Tips for Outsourcing Product Design

If you have an idea that you think you can take to market, then you may be wracking your brain trying to figure out how to get your design finalized and ready for production in a way that isn’t going to require years of iteration and stressful sleeps. The good news is that hiring an industrial design company may be the solution you are looking for; getting access to professional designers and consultants that can take your idea at whatever stage it is at and work with you to produce something great is the best strategy for success. Choosing the right industrial design company is important, though, especially with so many industrial design companies out there to choose from. You may need some tips on choosing the right company to work with.

Tips for Hiring Industrial Design Companies

Do Your Research

Just like hiring any sort of service company, when you are looking through a variety of industrial design companies’ websites or information bulletins, don’t just take everything they say at face value. You need to put in the extra effort to verify their claims. If they claim to be accredited, then verify that fact with the claimed accreditation board. If they claim they have graduates from specific universities or experience from working at certain high-profile companies, then try to verify that information as well. Always verify whatever information you can in their claims. When companies put more verifiable information on their website or in initial information they give you about themselves, that is a good sign that they actually do have the background they claim because they are not worried about being investigated and found out to be false.

Check Their Portfolio

All industrial design companies should have some form of portfolio available for you to check out work they have done in the past. While their portfolio will generally only include their best work done, this does give you an idea of what they are capable of doing and whether this meshes with the product you are looking to create. A professional portfolio from a design company should give you a few key pieces of information to base your decisions on: for instance, their level of skill, the type of work they are used to doing, and their experience level in designing products.

Build a Relationship with Them

Communication is important in any aspect of business, but when it comes to hiring industrial design companies, you need to make sure you keep a good relationship with the team that is working on your product. Having good rapport with your design contractor will help reduce friction when disagreements or other conflicts do occur, and you will be able to work through problems much more easily. As well, if you want to foster a good relationship, try to pull them into conversations and meetings within your company that are related to the product whenever possible; giving them more input and receiving more updates from them, and allowing them to get an idea of how other aspects of the project are going, will prove better success.

Be Willing to Ask Questions, and Say No

A very important part to remember when hiring industrial design companies is that they are there to design and create a product for you, so that means that, if you want something additional incorporated into the product, don’t be afraid to ask for it. Conversely, if they have made changes to your initial design that you don’t like, or if an iteration of the design is something you are unhappy with, don’t be afraid to say no to what they have shown you. In the end, it is your product and project, and you have final say.

If you are looking through industrial design companies for one that is right for your project, contact IDSYS Integrated Design Sys today.