Headlight creates unique design and prototype solutions for early-stage ideas
"At the end of the day, it's really about really connecting with a human need that's not met."
Innovation may begin with a spark, but Bryan Terrill is often the one helping fan it into a flame. For the past seven years, he’s worked behind the scenes to bring bold ideas to life by designing, prototyping, and solving real-world problems.
Through his company, Headlight, Terrill is helping clients design products or services, prototype them, and test for customer engagement, experience, and long-term success.
Terrill began his career as an engineer, transforming blueprints into functional features and usable products. But in 2018, he earned his master’s degree in design and began blending both disciplines to offer a more holistic approach to innovation.
“I like the variety that I get in running my own agency,” Terrill shared. “I get to play in a lot of different industries. I don’t just have to be nailed down to one certain set of problems that I’m solving, and I get to take learnings from different industries and apply them across industries, which is really valuable to my clients.”
Over the years, Terrill has worked on more than 30 projects across a dozen industries. Most recently, he supported a Knoxville-based start-up developing a pet food product. He’s also collaborated with large corporations, such as Motorola, to design new tools aimed at helping communities solve crime more effectively.
“It’s a very wide range of problems that I work on and a very wide range of prototyping skills that we’ll use in the process,” he said.
While the design and engineering work is rewarding, Terrill says the real joy comes from connecting with the people behind the ideas, both the innovators and the end-users.
“Our primary driver is that we are human-centered. We’re very empathetic in the way that we design,” he explained. “We take into account the business objective of the client we’re working with and the emerging technology. But at the end of the day, it’s really about connecting with a human need that’s not met.”
Above all, Terrill sees his greatest strength not just in technical skills, but in his ability to lead teams, build consensus around the right solution, and drive innovation from within organizations.
“If you are an entrepreneur, have an idea for a product, but are not sure how to get started, or where to start, or what to build first, come to me. That’s what I love to do,” he said. “I’m wanting to work with people that have a creative spark inside of them, either in a startup or in their existing company.”
In addition to running his own design and innovation agency, Terrill has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, since 2019. He teaches innovation and prototyping across various colleges at UTK, helping students turn their ideas into impact.
Make sure to catch Bryan Terrill’s “Pitch on the Pitch” at the One Knox Soccer Club match on Wednesday, August 27.
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