HOW DO YOU CHOOSE AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER?

Before the work is initiated, clients should accurately assess the project problem and lay foundations for an effective design solution. This objective is accomplished throuogh the following procedure:

AWARENESS OF PROBLEM/NEED

Although designers can be brought in cold to assess a company's design opportunities on an exploratory basis, they are normally used to achieve specific product development/promotional objectives, in which case step number 2 is required.

CLARIFICATION OF PROBLEM/NEED

In this step, the client develops a general design brief for selecting and hiring design assistance. The general design brief should contain sufficient information to allow the designer to develop a proposal and a quote for the work to be done.

SEARCH FOR QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL DESIGN HELP

The client (a) advertising need in appropriate local, regional and national design and business publications; (b) talking to others who have successfully undertaken similar design projects for the names of recommended industrial designers; (c) consulting the yellow pages and/or the membership lists of the state chapter of the Industrial Designers Society of America.

INTERVIEWING OF PROSPECTIVE INDUSTRIAL DESIGNERS/FIRMS

The client meets prospective firms at their office to become acquainted with their resources and staffs and (PRELIMINARIES) to see samples of past work and how the specific problems were solved and what the project outcomes were; to consult available project reports and contact the designer's last three clients; and (OBJECTIVE) to match designer skills and knowledge of materials, processes, techniques, industries and markets to the project problem area defined in the general design brief; and to describe the project/need to the designer as set forth in the brief, and to learn how the designer would approach the problem.

DESIGNER(S) SUBMIT PROPOSAL TO CLIENT

The firms will submit project proposals, the scope of which will vary depending upon the depth of the initial client-designer interview and the nature, scope and complexity of the project.

Fees can range from fixed fees to hourly rates, to royalty arrangements to retaining fees. The charges involved vary from firm to firm and may include overhead, travel and subsistence, subcontracted consultants and services and report preparation, besides actual design work.

CLIENT ACCEPTS, REJECTS, OR MODIFIES PROPOSAL

The client will review the submitted proposals, requesting revised proposal or contacting other industrial designers/firms and repeating steps 3 through 5.

CLIENT HIRES INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER/FIRM

The client will accept a final proposal and contract/fee document defining both designer and client responsibilities is prepared, with stated/estimated fees broken out for each design phase, and defining who will hold the title to any patents or inventions, royalty arrangements, etc. The contract is reviewed and amended, if necessary, to mutual satisfaction, and is signed.

Go to next page.

Go back to the Main Client Guide Page.