cleveland, Ohio. There I developed commercial and consumer electronics, consumer hard and soft goods, POP displays, packaging, and medical devices. During this time I also completed freelance projects for brands in the medical, and outdoor recreational fields.
In 2013, I began working as an Industrial Designer at Design Central, a design Consultancy in Columbus, Ohio. There I moved into a Senior Industrial Design role where I directed and contributed to various design programs for consumer goods, display design, and packaging with a focus on one of our major clients, Proctor & Gamble brands. As a Design Lead for P&G, I worked on front-end innovation programs which included working in all phases of product development.
During my spare time in 2014, I co-founded BLK SEA Studio LLC, a collaborative and multidisciplinary design studio. We launched our first product Imbue on Kickstarter which was successfully funded within the first three days of launch. This experience gave me first-hand knowledge of designing a product from the ground up to shipping over 1,600 Imbue tools to front doors across the world. This also helped me to gain a deeper understanding of other forms of design management, such as branding, business, sourcing, and design for manufacturing.
In 2017, I transitioned into a new role as a Concept Designer at Techtronic Industries (TTi) in Anderson, South Carolina. Focusing on design conceptualization and new product innovations. Here, I tested the feasibility of incorporating new technologies and solutions into various power tools and home goods products. Our group was also responsible for many initial research investigations into new product offerings which involved field studies and online surveying data collection. I was also given the opportunity to work with the traditional industrial design team internal to TTI on several occasions on high-priority PLR and other design programs.
In 2021, I joined the ToughBuilt team as a Senior Industrial Designer.