Everything You Need To Know
When it comes to product design, there are so many factors that come into play. There are so many considerations, challenges, and obstacles that a business needs to make in order to ensure that their product hits the open market with enough buzz and interest to recoup production and marketing costs. Think about it – designing a product takes time, manufacturing it costs money, and marketing it can push your budget to the limit. And a poorly designed product could spell disaster for your business.
Think about it this way – how often do you use a poorly designed product? What about poorly designed business models? Do they often last and thrive? They don’t! And that’s because far too many businesses simply don’t pass on the project design process to the professionals and experts who are trained to do just that – bring a product to life.
There are 4 critically important reasons for why you should choose to work with a design firm instead of going straight to the manufacturer with an idea, and making that choice could be the difference maker that results in success or failure for your product.
Manufacturer’s Don’t Often Optimize End Cost of Goods
For a business owner, your material expenses are always going to be something to keep in mind and pay attention to. You’ll likely want to walk the fine line between quality and cost, which can be a difficult task to manage, especially if this is your first product to go along with the launch of your brand.
When you bring a proof of design concept to a manufacturer and ask them to design a prototype and produce your product, they will often pass the project on to their umbrella design team. This design team will essentially only design your product based off of their manufacturing capabilities – this automatically limits your ability to manage cost of goods, and that can cost you serious capital in the short and long term. They won’t have an incentive to keep manufacturing costs low either, which could leave you with too big of a gap between quality and costs.
Manufacturer’s Don’t Offer Much In The Way of Varied Experience
When it comes down to it, a manufacturer’s design team will likely only have a few small areas of expertise in which they have demonstrable experience and success in product design and development. Most likely, these areas of expertise will align to their manufacturing capabilities. This could leave your business and product design dreams at a significant disadvantage, because you might not receive the level of expertise that you really need to bring your product to life.
For instance, one manufacturer might specialize in mechanical boards, while others specialize in hard plastics. On the other hand, when you work with an independent design firm, they will be able to design your product in a way that is much more comprehensive and exhaustive. They’ll look at the best possible options available for your product – not their own manufacturing capabilities.
Working With A Design Firm Protects Your Intellectual Property
While you might not realize it, working with a design firm actually helps to ensure the integrity of your intellectual property, which should always be a major concern for a business with a unique, innovative, and proprietary product.
Not only that, but it also gives you the opportunity to work with a professional product designer who is willing to do everything they can to make the most out of your intellectual property. While manufacturers might simply use your designs as a means to a end, a product designer will look to leverage advanced technologies, supplies, materials, and components to ensure that your intellectual property is transformed into an innovative product that will make some noise in the market.
Manufacturer’s Don’t Focus on User Experience
Lastly, this is the most important factor to consider when making the choice between a design firm and a manufacturer. Manufacturer’s simply use your concept as a means to an end – they produce the product without focusing on the actual experience that your product offers once made.
A product designer will focus on every aspect of product design – from optimizing your original concept to ensuring a functional and enjoyable user experience. Remember, selling your product and ensuring a strong response is the end-goal, and a design firm will help you do it.
Contact Speck Design Today
Here at Speck Design, we’re a proud and dedicated team of product designers who are always standing at the ready to connect with new clients. We want to have the opportunity to show you why you’ve made the right choice to work with a design firm instead of a manufacturer.
Get in touch with us today to learn more about what we have to offer.