Angelica Ciantar

Product Design Engineering

My name is Angelica Ciantar, and I’m a recent Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) graduate, specializing in Product Design Engineering. I’m passionate about problem-solving, accessibility, and creating products that are both beautiful and functional. I love understanding how things work—diving into the details and figuring out how different components come together. I’m a quick learner, absorbing new concepts like a sponge, which helps me bring innovative, user-centered designs to life.

Currently, I’m working in the manufacturing and automotive industry, where I’m fascinated by how simple sketches on paper can transform into real, impactful products. My work is driven by creativity, inclusivity, and innovation, as I aim to make products that people feel proud to own and use. Being on the cusp of technology excites me; I’m always looking for ways to improve functionality and design by exploring new possibilities.

Outside of work, I enjoy doing puzzles—they help me build the patience and problem-solving skills I need for engineering. I also love socializing, which has made me a strong communicator and team player. For me, product design engineering is more than a job; it’s a calling that inspires me to create products that genuinely make a difference in people’s lives.

Inclino - Bath Assist

This client project focused on creating portable, accessible bathroom accessories with a modern aesthetic that users feel proud to own. The Inclino is a retrofittable, freestanding handrail designed to secure onto the edge of existing freestanding bathtubs, providing stability and support as users enter and exit the bath. With adjustable height features, the handrail can be tailored to fit various bathtub sizes, enhancing accessibility across different bathroom setups.

Pen Wheel - KUKA End Effector

This project involved developing an end effector for a KUKA robot capable of drawing a picture and switching between colors on command. Each color had to replicate the same image with precision and consistency. The final design incorporated an Arduino board and servo motor to control a rotating pen disc, which allowed the KUKA arm to switch colors as needed. Additionally, the end effector was designed for easy assembly and maintenance, enhancing its usability and efficiency.

Tesoro - Premium Pet Feeder

The project brief from Country Road Home was to design stylish, functional pet feeding products appealing to quality-focused consumers. The resulting Tesoro bowl features a sleek ceramic base with anodized metal inserts in various colors, allowing custom combinations to match home décor. With an ergonomic design that's both portable and practical, it’s suited for home and travel, embodying CRH’s commitment to high-quality, versatile pet care products.

Workers Station - Sanitation Hub

This project designed a child-friendly sanitation station for primary schools to promote and encourage hygiene and handwashing amongst school children. The product features Microheat’s warm water system and modular hexagonal units for adjustable heights. Motion sensors control water flow, and rear access allows easy maintenance. Matching hand dryers complete a cohesive, customizable hygiene setup that enhances both function and aesthetics in school spaces.

Piccone - Luxe Flow

The intention of the Piccone project was to create a modern, luxurious floor-mounted bath tap for successful young adults with a minimalist style, while showcasing advanced manufacturing techniques. The result is a high-end tap with visible water flow and an ergonomic hot/cold handle, available in a range of finishes, appealing to young professionals with refined taste for sophisticated bathroom fixtures.

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.