Our Industrial Design Experts Create Manufacturable Concepts
Our senior industrial designers transform complex technical requirements into elegant, manufacturable products. We blend human-centered design principles with engineering expertise to create distinctive products that connect with users, satisfy regulatory demands, and optimize manufacturing quality —turning vision into market reality.
Trusted to develop manufacture-ready connected products for Enterprises, Start-Ups, and Entrepreneurs
Industrial Design That Transforms Technical Challenges into Market Advantages
Our integrated industrial design, engineering, and human factors teams rapidly solve the complex design challenges that threaten your product development timeline and market differentiation.
Maximizing User Experience with Well designed Product Features
Our industrial designers collaborate with engineers from day one—eliminating the typical design-engineer-redesign cycle that delays launches. We ensure manufacturability without compromising functions or aesthetic.
- 3D CAD models integrating concept ideas with practical engineering
- Physical prototypes that validate form and function pre-development
- Design easy to use interfaces integrating keys, controls, displays, indicators…
- Strategic material and finish choices for aesthetics and production
- Creating distinctive product features that enable positive user experiences
Industrial Design Services and Specializations
Delivering User Experience and Human Factors expertise, maximizing product aesthetics, feature use and conspicuous value.
Concept Development and Visualization
Transforming ideas into compelling visual solutions:
- Evaluate competitive product, identify market opportunities
- Rapid sketching and concept generation techniques
- 3D visualization and CAD model development
- Physical model making and form studies
- Design concept refinement through stakeholder feedback
Product Brand Language
Create distinctive product identity to reinforce brand value:
- Brand element integration into physical product features
- Visual consistency across product and family line
- Distinctive form language development and application
- Material and finish selection to reinforce brand positioning
- Industrial design that creates recognizable product signatures
Packaging Design
Extend the product experience through strategic packaging:
- Professional packaging solutions that enhance product value
- Optimized unboxing experiences that delight customers
- Brand integration across packaging graphics and structure
- Protection needs balanced with presentation aesthetics
- Custom professional packaging to assist product sales
User Experience Design
Ensuring intuitive, satisfying interactions with your product:
- Research-based user interface layout and organization
- Ergonomic analysis for optimal physical interaction
- Balanced decisions on controls, displays and indicators
- Systematic usability testing and refinement
- Integration of physical and digital interaction elements
What Clients Say About Working With Design 1st
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Richard Mineo CEO, Swabbot Solutions LLC 
Design 1st Exceeds Expectations in Responsiveness
Read Case StudyDesign 1st took our Cobot from initial concept through final product testing, handling electrical, mechanical, software, and manufacturing needs all in one team. They efficiently developed our tank access system, finalized our swabbing robot, and created a benchtop version, keeping us updated and responding quickly to every change request.
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George Tsintzouras Director of Product, Christie Digital 
Immediately understood what was needed
Read Case StudyWhen we wanted to transition our older generation projector models to a more modern look and feel, Design 1st was a valuable asset. Given the depth of their design and engineering experience, Design 1st immediately understood what was needed. They worked with our internal engineering team through the process to provide us with compatible solutions to meet our needs.
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Stephen Rayment VP Engineering, Ericsson 
Our trusted engineering partner for six years
Read Case StudyDesign 1st has been our trusted industrial design and mechanical engineering partner for over six years and they have proven themselves to be valuable, competent and committed to our success. They add value because they understand the tradeoffs between user value and cost, the need to balance both the business and product objectives, along with excellent knowledge of materials and manufacturing / tooling options.
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Mike Tettenborn VP Engineering, Caframo 
Right balance of art and engineering
Read Case StudyWe selected Design 1st because their designers and engineers demonstrated the right creativity and technical understanding. With their CAD and modelling tools they were able to address the numerous design challenges encountered with this type of product. The end result was an easy-to-install, powerful marine hatch fan – unlike any on the market.
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Kurt Francis Co-Founder, CTO, Molecule 
Deepest bench of technical talent
Read Case StudyI did a lot of due diligence on product development companies and Design 1st had the deepest bench for technical capability. They worked on such a broad range of products with successful commercialization. Design 1st’s early efforts in prototype development helped us move from a powder substrate into a commercial product for testing.
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John Lupton Director of Engineering, GeoSight 
Got up and running fast
Read Case StudyThe whole design was my idea and I had patents on them. The team’s main work was to solve the functionality issue of a piece of my design. On top of that, they helped identify one of our manufacturers.
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Didi Horn CTO, SkyX 
Exceeded Our Expectations
Read Case StudyThe Design 1st team exceeded our expectations and helped us deliver an exceptional product to the market. As a startup, we were working within a budget but expected the highest quality product. Design 1st identified the risks up front, had the vast network of partners to find the right components, and customized it to meet our unique needs.
End-to-End Industrial Design Expertise to Power Your Product Innovation
Our team transforms technical requirements into user-focused, manufacturable products. By integrating aesthetics, usability and engineering from day one, we prevent design-engineering disconnects that typically delay launches.
Purpose-Driven User Experience
Creating successful products requires deep insight into how users will interact with them in real-world contexts. Whether it’s a safety device for toddlers or a therapeutic tool for physical rehabilitation, our designs directly address core user needs.
We identify critical interaction points early—controls, displays, ergonomics, feedback mechanisms—and develop intuitive interfaces that feel natural and satisfying. This user-centered approach prevents adoption barriers while enhancing perceived value and brand loyalty.
Product Family Design Language
Establishing consistent design language across product families builds brand recognition and customer loyalty. Our industrial designers excel at creating visual systems that unify diverse products while accommodating different functions and manufacturing methods.
We develop distinctive visual elements, proportion systems, and material strategies that can scale across product lines. From commercial pumping equipment to consumer electronics, we create recognizable product identities that communicate brand values while maintaining each product’s unique requirements.
Sustainable Design Strategies
Creating environmentally responsible products requires balancing material selection, lifecycle considerations, and user behavior. Our designs minimize environmental impact while maintaining performance and market appeal.
We integrate sustainability principles from concept stage—evaluating material choices, designing for disassembly, and reducing packaging waste. This forward-thinking approach creates products that meet growing consumer demand for responsible design while satisfying regulatory requirements.
Video: Swabbot Collborative Robot Case study
Simplifying Complex Technologies
Technical sophistication shouldn’t create complicated user experiences. Our approach transforms advanced technologies into approachable, confidence-inspiring products that users can master without extensive training.
We identify essential functions and elevate them through thoughtful interface design, clear information hierarchy, and appropriate feedback. This simplification strategy has proven valuable in financial technology, healthcare, and professional tools—where reducing cognitive load delivers significant competitive advantage.
The Only Team You Need to Solve Your Technical Industrial Design Challenges
Design 1st’s in-house team of experts works as a single unit across design, engineering, software, and manufacturing to reduce risk, streamline development, and launch your connected device faster.
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Mechanical Engineering
Find creative mechanical solutions to technical challenges.
Mechanical Design Team
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Industrial Design
Transform your product concept into a refined manufacture-ready design.
Industrial Design Team
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Electronics Engineering
Add power, secure connectivity, and interaction control to your products.
Electronic Design Team
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Portfolio of Projects
Across every industry, our team excels at developing technically complex projects.
Fully Certified and Award-Winning
Our company and staff are professional engineers with multiple industry certifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Need to Sign an NDA First?
NDA’s ensure confidentiality for both parties during conversations. We provide a mutual NDA where the terms apply to both parties. Your organization may already have a mutual NDA that requires our signature. Instead, we handle signatures via email, online, or as circumstances require.
How Much Will My Project Cost?
Designing a new hardware product starts with defining one or two possible Concept Designs (CD), based on requirements and business targets. Our technical sales team create the first CD budget with the major activities. When the work starts, we capture key product requirements, research opportunities, and unknowns, then together with you, we determine the best solution to develop.
Our experienced development team will then facilitate and help you define the many product requirements, carry out the creative design and engineering process, examine manufacturing feasibility, and provide an ongoing estimate of the direct product cost as details are filled in and decisions on features, functions, parts, and quality are made. For a new product concept of moderate complexity, the CD design exploration and architecture definition stage takes 200+ hours. This timeline depends on many factors, including uncertainty about first users and buyers, the uniqueness of the design relative to products in the market, the number of custom components required for design and manufacturing, product safety requirements, manufacturing setup, and the amount of documentation required.
Professional, experienced Product Design and Engineering teams in North America charge $125 to $400 USD per hour. Our rates are competitive at the lower end of this scale. After a phone discussion on your needs, we will provide a detailed design budget for review and signature.
Call us: 1.877.235.1004 x229 or schedule a meeting with Ian Kayser, our VP of Sales, who will help answer questions.
Have a product that needs building?
Tell us about your project and we’ll put together a development plan and timeline. No commitment, no pitch deck. Just a straight conversation about what it takes.
What Happens Next
- We review your brief
- You receive an NDA + D1 overview
- 30-minute intro call
- Development plan with timeline and budget
Prefer to talk?
Tell Us About Your Project
We reply within 1 business day with an NDA and a next step.