Design is part of a total package
Paul Tearse is an innovation design consultant and strategist who has conducted research and design development for brands across global markets with a human-centred design focus. Mr. Tearse holds a master’s degree in multidisciplinary design innovation.
Paul Tearse is not your everyday designer—in fact he does not even design products. His aim is to make real positive change by identifying opportunities for innovation through products, services, experiences, and processes that add more meaning and greater value to the lives of others and generations to come. Paul researches and designs concepts and business models to lay the foundation for people and businesses to get the most out of their designs, products, and/or services. “I want them to thrive and grow,” says Paul.
“It all starts with exploration of a specific problem and scoping potential opportunities and ideas. I then develop those ideas into working concepts and commercially relevant propositions, supported by business cases and relevant strategies. I focus on identifying a client or user need, then think what can be done to meet those needs, and, as a result, deliver more value. I communicate this using appropriate media through compelling and meaningful stories to build context and understanding.”
Cardboard models
According to Paul, the actual design is part of a total package. “It’s about the business need, the branding, and making it relevant. I am not focussing on one element. I narrow it all down to one issue, then come up with a potential solution and work it up to the point where the opportunity becomes clearer and it can be handed over to the client for further development. That’s how it has been so far—which is great, because I don’t have a typical designer’s background. I can’t claim personal credit for any design. I have always worked with a variety of people who have different backgrounds—it is very much about collaboration. However, developing concepts does require making scale models to get an idea of what a product will be like. Actually, adhesive tape is a great material for making cardboard models.”Special projects
Paul got his degree in biology. After that he ended up working for an engineering company. “Among other things, I was managing small architectural redeveloping projects. Then I lost my job and was forced to rethink my plans for the future. After a process of unsuccessful job hunting, I decided to take a master’s course in multidisciplinary design innovation. The kind of work I did there was very much focussed on the ‘fuzzy front end’, using design thinking to explore different kinds of problems.” One project example was to identify unique ways in which the client could engage a wider audience through smart applications of technology and introduce new laundry practices through the digital world with a focus on developing and emerging markets.