Sustainable Product Design alumnus on material innovation and returning to campus to teach
13 November 2025
Charlie Ruck is a sustainable industrial designer and Sustainable Product Design BA(Hons) alumnus who is forging a multi-faceted career.
After his major project artifact received nominations in some of the biggest design awards in the industry, he pursued further study and set up RUCK®, a research-led multidisciplinary design consultancy exploring the emotional connections between consumers and products.
Charlie has recently returned to Falmouth in a PhD research and guest lecturer capacity, where he supports the next generation of product designers.
In our latest episode of Ones To Watch we caught up with Charlie on campus, where he talked more about his unique glasses design, the direction of his consultancy and research, and his admiration of Falmouth’s supportive teaching approach.
"Hi, my name is Charlie. I’m a Sustainable Product Design alumni and a Falmouth University guest lecturer.
"I chose Falmouth University because it has world-class facilities, and the environment here is one of the best. It's got very family-orientated technicians and staff. The live briefs we have give you those industry connections that you need to move on within your studies and practices.
"With product design we're conscious of what our products have an impact on, and it was very interesting to see how design has an impact from its inception all the way to its production and end-use scenarios, which aren't normally taught on product design courses.
"My final-year project looked at creating a fully sustainable artifact. This artifact was a pair of sustainable glasses which instead of using finite traditional materials such as metals and hinges was instead designed into one piece. So, the design which I came up with had a fully flexible hinge, which then allows for ease of moulding. It also allows for this very neat design that can be moulded into one component or in three separate components.
"This wouldn't have been feasible without the ideation processes I went through in the rapid prototyping department at Falmouth. Using 3D printing gave the inception of how you can do this bendy hinge. I’ve developed it further into different materials as well as with other components such as magnetic eye sockets. This design was entered into the James Dyson Design Awards and then the Braun Design Awards, which was highly recommended and commended.
"Studying at Falmouth in comparison to a larger city offers a one-to-one connection that you wouldn't normally get. The class sizes here at Falmouth are a lot smaller and a lot more intimate than you tend to see at university; this means more time with the lecturers, more time of technicians, and more time playing around with your ideas and designs.
"I set up my design consultancy Ruck Design where we look at the semiotics of products and at emotional connection. We use different approaches to look at how a product is developed and made. I'm looking at how I can expand my design consultancy; how it can be embedded within other industries, whether consumer or technology-based.
"My research is looking at how I can increase the circular economy of large format manufacturing and how we can increase robotic systems. I'm hoping I can utilise the work which I'm producing for my PhD within my own design practice.
"As a guest lecturer at Falmouth, it's nice being back on campus and teaching the next generation of designers. I don't really see myself as a lecturer; I see myself rather as a peer who's there to help and assist with their education. It gives me a very nice understanding of where the next generation of designers are going, which also helps me with my own practice.
"I wouldn't have necessarily thought this would be the trajectory I'd go down, but it does feel like yesterday that I was here. You always have this connection to the University, which is really, really nice."
You might also like
Meet the drawing alumna named 2025’s Royal Watercolour Society Young Artist
Meet the award-winning travel writer making a career of documenting his experiences
From Falmouth to filming in the Brazilian jungle: alumnus Nella Gocal-McConkey on working in TV
Game Animation student on joining renowned games studio
