Every created at IDS has evolved from one concept selected from many. At Integrated Design, we pride ourselves on objectivity, creativity and focusing on your unique requirements as a valued client. This open mindedness provides us with a fertile foundation for exploring innovative ideas targeted to your specific requirements. We never settle on one idea. Conversely, our design team is constantly challenged to explore a wide range of ideas which are typically developed with a variety of materials and techniques required by the specific tasks. Below are some examples of how we have creatively solved a few of the hundreds of design challenges over our thirty year history.

Sketches Handheld Device

When we explore new shapes to provide you with a memorable identity for your new product, hundreds of shapes and variations are developed with pencil sketches before settling on a particular design. These sketches depict a few of the many concepts developed for Defelsko’s highly prized handheld coating thickness meter.

3D layouts

Some product designs are significantly affected by component arrangement ,requiring a more accurate correlation between the exterior covers and internal components. CAD rendering programs such as Rhino are utilized as the primary medium for exploring concepts in such cases. These transparent cover illustrations depict the wide range of design possibilities for a desktop blood analyzer.

Sketches Medical Blood Analyzer

One of the most exciting challenges in creating a "look" for a new product is exploring gestures that will properly capture the appropriate character of the device. These thumbnail sketches were drawn to quickly capture various interpretations for a large medical device developed for Becton Dickenson at an early stage of development.

Sketches Mechanical Molding Details

At Integrated Design Systems we are constantly inventing and developing innovative mechanisms. Critical to this development process is the exploration of concepts which provide the frameworks for all our innovations. Depending upon the concept and stage of development, various efficient methods are employed to evaluate an idea.

These concepts for an injection molded bezel illustrate details pertaining to molded in features for retaining a battery, connectors and many other parts. Features were developed to satisfy molding requirements as well as performance specifications.

Sketches Engineering Details and Performance Calculations

These sketches and calculations were developed during the design of a set of pressure formed doors which were to be retrofitted to a line of print plate machines manufactured by Agfa. The hinge, handles and reinforcements had to satisfy stringent aesthetic, functional and cost constraints.

Preliminary CAD Designs and Prototypes

Concepts are often prototyped at some level before they can be critically evaluated.

This magnetic sphere was designed to rotate biaxially based on an idea that was initially developed in a simplified CAD model, refined and eventually prototyped at various stages of refinement.

Sketches – Form Studies

These sketches were developed as part of a study in subtle variations of form and detail for a dental touch screen LCD/ computer enclosure. They were developed around internal components shown in one of the illustrations which included PC boards, power supply, CD drive and touch screen LCD.

Concept Renderings

Foam Models

Handheld products typically require concepts to be developed with a combination of sketches, CAD models and foam models for valid evaluations. These series of pictures show the number of ideas and shapes that were explored for a handheld dental UV light wand.

Foam models enabled us to refine proportions and shape while CAD files provided a reliable method of refining critical aesthetic details. Numerous sketches were developed to explore a wide variety of ideas.

Clay Models

Frequently concepts are developed using clay as a medium to explore shape, size and proportion. These pictures of a hand held medical device show how the shape, style and details of the device were detailed to conform to the hand. The shape was later detailed in CAD to support all internal components.

Concept Design Alternatives

These concept renderings of a desktop blood analyzer show the many different styles that were developed during the exploratory phase of development. At Integrated Design Systems, we strive to push the boundaries set by our clients. We are continually challenging ourselves to create innovative solutions for solving complex problems.

Children's Fire Truck

Our project assignments range from serious high tech state of the art analytical equipment to light hearted children's toys like this interactive playground fire engine developed for a company in Mexico. Our objective was to express the Вј scale vehicle as an exaggerated version of classic 1930's fire engines. Cartoon like forms were applied to the overall style, providing a readily identifiable, yet playful image.

Foam Core Model

Full scale models are often fabricated to optimize placement of features critical to operator interface. Large models are typically constructed from foamcore while smaller models are constructed from light weight foam of varying densities as well as clay. Refined solid models are also created directly from 3D CAD files from a variety of rapid prototyping methods.

Foam models evolution

Ergonomic optimization can be achieved by constructing simple rough models as illustrated by these examples of a hand held remote control device which precisely controls a CMM gantry. Numerous configurations and critical placement of a built in joystick were explored with these low cost foam models. Ultimately the design was refined and fully detailed as shown in the last picture within this group.