Michael Hinchliffe

https://outdoorfutures.com Outdoor and sports design specialists helping companies create outstanding product solutions and brand experiences. A user-centred approach, creating market leading products and award winning designs. Every fundamental feature or tiny detail is considered, tested and refined to ensure that the products we create surpass expectation and perform at the highest level.

• Explore new, innovative concepts and ideas to refresh product line plan and add a USP over competitors. • Deliver seasonal concepts and products encompassing and reflecting each brands image and direction, to industry, for both Core Range and SMU product lines. • Produce a seasonal colour palette for each brand. • Design products to EN and ISO standards. • Work as part of a team to produce products to strict timelines, with regular intermediate deadlines along the critical path. • Prepare and present new concept presentations to colleagues and customers. • Actively conduct design research to produce consumer driven design; based on sales patterns, current trends and season. • Visit trade fairs, exhibitions and retail customers throughout the UK and Europe for research purposes and technical support. • Use 3D modeling software (Solid Works) as a tool to aid the development of new products, including; product visualisation, component integration, FEA. • Produce detailed technical drawings to aid product specifications for manufacture. • Work closely with factories, manufacturers and suppliers throughout the course of a project, to ensure to ensure concepts are to cost and on time. • Sourcing of components and materials for products in development. • Product sourcing of OEM products to compliment the range. • Test all new concepts to ensure they are fit for purpose and meet all expectations. • Design instructional literature, illustrations and supporting product information.

• Part of a small creative design team based in Manchester City Centre. • Work for inventors, SME’s and global brands on a number of product design tasks and seen through to manufacture. • Responsible for producing the companies graphics work, including packaging, instructional design, advertising imagery, marketing material etc. • Website and online media design. • I have great knowledge of 3D printing and its use as means of prototyping and testing product concepts. • Model making / prototyping at various stages of the design process. • Provide ICT/technical support throughout the business. • Represent the company at presentations, trade fairs and exhibitions.

• Worked as part of a small design team designing new innovative sports products along side professional sports men and women. • Responsible for producing the graphical work for the company, including: logos, flyers, posters, catalogues, product packaging and instructional design. • Rugby and football shirt design for amateur and semi-professional clubs. • Represented the company at trade fairs and exhibitions in support of the new products we had designed.