With the end of the year approaching, there are a fair number of projects I'm cleaning up and completing. The lack of weblog postings is a direct result of that focused effort to get the engineering and design work done first. I hope to be back blogging on a more frequent basis in January, although I do have some travel planned that will eat up a lot of that month. SolidWorks World is January 20-23, that will be the largest block of time away from the workstation.
I do want to note that I've posted a lot of information on this blog in the last several months regarding how I do business and handle projects. It's been my response to the FAQ's of clients. The more these questions come up, it's obvious the answers are important to share, so many of the initial concerns and issues have been answered here in various posts.
The Google Search Box I've placed at the top of the page is a handy tool for finding the answers to these frequently asked questions. If there's something specific you need to know about my business or experience, a search of these posts and strangineer.com may be the way to get a quick answer.
If I don't get back here in the next week or so, Happy Holidays to everyone, and much prosperity and invention in the New Year.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
What are the first steps?
When initial contact is made, and I'm speaking with the client for the first time, the inevitable question is "what are the first steps?".
1) For any new product idea, I suggest a Non-Disclosure Agreement be signed by both parties as the very first step. Before I see any sketches or hear any particulars about the invention, this establishes that I will hold the product details confidential, and I am working for the client's interests only.
2) The next step is to share my standard contract if the client is interested in reviewing the terms and conditions prior to going further. This establishes that I am a "work for hire" contractor, and that whatever work product I generate is automatically the sole property of the hiring party.
3) Once the legalities and relationship are clear, it's time to look at the product details that exist, have a face-to-face meeting if practical, and get down to the nitty-gritty of a plan to make the product a reality. The plan allows me to estimate my time and efforts, fill in the numbers on a contract, and we sign and proceed from there.
The steps aren't complex, and before you know it there are design images to review and design details are becoming reality.
1) For any new product idea, I suggest a Non-Disclosure Agreement be signed by both parties as the very first step. Before I see any sketches or hear any particulars about the invention, this establishes that I will hold the product details confidential, and I am working for the client's interests only.
2) The next step is to share my standard contract if the client is interested in reviewing the terms and conditions prior to going further. This establishes that I am a "work for hire" contractor, and that whatever work product I generate is automatically the sole property of the hiring party.
3) Once the legalities and relationship are clear, it's time to look at the product details that exist, have a face-to-face meeting if practical, and get down to the nitty-gritty of a plan to make the product a reality. The plan allows me to estimate my time and efforts, fill in the numbers on a contract, and we sign and proceed from there.
The steps aren't complex, and before you know it there are design images to review and design details are becoming reality.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Sources of Inspiration
One of the best things about being a home-based, single employee business is that all the usual corporate rules are out the window. I don't adhere to standard work hours and I am free to seek inspiration wherever I need to find it.
The routine of arriving at work at 8:00am and staying in the office until 5:00 (or later) with a measly hour in the middle for lunch is stifling. When that was my routine, I often found myself restless while solving a problem or brainstorming a new idea. One of the great tenets of creativity is to go seek the solution outside of the normal channels, outside of your area of expertise, from completely different industries or products. In my cubicle days, I often wished I could run from the building, jump in my car, and go browse the aisles of some retail establishment for ideas.
The local grocery store is chock full of innovative packaging solutions; low-cost, in odd shapes, and using a variety of materials. The local consumer electronics showroom is piled full of sheet metal parts mated to plastic parts, controls and displays, and well-designed edges of complex radii and blends. Places like The Container Store, IKEA, various hobby/craft materials outlets, office supply stores, hardware stores, and many others are not only ubiquitous in our densely urban landscape, they are like exposition halls full of successful product designs, where the admission is free and you can pick up and turn over every piece to decipher what some designer has done to solve a problem or achieve a look.
When I need the inspiration, I go find answers, and always come back energized and apply what I learn. It's another way to keep on top of the current trends in design and continually learn about what works.
The routine of arriving at work at 8:00am and staying in the office until 5:00 (or later) with a measly hour in the middle for lunch is stifling. When that was my routine, I often found myself restless while solving a problem or brainstorming a new idea. One of the great tenets of creativity is to go seek the solution outside of the normal channels, outside of your area of expertise, from completely different industries or products. In my cubicle days, I often wished I could run from the building, jump in my car, and go browse the aisles of some retail establishment for ideas.
The local grocery store is chock full of innovative packaging solutions; low-cost, in odd shapes, and using a variety of materials. The local consumer electronics showroom is piled full of sheet metal parts mated to plastic parts, controls and displays, and well-designed edges of complex radii and blends. Places like The Container Store, IKEA, various hobby/craft materials outlets, office supply stores, hardware stores, and many others are not only ubiquitous in our densely urban landscape, they are like exposition halls full of successful product designs, where the admission is free and you can pick up and turn over every piece to decipher what some designer has done to solve a problem or achieve a look.
When I need the inspiration, I go find answers, and always come back energized and apply what I learn. It's another way to keep on top of the current trends in design and continually learn about what works.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Always Ask and Share.
Once a project is started, the contract is signed and the expectations are all laid out, the work begins with sketches and concepts. These are very rough renderings, often just to test or understand one aspect of the design, or to start to see how to incorporate two or more features as a basis to move forward.
Very often these preliminary bits can send the wrong message. Certainly, no inventor or client wants to see most of his idea trivialized at the expense of one feature. But important questions come up during these early sketches, so the quandary is whether to share the images and ask the question, or to wait until a more fully-realized version is available to share.
I opt for the former. Asking the question is paramount, and it's all in the communication. I make sure the focus is on the one feature we're discussing, and go to great lengths to assure the client that the rest of the design is coming, and that the simplistic and non-functional bits of the model I am sharing with them are just place holders. It's far better to have a clear answer early on, especially if it's a crucial aspect of the design, before committing a lot of modeling time to something that may change drastically once the discussion happens.
If you contract with me, expect a lot of pictures very early on in the process. The business of product development is a collaboration, and the more I show you the better focused all our efforts become.
Very often these preliminary bits can send the wrong message. Certainly, no inventor or client wants to see most of his idea trivialized at the expense of one feature. But important questions come up during these early sketches, so the quandary is whether to share the images and ask the question, or to wait until a more fully-realized version is available to share.
I opt for the former. Asking the question is paramount, and it's all in the communication. I make sure the focus is on the one feature we're discussing, and go to great lengths to assure the client that the rest of the design is coming, and that the simplistic and non-functional bits of the model I am sharing with them are just place holders. It's far better to have a clear answer early on, especially if it's a crucial aspect of the design, before committing a lot of modeling time to something that may change drastically once the discussion happens.
If you contract with me, expect a lot of pictures very early on in the process. The business of product development is a collaboration, and the more I show you the better focused all our efforts become.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Designs to Believe in.
A while ago, I quoted a couple of young Portuguese designers and discussed some of their ideas. One last bit of one of those quotes is worth revisiting -
"So the best option for now is to invest time developing projects that we believe in and that please us." -- Rita Joao, Pedrita.
Think about those two qualities held in such regard - projects "that we believe in" and "that please us".
Believing in a project is key to its success. Certainly the inventor or company who presents an idea to a contract designer believes in what he/she is doing, or they would not have gone to the time and trouble to pursue a designer. What makes all the difference is whether the contractor plods along to fulfill his side of the contract or whether he believes in the invention and its prospects and potential. A personal commitment to seeing a good product made right means the difference between a solution and the time spent realizing the best solution.
A project can "please" on many levels. There can be the technical challenge, the puzzle to contemplate and solve. There can be the aesthetic challenge, the curvature and sweep that make the product come alive. Regardless of where it comes from, pleasure in the task makes the contractor a part of the team and gets his/her top involvement.
These are aspects I look for in projects I take on, whether I can actually believe in the product I'm helping design, and whether I'm going to take pleasure in its execution and realization. Those are high-value qualities to seek out in a partner.
"So the best option for now is to invest time developing projects that we believe in and that please us." -- Rita Joao, Pedrita.
Think about those two qualities held in such regard - projects "that we believe in" and "that please us".
Believing in a project is key to its success. Certainly the inventor or company who presents an idea to a contract designer believes in what he/she is doing, or they would not have gone to the time and trouble to pursue a designer. What makes all the difference is whether the contractor plods along to fulfill his side of the contract or whether he believes in the invention and its prospects and potential. A personal commitment to seeing a good product made right means the difference between a solution and the time spent realizing the best solution.
A project can "please" on many levels. There can be the technical challenge, the puzzle to contemplate and solve. There can be the aesthetic challenge, the curvature and sweep that make the product come alive. Regardless of where it comes from, pleasure in the task makes the contractor a part of the team and gets his/her top involvement.
These are aspects I look for in projects I take on, whether I can actually believe in the product I'm helping design, and whether I'm going to take pleasure in its execution and realization. Those are high-value qualities to seek out in a partner.
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