Talent Spotlight on Eli Hooper, Senior Industrial Designer

Talent Spotlight is a regular feature profiling the employees of Product Creation Studio. See the Talent Spotlight archive for more interviews.

What led you to a career in product development?

I was lucky enough to grow up in a very creative environment with encouragement to explore artistic outlets at a young age.

My father, who is also an industrial designer, let me peer into his work life while I was growing up and I gained familiarity and understanding of the profession earlier than most. I saw sketches and scale models become real products in the world and were enthralled with the idea of it being my job to create things that other people get to enjoy.

When college came around, I was determined to follow my own path, trying both studio art at Gonzaga and film directing at the University of British Columbia, but neither program ended up aligning with my career aspirations. I decided to give industrial design a chance after transferring to Western Washington University and immediately realized it was the perfect blend of creativity and structure I had been after.

What excites you most about your job?

That moment when you break through to a client and share the same headspace after piecing together a web of research, concepts, and imagery that coalesces into a single finished product. Seeing the ‘Ah-ha!” look on their faces when it all clicks is one of the best parts of the job.

Describe your most rewarding work experience to date.

At Product Creation Studio, I got the chance to build a product from the ground up and help invent new technology for a market that hasn’t seen innovation in years.

The product was the Evie Tealight, an electronic tealight that we designed and developed for glassybaby. With the aim to mimic real candlelight as closely as possible, we spent months observing flame behavior and figuring out ways to capture the unique movement through programmed LEDs, finely tuned materials, and various stack-ups of optical components. 

Meticulously massaging every variable of the product from development through production, we ended with a product I believe will make a large impact on the tealight market while helping glassybaby fulfill their goal of bringing a safe and realistic light to places where live flames are prohibited.

Where is the best place you’ve traveled to and why? 

In 2018 I took a two-week trip to Tokyo with my wife and two friends. Our Airbnb host took us around to all the local spots where we ate fried chicken at his family restaurant, sashimi at a stand-up bar barely big enough for five and finished the night off with karaoke.

Every person we encountered, whether in a restaurant or at a train station, was extremely polite and eager to help us along our journey making us feel welcome. While we have many places on our list to travel to, seeing more of Tokyo is near the top.

What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?

A kitchen – I grew up watching my family cook and took on the hobby in college. I found the activity was a great balance to the stresses of school and helped me relax. I cook almost every day of the week and especially love cooking for others, as it gives me a reason to not only take time with the flavor but the presentation of the meal as well.

What is something about you people would be surprised to know?

I participate in multiple croquet tournaments every year with a club in Bellingham and I have taken 1st place three times, including two years in a row at the Tom Douglas Garden Party tournament, a benefit for Food Lifeline.