Award-winning industrial designer eager to embrace rotomolding

At the recent Association of Rotational Molders (ARM) annual conference in Kansas City, Connor Thune, a fourth-year industrial design student at the Columbus (Ohio) College of Art & Design (CCAD) was awarded Student Design of the Year for his “RotoPod” outdoor furniture design, as voted upon by conference attendees. Following acceptance of the award, Connor was kind enough to spend some time with me at the conference, and shared his thoughts regarding rotational molding as he prepares to embark on his industrial design career.

Columbus College of Art & Design campus in Columbus, OH.

Design is in the blood.

Though a career in industrial design wasn’t an assumed path, Thune’s link to the field is a long-standing family affair. “My father (Greg Thune) is an Associate Professor of Product Design at CCAD, after working at a number of industrial design firms prior to joining the academia field,” commented Thune. “As a kid, I remember my dad working on designing cool products in a number of fields: medical, military, consumer products…and he traveled globally to observe the products he designed functioning in their end-use applications.”
Having had the opportunity to join his father on some of these excursions, Connor Thune discovered at a relatively early age his desire to “create something, expand my horizons and see the world.” And even though he initially enrolled at Otterbein University (Westerville, OH) as an undeclared major, Thune gravitated quickly to the true area of his calling: the industrial design realm. As part of his industrial design curriculum, Connor has traveled to nine European countries, including a stint as Teaching Assistant at Radley College in Oxfordshire, UK, where he taught Design & Technology for 10 months. “It was a great experience from several perspectives: coach and interact with design students, nurture their skills and impart some wisdom while broadening my personal horizons.”

The role of the industrial designer in product development.

Though the bridge is still being built between the rotational molding industry and the product design community, Thune clearly sees an active role of the industrial designer in new product development involving manufacturing processes such as rotomolding. “At CCAD, we (industrial design students) are really exposed to a holistic approach to mastering this discipline,” stated Thune.

“Our three industrial design professors all have unique strengths and focuses – we refer to them as ‘the MIND, the HEART, and the HANDS,’ referring to the engineering thought process (MIND), the product aesthetic and user experience (HEART), and the practicality and utility of the product we’re designing (HANDS). This way, we believe we’re getting the best possible training in designing products that are thoroughly engineered, that possess both form and function, and that are human-centric and make a positive difference for the people using them.”

Roto wasn’t readily relevant.

Despite building his design credentials via the CCAD curriculum, the international teaching assignment and concurrently gaining exposure to numerous manufacturing processes, it wasn’t until relatively recently that rotational molding was closer to top-of-mind when it came to manufacturing platforms. “Honestly, I knew next to nothing about rotomolding prior to enrolling at CCAD,” commented Thune, “and first learned about it through a design competition sponsored by an industry material supplier, WinSell.” The competition focused on the outdoor/backyard space, and thus the concept for the “RotoPod” lounge furniture design was conceived.

Eventually, roto product design became a requirement for CCAD Industrial Design majors, and as a result, Thune and his peers gained more familiarity and mastery with the medium, culminating recently with his “RotoPod” design selected as best-of-show at the Association of Rotational Molders annual meeting in Kansas City. “Obviously, I’m really excited and honored to win the Student Design competition and I’m happy that my design resonated with attendees,” said Thune. “Rotomolding is an ideal platform for this type of product (outdoor/backyard furniture), and I’m currently working on a family of products to complement the ‘RotoPod.’”

Connor Thune’s “RotoPad” outdoor furniture was selected as the winner of the Student Design Award.

Influencing the next generation of product designers.

When considering his relatively recent introduction to the rotational molding process, Thune pondered ways in which emerging product designers could be exposed to roto earlier in their educational experience. “Thinking from rotomolding’s point of view, we need to find a way to increase students’ awareness (of rotomolding) much earlier in their education; even starting at high school, through job fairs, rotomolding facility tours, lunch-and-learn sessions, etc.,” opined Thune. “Somehow, we need more outreach so that students are aware of it earlier, and as they enter design school and then their careers, there’s an established familiarity and confidence in rotomolding as a legitimate means of designing and developing products.”

In assessing his personal experience with rotational molding, Thune admits to a lack of first-hand perspective regarding the on-floor manufacturing process. “Practically everything I’ve learned about rotomolding has come from classroom instruction,” commented Thune, “and I know I’ll be better able to connect the dots as I observe the process in action, get my hands dirty and gain a better feel for the manufacturing side of things.” Similarly, he believes up-and-coming product designers would greatly benefit from hands-on roto experience: “whatever type of outreach can be built, including on-the-floor observation and participation at rotomolding facilities will be a difference-maker in attracting designers to this process.”

Connor Thune accepts his Student Design Award at the Association of Rotational Molders annual conference in Kansas City.

Leveraging the advantages of roto.

As both Thune’s competence and confidence in designing for rotomolding continue to grow, he’s effectively integrating its inherent advantages in his approach to industrial design. “I view roto as a ‘low barriers to entry’ manufacturing process,” remarked Thune, “based on relatively low start-up costs with tooling, machines, materials, etc. compared to other processes.” He’s also keenly aware of the general public’s perception with plastic and feels the durability of rotomolded products lends itself to a strong sustainability message: “rotomolded products aren’t single-use, throw-away items – they typically last a lifetime and most materials used in rotomolding are recyclable.”

Now, as graduation from CCAD looms and a career in industrial design awaits, Connor feels that with the addition of rotomolding to his design arsenal, he’s better equipped to offer his future clients a broader array of product design and development solutions. “I’m really excited about including rotomolding as another tool my design toolbox,” commented Thune. “I see many advantages to the process and lots of untapped market potential to appeal more broadly to the consumer across many segments. Winning the Student Design Award was a great affirmation, and has me pretty stoked to wave the roto flag proudly in my industrial design career.”