Why DESIGNLORE?
We offer the best value for your money and can guarantee Fit and Function already for the First Functional Prototype under our 'Right the First Time' guarantee; and... more... →
W ith more than a decade of product development consulting experience our clients can benefit not only from products developed to the highest standards but also from the number of cost savings directly affecting their profit margins /see Five (5) Cost Savings/. Unlike many 'quick and dirty' designs provided for a seemingly lower cost by non engineering 'product development' companies, which are typically so poorly executed that actual production is virtually impossible or so expensive that the end product is impossible to sell or at the best, profit margins are very low, our designs provide our clients room for large margins and competitive edge.
We focus on Cost Reduction from Day One. Realizing that poorly designed / and expensive to produce products NEVER start generating sales and related profits and thus never provide opportunity for Cost Reduction, (contrary to the popular belief that 'hit the market' with any design hoping that sales will pick up is the correct approach), we are targeting the cost savings from the very beginning of the development process. ( see 'Cost Reduction with Original Design' & Five (5) Cost Savings → )
Drawing from our experience in catering to large and high tech corporations, we are bringing the same standards of operation and engineering principles to small companies and inventors, providing them with the high quality products that are developed with the same level of care as those of their future competition. This way we enable our start-up clietns to competewith large corporations on the same level.
We implement the same design techniques and strategies and focus, from the very beginning, on low cost manufacturing and assembly and maximum cost reduction both in case of Big Enterprise and Start-Up clients, providing them with the room not only for easy and competitive sales, (once product is on the retail shelves), but also for profit margins that allow them a sustained development and a number of future generations of new products.
Mastering the product development process and operating on 'Lean' principles we managed to increase our efficiency offering our high quality product development services to Start-ups and Inventors for a fraction of the cost.
Operating on 'Lean' principles DESIGNLORE engineers are in direct communication with our clients, eliminating unnecessary costs and ensuring that communication with the client (or inventor) is transparent and personalized in a team-like manner. We enjoy developing new products and believe that continuous and transparent discussion with the client will lead to the best possible results.
Working as our clients' agent we listen to their visions and desires contemplating the best strategies to reach their goals. All services are utterly flexible and we work in the clients best interest ultimately accommodating their input and requests.
By assimilating the client's goals we passionately contribute to the success of the product as if it were our own. We enjoy when the client sees us as part of his/her TEAM, not only as the service provider and when we are given the opportunity to contribute beyond standard technical services focusing on end user and ultimate goals. Your success is our success.
DESIGNLORE Quality of the Design
High Quality and cost efficient designs start with good concepts and early implementation of mechanical engineering in view of the production more... →
T aking advantage of our extensive experience both working for large corporations and more than a decade of product development consulting, we can now offer to our inventors and Start-Ups clients the same high level of technical solutions and the top of the line designs which are required to compete on the very competitive markets. Design and Engineering principles and techniques successfully implemented and sought for in case of medical devices and instrumentation, now are available for inventors and Start-Ups for a fraction of the cost.
Poorly designed products are useless and waste of client's money, which, at the best, will end up on shelves of a 'One-Dollar' store.
From high end 3D CAD and engineering software to our development process and following our Traditional Engineering Principles we implement various strategies and techniques which enable us to quickly and efficiently develop fully feasible products within given budget and time constraints. Unlike some of our 'competitors' who got listed on number of web based pages for complaints (see bellow who to avoid) our focus is on ultimate success of your product. Partial solutions, 'quick and dirty' approach and hoping that client will give up on his product idea are not an option. From very beginning to the end of each step we take all our products very seriously.
Having HOLISTIC design approach and taking in consideration number of aspects from technical requirements and functionality, production tooling and assembly costs, to product style and aesthetics and their effects on your ROI we focus on ultimate quality of the product design, that will not only meet market requirements today but enable you to exploit the benefits of your product for years to come by increasing the product Life Span.
Our conceptual solutions are highly elaborated in anticipation of various possible outcomes considering the whole process including manufacturing and even packaging, thus reducing the risks and avoiding unplanned development costs. DESIGNLORE Product Styling and IDs are prepared in engineered manner where engineers 'curb' ID activities in order to generate fully feasible and manufacturable Concept Designs much before actual engineering and development takes place.
DESIGNLORE Cost of the Design
Our formula: Very reasonable hourly rates, quick and efficient design execution
and high quality designs. more... →
W e enjoy developing new products. We have mastered the development process to the level we can offer substantial savings to our clients. Simply by increasing efficiency of the process, avoiding unnecessary design changes or redesign (also known in the industry as 'going back to the drawing board') and by doing the things Right the First Time, we have minimized the time necessary to develop the product to the absolute minimum.
Being structured as "design studio" we do not have neither sales people, nor HR people and the associated costs. While saving money on sales managers we also befit from personalized services where our engineers deal directly with our clients (you). Our operation is organized on 'Lean' principles, where our overhead costs are brought to absolute minimum. We have improved our effectiveness and did everything possible to reduce our rates with desire to bring the product development closer to everyone. We do not rely on cheap - less experienced people who in general take longer time and make more bad decisions. In short majority of your design dollar goes towards design not towards sales and marketing or other unnecessary costs.
We also have special discounted rates for Start-Ups and entrepreneurs helping them reach their goals knowing that their success means return customer for us.
Make sure to check Rebates Page for our current Discounts & other Offers. →
DESIGNLORE process
from the initial Meeting to Immaculate fabrication drawings we treat every project individually customizing our plans and strategies to maximize the results in the most efficient and cost effective way. more... →
E very product idea is special case both in technical aspect and in particular business strategy and goals your start-up has. DESIGNLORE is proud to offer highly customized solutions meeting not only technical aspects but adjusting project plans and development process in order to meet your plans, goals and budgets.
Whether you need to introduce your product on the trade show, present your idea to the board or investors, or ready to assume full manufacturing we will prepare adequate project plans with schedules and set deliverables in accord to you goals, business plans and budget. Generally projects are divided into Phases which allow us to provide you with the clear tangible deliverables at the end of each such Phase. Practically the agreed deliverables are used to define the project Phases and activities that will be performed..
Please contact DESIGNLORE™ for free consultation and to learn how we would approach your particular case in most cost effective way.
D eliverables on the end of the each project Phase typically represent rounded and transferable information or set of instructions, client (you) can use both to continue project somewhere else as well as to measure the level of our services. (E.g. prototype level files and drawings can be used by client to produce prototypes in his own arraignment if that is a preference). Unlike some non-engineering companies which often refrain from full disclosure in order to keep the clients 'hooked'' DESIGNLORE deliverables allow for complete transfer of Know-How to the client.
To see list of Typical DELIVERABLES per Project Phases →
DESIGNLORE Prototyping
We minimize number of required prototypes and related costs using Virtual Prototypes. more... →
E engineers at DESIGNLORE will save your money by minimizing the number of prototypes build and ensuring that your product is full functional even before any of the physical prototypes are built. While Virtual Prototypes are very effective way to reduce development costs and ensure full function of the future product; as a development technique it helps us develop better products empowering us to offer you our Right the First Time Guarantee .
For marketing purposes, as well as prior to building / making any production molds / dies or other mfg. tools (which is a must in order to ensure that tooling is perfect, and to eliminate any possibility of costly tool changes / modifications) it is required to build the actual physical prototypes. Such actual prototypes we consider 'Design Verification and Validation Tool' exclusively - not a design development tool.
For actual Physical Prototypes we will use, depending on the specific technical recruitments of your product invention, one of our certified Far East suppliers carefully selected in the past two decades of work with Asia, obtaining the highest quality of the parts (very reasonably priced) ensuring that your product is not only functional but presented in the most aesthetically appealing way. More so, we will assume responsibility for the quality of the prototypes and provide you with the assembled prototype in the seamless transition from design to prototyping.
You Have Product Idea - What Next?
Fit and Function are guaranteed already for the first functional prototype for all products designed and developed by DESIGNLORE™. more... →
Y ou came up with invention or an idea for a great new product and now you are wondering what you should do next? Practically there are two paths you can take. First, which is clearly much more lucrative is to keep the ownership of the product, where your profits are generated from the sales of the finished product. Second approach is to sell your idea to the big company where your profits will be only from royalties or lump sum depending on the particular business arrangement.
Which ever is the case we can help you develop your invention.
The goal of the most of inventors is to ultimately sell their inventions as a product either through internet, retail stores or distribution channels. While this option offer opportunity make extremely large profits (depending on your mfg / sales volumes) it will require you to go through the whole process from design to production. Also this option definitely requires larger investments but compared to profits the cost of product development ultimately resulting in sales of the product are still considered very lucrative business option.. As a licensed engineering company we are not allowed to provide business advice (unlike some of our "one-stop-we'll-do-it-all-for-you" competitors) so we must advise you to look for the help from adequate professionals in the field.
DESIGNLORE will help you not only develop your invention to 'ready for manufacturing level' providing you whit the deliverables (technical documentation) you can use to manufacture your product anywhere in the world, but as well provide engineering support to manufacturing or act as your supplier of parts / components produced by our far East Suppliers or locally (at your discretion).
Learn more about DESIGNLORE Far East / Asia Manufacturing / Production →
For some inventors the lack of adequate budget the option to sell the idea to the big company is more viable option. It is much easier to present and sell your invention if adequate functional prototype is made. But if for clients who are on very limited budget that is not an option we can provide only presentational renderings of the concept ID design.
In case you (client) prefers only prototype we will perform all necessary activities in order to produce fully functional prototype while certain activities necessary to refine the design for manufacturing would be left for later (or omitted) in order to reduce the development costs). The Deliverables on the end of such project will be "prototype level" documentation as well as required prototypes if client prefers DESIGNLORE to provide such prototype. In case of such fully functional prototypes for presentational purposes we would use one of our highly skilled Far East Prototyping suppliers. We will also assemble such prototypes ensuring full function and good appearance for presentational purposes.
Considering the risks of presenting your invention we can prepare technical documentation and so called 'patent drawings' necessary to file Provisional Patent. Please note that Provision Patent does not provide Patent Protection. It only allows inventor to use Patent Pending (or Pat. Pend.) which is only a warning that you will be able to enforce your exclusive rights to make the invention but only once proper Patent is granted. (and if it is granted).
Provisional Patents are practically only technical description of your invention which should have some similarity with the future Patent Application, in order for inventor to be able to request the priority date once the proper Patent Application is submitted and with one (1) year from fling the Provisional Patent. Since the proper patent Application has to be submitted certain changes and deviations from the Provisional Patent are allowed.
Fling the Professional patent is easy and can even be done on-line (USPTO):
www.uspto.gov/patents/resources/types/provapp.jsp →
For more info about patents, visit our PATENTS and your INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY →
page from our How-To Guide Series fro Inventors and Creative Minds..
What services Do I Need ?
We will establish specifics on the initial meeting. We offer full set of services from the initial Idea to finished product. (concept to production). more... →
Depending on your particular invention and technical aspects of the future product we can provide you with the complete set of design, engineering and product development services as well as assistance with the prototypes and production even including logistics. It is impossible to guess what particular services will be required for your particular idea / invention before we learn more about your idea /invention. You can check various services we offer but in short we have all necessary skills required to develop product to the highest standards and have it produced.
For more information about possible services please visit our Services page →
Should I Patent first?
If you don't have the complete design & ready to go -- NO more... →
D uring the product development process DESIGNLORE may come up with certain innovative solutions that will help you patent and protect your future product. Also during the development process we may come up with the solutions that are better than those patented. . In many instances the ideas and inventions our clients have at the start of the project are not sufficiently developed to satisfy the Patent Office requirements (utility) and can not be patented. While some patent agents will nevertheless file for patent application most likely incomplete and applications not providing sufficient novelty and utility may not result with the Patent being awarded.
In that respect it is much better if you Patent your product once the design is complete and all technical aspects of your future product are resolved and verified. Also you may be able to file for Design Patent or Industrial Design.
For more info please visit our PATENTS and your INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY →
page from our How-To Guide Series For Inventors and Creative Minds.
How am I protected from DESIGNLORE?
That is simple. We always start with NDA. more... →
First of all as Licensed Engineering Company we have certain legal and ethical obligations towards any of our clients that we have to follow. But nevertheless we prefer to have Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) signed before any information is received. We will gladly work with your NDA but if you happen not to have one or want to expedite the process you can use DESIGNLORE standard NDA.
Flow the link to DESIGNLORE Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) page →
So than What is my First Step?
Your first step is to Sign NDA agreement and setup the meeting. We will make sure the rest is easy. more... →
After we sign the NDA agreement we will set up a FREE meeting (or teleconference) to learn more about your idea / invention and your specific business goals. The initial No-Obligation meeting is typically one (1) hour long but sometimes, when our schedules allow, we offer Extra Long two (2) hour meeting where we can discuss number of things and share our experiences and knowledge with you providing you with various advises and tips for your future product development effort.
We will gladly use your NDA but if you prefer you can fill our online
Non-Disclosure Agreement here →
Please also check our current
Rebates Page
for our current Discounts & other Offers. →
During or after the meeting we will establish if DESIGNLORE skill sets and expertise are the best fit for your invention . If not we will try to direct to the more appropriate service provider.
After the meeting and depending on your goals we will prepare FREE Proposal or Quotation for the required services depicting the project at hand, divided into Phases together with the required or proposed deliverables and related costs.
What do I need for the initial meeting?
We only need a minimal information to grasp your idea. more... →
You need your idea. With our extensive experience we really do not need much before we will be able grasp your idea in full. But, any other info such as napkin sketches, short lists of the desired function / specifications etc will definitely help. So anything you have that will help you communicate your idea is what you will need.
Also we will ask you about your plans, anticipated manufacturing volumes, target mfg. / retail costs, or about any particular technical preferences such as serviceability, launch dates etc. in order to better understand you goals and what our effort will encompass. Off course you do not have to have all the answers as some of the decisions definitely have to be made along the project.
For additional info please visit our WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW →
and MAKING the MOST of WORKING WITH A CONSULTANT →
pages from our How-To Guide Series For Inventors and Creative Minds.
Who to Avoid?
Unfortunately there are people who use inventors and invention promotion to scam inventors. more... →
W e strongly disagree with both business model and technical principles used by some of our so called 'competitors'. While some are using low cost and not qualified resources, quite often quietly outsourcing design activities to China and India, some offer cheap partial solutions in order to 'hook up' the client where major design activities are left for later. What appears to be good deal now quickly becomes unreasonably costly to bring to the level ready for manufacturing or even prototyping. Unfortunately we have had clients who came to DESIGNLORE seeking help from unfavorable position they entered searching for the cheapest possible design services.
While we can not disclose names of such companies, we have provided links to few online resources where you can check your potential supplier before making your decision:
- Pissed Consumer: www.pissedconsumer.com
- Ripoff Report: www.ripoffreport.com
- Scam Exposure: www.scamexposure.com
- Better Business Bureau: www.bbb.org
Invention Scam Companies: Unfortunately there is even larger number of Invention Scam companies who are using internet to draw unfortunate clients. The number of tricks and ways they scam unfortunate innovators is far beyond scope of this document:
- US Patent Office Scam Prevention page: www.uspto.gov/inventors/scam_prevention/index.jsp
- Consumer Information (US Federal Commission): www.consumer.ftc.gov
Use FTC search engine and the key word "invention" to find an invention company that has been investigated or fined by the FTC.
Quote: 'If you are in contact with one of these "one-stop-we'll-do-it-all-for-you" scam firms, we suggest that you contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ask them whether the company is under investigation. If you have already paid money to one of these firms, we recommend that you call the FTC to let them know about your situation. While at best you may be able to get a portion back, by reporting it you will be able to help stop others from being scamed."
On the other hand poorly executed designs by nonprofessionals and companies relying on cheap local or Asian resources often resulting with total failure and wasted money, many inventors never realize the full potential their invention would have if it was executed properly. Unfortunately such inventors do not feel scamed and never file a complaint. It is estimated that on every filed complaint there is at least 10 - 15 unfilled.
There is no such thing as free lunch, so in this industry there is no such thing as cheap but good design. Whether low cost design means expensive or non functional product it does not matter much if your product can not generate sales.
OK this is Great but I need more info!
Sure, there is more... more... →
Yes, we also value good information. We believe in full transparency and have provided much of that information on this web page. Some info requires a little bit of 'clicking' as it may be hidden in one of the tabs.. Other than that we can offer you to read more from our How-To series:
Read more about WHEN and HOW TO SELECT CONSULTANT →
Read more about MAKING the MOST of WORKING with the CONSULTANT →
page from our How-To Guide Series For Inventors and Creative Minds.
