Why the first model is always made of card
An afternoon, a craft knife and some tape answer the most expensive question in product design (sample).
Product design from the first card model to the factory sample
Juno Hale designs small appliances, lighting and outdoor gear for brands that make things (sample). Every project is a row of models like this one, each answering one question before the next is made.
cm
M1 Card
How big?
Week 2
M2 Foam
Space on the counter
Week 3
M3 Foam
Grip and balance
Week 4
M4 Print
Lid, spout and pour
Week 7
M5 Rig
Boil time and safety
Week 10
M6 Paint
Colour and finish
Week 13
M7 Sample
Shipped
Week 22
Pour kettle for Brightwell Home (sample): seven models in 22 weeks, card mock-up to factory sample. All models drawn to the same scale, ruler in centimetres.
Selected work
Three products from the last two years, each from the first sketch to the first parts off the production tools.
A one-cup kettle for small kitchens that boils 0.4 litres in under two minutes and pours without dripping.
Client
Brightwell Home, small appliances (sample)
My part
Concept to factory sample
Models
7 in 22 weeks
Status
On sale since spring (sample)
A rear light that clips to any seatpost without tools and lasts a week of commuting on one charge.
Client
Loop Cycles, bike accessories (sample)
My part
Concept, prototypes, factory support
Models
4 in 16 weeks
Status
On sale (sample)
A desk lamp with one friction joint, no springs and no glare on a laptop screen, made from 80 percent recycled aluminium.
Client
Oakline Office, workplace furniture (sample)
My part
Concept to factory sample
Models
5 in 19 weeks
Status
Launching next season (sample)
What each model answers
The fill in every line-up is the material. Each kind of model costs a different amount of time and answers a different question, so you only pay for the ones your product needs.
Card mock-up
Is it the right size? Card, tape and a printed label, made in an afternoon. Cheap enough to make five and throw four away.
Half a day
Foam model
How does it feel in the hand and look in the room? Blue foam is cut, sanded and held, and changed with a knife the same day.
1 to 3 days
3D printed model
Do the details work? Lids, clips, joints and buttons are printed to size and tried, part by part.
2 to 5 days
Works-like rig
Does it work? An ugly box with the real heater, LEDs or motor inside, tested for heat, battery life and safety.
1 to 3 weeks
Looks-like model
Is this the product? Printed, filled, sanded and painted in the chosen colour and finish, for photos and buyers.
1 to 2 weeks
Factory sample
Did the factory make what we drew? Parts from the production tools, measured against the drawings before sign-off.
From the factory
Services
Book one stage or the whole project. Prices are fixed per stage once the brief is agreed.
Concept design
Research, sketches, card and foam models and three clear directions to choose from, with renders of the chosen one.
4 to 6 weeks
From $3,800
Prototyping
Printed models, works-like rigs and painted looks-like models, made in the workshop and tested with you.
1 to 8 weeks
From $400 a model
Design for manufacture
Production CAD, drawings, colour and finish codes, factory reviews and sign-off of the first samples.
4 to 8 weeks
From $6,500
Example prices.
How a project runs
Seven steps from the first call to the first factory sample. A whole product takes about 22 weeks; you can stop after any step and keep everything made so far.
1
Brief and research
Weeks 1 and 2
We agree who the product is for, what it must do, the target price and the factory, if there is one already.
2
Sketches and card
Weeks 2 and 3
Dozens of sketches, a few card mock-ups and one review together. You keep every sketch.
3
Foam and printed models
Weeks 3 to 8
Shape, size and the details, one question per model, each tested in the hand and in the room.
4
Works-like rig
Weeks 8 to 11
The heater, motor or electronics in a test box, so the engineering is proven before the looks are fixed.
5
Looks-like model
Weeks 11 to 14
One painted model of the final product, for photos, buyers and crowdfunding.
6
Design for manufacture
Weeks 14 to 20
Production CAD, drawings and colour codes for the factory, and answers to every tooling question.
7
Factory sample
Weeks 20 to 22
The first parts from the tools are measured and tried; we sign off or send changes.
Models are made here, not sent out
A small workshop at 7 Canal Works, Springfield (sample), with printers, a foam table and a spray booth. Most models are ready the week they are drawn.
Printers
Two filament printers and one resin printer
Foam
Hot wire, band saw and sanding table
Finishing
Filler, spray booth, colour samples
Measuring
Calipers, height gauge, scales
Workshop list (sample).
“Seven models sounded like a lot. Then M5 caught a lid that steamed the handle, three months before we paid for the tools.”
Sample client, product manager at a home appliance brand
From the notebook
What a works-like rig is for
The ugliest model in every line-up is the one that saves the most money (sample).
Calipers, tolerances and the first factory sample
What happens on the day the first parts arrive from the production tools (sample).
Have a product to make?
Send a few lines about it. Juno replies within two working days (sample) and books a free 30-minute call to talk through the first models.