Rick Dickinson

Rick Dickinson is a British industrial designer.

Dickinson graduated from Newcastle Polytechnic (now Northumbria University) in 1979 with a First Class Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Design for Industry. The "Design for Industry" degree was the first of its kind, formerly a three-year "Industrial Design" degree. The new course with two additional terms for industrial placements, extended the degree to four years and the introduction of the term "sandwich".

Dickinson joined Sir Clive Sinclair's Sinclair Research Ltd in December 1979, replacing John Pemberton who was leaving Sinclair to head up a new design centre for ITT in Harlow. Sinclair Research offices were at 6 Kings Parade, Cambridge.

Rick Dickinson was the in-house industrial designer of Sinclair Research Ltd. He designed the ZX80 and ZX81 home computer cases, including the touch-sensitive keyboard, as well as the rubber keyboard of the ZX Spectrum. He also designed the TV80 casing and Sinclair QL. Dickinson is a graduate of Newcastle Polytechnic, and worked for Sinclair as a student on one of his industrial placements from Newcastle Polytechnic before he had completed his degree.

The ZX81 won a British Design Council award in 1981. It won a Haus Industrieform award and is in a permanent collection in Essen. The Sinclair QL won an Italian design award at the Smau Industrial Design Award.

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