STUDENT NO. 242018 SCALE — NTS STELLENBOSCH, SOUTH AFRICA
Industrial Product Designer · 3D Fabrication Specialist

LIAM
CLOETE.

Third-year Industrial Design student at The Open Window Institute, specialising in the full product development pipeline — from ideation and user research through CAD modelling, engineering documentation, and hands-on physical fabrication. Driven by functional minimalism, material honesty, and the conviction that the details no one notices are precisely the ones that make a product feel intentional.

Location
Stellenbosch, ZA
Phone
066 232 9706
Email
242018@virtualwindow.co.za
Status
BA Industrial Design, in progress
§01

Current Work — ID 300

CAD SCALE — NTS

01 — Hackathon, boardgame system

Boiler Boom

A 2v1 asymmetric steampunk board game pairing tile-placement mechanics with a physical GM controller and a live digital dashboard. Card economy validated through Monte Carlo simulation before a single tile was cut.

Board is a split-panel laser-cut assembly driven by an Arduino GM rig — atomiser humidifier, WS2812B LED ring, rumble motor via L298N — physical feedback tied directly to in-game events.

Laser-cut split panelWS2812B / L298NIn development
CAD SCALE — NTS

02 — ID 300, STEM toy, ages 3–6

Colour Creature

A tactile CMY subtractive colour-mixing toy for early-years learning, built from PLEXIGLAS® acrylic paddles set in a Baltic Birch plywood frame. Children stack and overlap paddles to physically discover how cyan, magenta and yellow combine.

Backed by in-store market research across 54 competing STEM toys in Cape Town, developed to ISO 8124-1 toy safety compliance at a landed unit cost of R759.36.

Acrylic + Baltic BirchISO 8124-1R759.36 / unit

More Selected Work

Four featured ID 200 case studies, ongoing side projects, experience, and skills — keep scrolling.

§02

Featured Design Projects — ID 200

01

Roto-Plane

MDF Workshop Fabrication · Mechanical Assembly
Problem
Design and manufacture a functional flying toy from a single 9mm MDF board with a minimum of two moving parts and five combined components.
Build
9mm MDF; band saw, drill press, sanding, wood glue, dowel joinery; ball-bearing rotating wing assembly + toothpick-pivot articulating flaps.
Outcome
Fully functional, sturdy prototype — wings operate independently via wheel-bearing mechanism, complete sanding-coat finish.
02

GardenTower (DaLiBrand)

Sheet Metal Fabrication · Laser Cut / Bend / Weld · Brand Identity
Problem
Students in small living areas lack space-efficient indoor gardening options — vertical and ceiling space unused.
Build
2mm mild steel; SolidWorks CAD + Visualize; laser cutting, press-brake bending, welding; 20mm edge radius safety; budget validated at R1,500/unit.
Outcome
Hi-fi ceiling-mounted modular garden system with full DaLi brand identity (Dieter Rams influence); GA + exploded drawings, market posters, in-situ photography.
03

Flatpack Vinyl Holder

CNC Routing · No-Fastener Friction-Fit Assembly · User Research
Problem
Vinyl collectors lack a mobile, dedicated storage unit for records, record player, and amplifier that assembles without tools or fasteners.
Build
12mm Baltic Birch plywood; CNC routing; friction-fit interlocking joints, zero glue or fasteners; material wastage under 20% from a single sheet.
Outcome
Self-supporting functional prototype informed by a 25-response user survey; full deliverables incl. 6-page assembly manual, cost analysis of R2,990/unit.
04

SphericonRoller

Rotational Moulding · Child Development Product · ARMSA 2025 Entry
Problem
Traditional children's toys offer single-axis motion only, lacking multi-axis vestibular and gross motor stimulation for ages 3–5.
Build
LLDPE via rotational moulding; SANS 50071-1 & SANS 50071-3 compliance; over-roll preventatives, ergonomic handles; 1:6 FDM printed prototype, professional paint finish.
Outcome
Commercially viable concept — unit material cost R70–R90, wholesale R210–R350; full ARMSA competition submission.
§03

Additional Work

DEAD RECKON
Design Entrepreneurship

210g ultralight cooking stand laser-cut from 304 stainless steel, stonewash finish, gorpcore aesthetic — R450 retail with a full unit-economics model.

Wireless RC Catamaran
Assessed Fabrication Brief

Twin-hull vessel over ESP-NOW between dual ESP32s, GB37 motors via L298N, 3D-printed NACA-profile hydrofoil propellers scripted in OpenSCAD.

BETON
Academic — Material Theory

Brutalist concrete planter with a written thesis grounded in Appadurai's commodity theory and bioreceptive concrete research.

§04

Experience

OCT 2025 – PRESENT

Student Council — Campus Pulse Coordinator

Open Window · Part-time · Stellenbosch
  • Gathered, analysed, and presented data on student engagement and campus culture to guide campus initiatives and support student-centred decision making.
  • Designed and ran campus-wide surveys and feedback polls after major events, turning results into reports and dashboards presented at council planning meetings.
  • Worked with the marketing team to translate feedback data into infographics and visual highlights, supporting orientation week, activations, open days, and graduation.
2023 – 2026

Prototype Fabrication Consultant & Lead Technician

Freelance · Open Window Institute, Stellenbosch
  • Consulted on and fabricated 3D printed prototypes for 2nd & 3rd year design students, managing print settings, material selection, tolerancing, and quality control.
  • Optimised SolidWorks and Fusion 360 models for reliable FDM output; troubleshot hardware and geometry issues to meet tight academic deadlines.
  • Operated as a one-person studio: client brief → CAD validation → print execution → post-processing delivery.
2024 – 2026

Creative Computing — Physical Computing & Embedded Systems

The Open Window Institute · Academic + Applied
  • Programmed microcontrollers in C++ (Arduino IDE) to build interactive, sensor-driven physical prototypes — combining design intent with functional electronics.
  • Integrated MPU6050 gyroscope/accelerometer with WS2812 RGB LED arrays to engineer a motion-activated directional wearable safety system (Smart Helmet).
  • Developed custom keyboard accessories and 3D printed keycaps (Cherry MX profiles, PLA) — applying industrial design principles to everyday tactile objects.
2026

Media Team Coordinator

Brand Stellies · Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • Conceptualised and produced visual communication assets for internal brand interviews and activations.
  • Coordinated media production workflows, ensuring narrative cohesion and on-deadline delivery across multiple concurrent projects.
§05

Technical Competency Matrix

A — CAD / Digital
  • SolidWorks (Advanced)
  • Fusion 360
  • Keyshot Studio
  • Photoshop
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Parametric Modelling
  • Engineering Drawings
  • Exploded View / GA
  • Miro / Google Slides
B — Fabrication
  • FDM 3D Printing (Expert)
  • Ender 3 S1 Operation
  • CNC Routing
  • Sheet Metal: Laser Cut / Bend / Weld
  • MDF & Plywood Workshop
  • Rotational Moulding (Theory)
  • Support-Free Design
  • Materials: PLA, TPU, Mild Steel, Ply
  • Rapid Prototyping & Iteration
C — Electronics / Tech
  • C++ / Arduino Programming
  • MPU6050 Gyro/Accel Integration
  • WS2812 RGB LED Systems
  • Circuit Design & Debugging
  • Physical Computing
  • Sensor-Driven Interaction
  • Embedded Wearable Systems
  • User Research & Surveys
  • Product Costing & BOM
§06

Education & About

2024 – PRESENT
BA Industrial Design
The Open Window Institute, Stellenbosch
2023 — PASSED WITH DISTINCTION
Higher Certificate in Design Thinking
Greenside Design Center
2022
National Senior Certificate
Selborne College

I'm an undergraduate Industrial Design student at Open Window, School of Creative Technologies, currently working at the ID 300 level. My work moves between product design, creative computing, and visual communication theory — assessed as much on fabrication and electronics as it is on research and academic writing.

I'm based between Cape Town and Stellenbosch, and I like projects that force a decision to actually get made: a material spec'd, a tolerance held, a circuit that either works or doesn't.

Languages: English (Native / Full Professional), Afrikaans (Proficient)

Film & Media

600+ films reviewed on Letterboxd. A deep appreciation for narrative structure, visual storytelling, and cinematic design language — a direct lens into how humans process pacing, emotion, and detail.

Music & Sonic Design

69,000+ minutes of music annually. A passion for how audio shapes user experience and emotional response.

Film, music, and physical discipline aren't hobbies — they're research into how humans connect with objects, spaces, and experiences.