Tell us something about yourself...
Hi, I'm Thomas Swart, Senior Product Designer at REGGS. Although I was born in Amsterdam, I spent most of my childhood on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. When I was eighteen, I returned to the Netherlands to study Industrial Design in Delft.
I chose Industrial Design to combine my childhood passions for cars and sketching with the goal of becoming a car designer. During my studies, I gained a greater appreciation for product design, so I became a freelance designer even before I graduated. After this, I worked for an automotive start-up where I experienced all phases from the beginning to the pre-production prototype of our first product. In doing so, I gained experience in every step of the process. At REGGS, I combine everything I learned, and apply this knowledge to the many diverse projects we work on
What do you get out of bed for?
My daughter, it's not always a choice, she often insists.
Do you have any hobbies?
Besides sketching, the hobby I've made my profession out of, I also really enjoy working with my hands. From working on cars and bikes to DIY projects around the house. Creation doesn't stop at sketching for me.
What are you most proud of professionally?
I am proud to have gained experience as a designer in three very different ways; first as a freelancer, then at a start-up and now at REGGS Creative Studio.At each stage I needed different skills, but what I have learned has made me a more capable designer.
Where do you get inspiration from?
It depends tremendously on what I am working on at the time, but often I am inspired by futuristic movies, nature and car designs. For example, I was inspired by the unbroken surfaces of the BMW Gina concept for the design of AppScooter at my previous job.
What client do you hope to work for someday?
I would love to have Leolux as a client and tryout furniture design with them . I am a fan of their sleeker, timeless designs and am curious to see what I could add to their already impressive lineup.
Tell us something we don't know about you....
I am often lucky. Even though it doesn't make sense scientifically, I am lucky that things often work out in my favor, a lot more often than they should statistically.
