#HTE

How to Create the “Design Guide” You Need to Get Your Product Manufactured

Get ready for some ID nitty-gritty. “Honestly, [this here is] probably the least enjoyable part of being an industrial designer for me,” confesses ID'er Eric Strebel. “It’s a huge amount of work to reach out and find a manufacturer and then sort through the data of quotes and numbers. It is, however, part of what an independent designer is sometimes required to do, to see your vision become a reality.”

This week’s video is something that nobody ever really talks about in the industrial design world: The “Design Guide.” What happens after the initial design work is done? How do you get your design prototyped, and ultimately manufactured? You know the ins and outs of your product; how do you convey this information to someone or a team of people that are new to your product?

You need to create a package of information that can be handed off and reviewed by others to quickly understand what you want to make and to your specifications.

A good design package will get you a quote quicker and to production faster. In the video below, I cover the steps of creating what is needed to get the “Backpack Hanger” quoted for prototyping and production.

Also covered: How I create the various documents that make up the design guide, that gets shipped out to manufacturers to quote the project. And how I use an online tool called mfg.com to help me find a possible manufacturer.