product design services

product development

Concept Ideation

Perhaps you have an idea for a product but not exactly sure what the product will look like or how it will be offered. mad photography and design can help generate concepts around your general theme. These initial ideas can be further developed into final products using the techniques described below.

mad photography and design also welcomes the opportunity to re-examine any existing products that your company may manufacture to assess its sustainability. It must be kept in mind however, that it is very difficult to realise significant changes in the sustainability of a product once it has entered production. Addressing sustainability will usually result in a product that is considerably different from those on the market. This is an advantage as it distinguishes the product in the marketplace and allows the opportunity to discuss the economic, environmental and social benefits it offers.

product renderings

2D Sketches: These are quick sketches done in pencil or marker and are used throughout the design process but are very useful in the early product development process. They are used to get design ideas down on paper as they occur. These sketches can be of the whole product or of small detailed sections. Many of these sketches will end up on the studio floor.

Concept Renderings: These consist of pencil, marker, or CAD renderings and are done to a higher standard than 2D sketches. Concept renderings make an appearance once 3 or 4 ideas have been developed that are felt to have potential to be the final concept.

Models

Models can take a variety of forms depending on what they are required for and can occur at all stages of product development.

Concept models- are used to express an idea that is central to the product concept. They may in fact look nothing like the product being developed. Concept models can explore: the way different materials go together how emotions get expressed in physical form

Sketch models- Can be thought of as three-dimensional sketches of a product idea in a similar way to two-dimensional pencil sketches. They are generally made in the initial stages of a project to explore some of the shapes and sizes that could be used. Materials used include: wood, plasticine, glass, card, and foam.

Massing models- used in the mid-stages of a product's development. They approximate the overall form of the product, but would not pass visually for the final object. They are typically painted white to allow the form to be judged without being distracted by materials and colors.

Functional model- used to assess how a product will work. This model makes no pretense in trying to look like the final product, but does try and be precise in how the product will work.

Visual models- used in the later stages of a product's development. They try to replicate with significant detail the physical features of the product. In many ways the visual model should be indistinguishable from the final product with one important caveat: the model is non-functioning.

Prototype- this is the most costly of an model to make. This model should be indistinguishable from the final production model. In essence it combines the visual model and functional models in one package.

Computer Aided Design

mad design uses Rhinoceros 3D to create its CAD models. Rhinoceros 3D is used across a wide variety of product sectors and allows for great freedom in the design process. Models created in this software can be exported in a wide variety of formats making it a great fit with other CAD programs. Rhinoceros also integrates well with CNC routers and rapid prototyping/3D printers.