A NEW product design agency has been announced as the new business to move into Bobby’s in Bournemouth town centre. 

Studio Wood has moved into what was the bakery, a building out the back of the main building built in the 1920s. 

James Wood, the founder of the “ethical” business, said the business’s new home was chosen as it has “character”, is “beautiful” and is slap bang in the middle of the town centre. 

He started Studio Wood in 2013 to support his freelancing career in London, just a year after graduating top of his class from Bournemouth University’s industrial design degree course. 

“When I graduated in 2012, there just weren’t any design jobs in Bournemouth, thankfully that’s changed now, but at the time, I had no choice, I had to go to London,” he said. 

(Image: PR)

After some time freelancing, he elected to come back to Bournemouth as he wanted to prove a successful product design agency could run in the town. 

James moved back to the area in 2017 renting an office space in Boscombe where he began working with one of the agency’s most prominent brands, Chilly’s, the reusable water bottle company. 

He added: “Chilly’s came to us because of our sustainability credentials. It seems crazy to say now, but seven years ago we were one of a handful of product design agencies that had sustainability and ethics at our heart. 

“Sustainability is embedded into our product design, that’s our house style; we design products that are neutral and simple, and we don’t lean into trends. This naturally extends the shelf life of a product therefore reducing waste or overconsumption.” 

As well as championing sustainability as an agency, James and his team are also passionate about diversity in the workplace when it comes to gender and equal opportunities. 

He said: “I grew up in Poole and came from a working-class background, I’ve experienced first-hand how much class and lack of finance – can impact someone’s opportunities or lack thereof. 

“Kids from disadvantaged backgrounds like I was weren’t even given university as an option. And for me, when I did finally get to go, it was the first place I’d flourished and felt that I was actually good at something, and crucially, where I found something I liked and enjoyed doing. 

“Now we’re here at Bobby’s, we’ll be making use of their space and restarting our events programme which have centred around inclusivity and balance in the industry. There’s so much unbalance, there’s about a 90/10 ratio of males to females in the product design space for example. 

“We’re very proud to have an even split in our multidisciplinary team – 50/50 for those that identify as males and females. An inclusive, diverse team equips us with more empathy, fresh perspectives, and varied viewpoints.” 

He added: "We feel like we’re a part of Bournemouth now, in the heart of the town; our clients love it too, we get lots more visiting us than we used to.”