Insight Into MAKO’s Design Strategy

The field of design is an extremely popular area of interest with hundreds of subcategories and niches. As a result of its breadth, creators and inventors carry a number of reasons for being so passionate about design. These reasons fuel their projects and dictate the final outcomes of their creations.

As a leading product development firm, it’s no surprise that we’re also big fans of the field for an array of reasons. Through our work, we have observed a wide array of primary motivations that drive our clients and our peers in the product design and development realm to create.

At MAKO, our in-house engineering and design team’s design strategy is multifaceted but stems from both a great appreciation for the design elements we are surrounded by in our day-to-day lives and the desire to explore new, innovative ways to develop high-quality products for our clients.

Below, we’ve detailed what design strategy is and listed the most prominent considerations that go into developing the strategy we employ when creating designs for our clients.

What is Design Strategy?

Simply put, design strategy refers to the approach an inventor or design team decides to use for a project that takes into account core design thinking principles, the client or product brand’s business objectives, and the resources they realistically have access to.

It’s also important to note that design strategy is something that is commonly iterated based on the findings your design team discovers at each stage of the product design process and potential changes the client or inventor may want to make as a result.

We may find a specific material that would work better for your design, or there may be an aesthetic aspect that the client would like to change once they have the chance to see their idea brought to life.

Design Strategy as an Art

When people think of art, they often think of painting, sketching, photography, sculpting, and architecture. Often overlooked is the fact that product design is an incredibly important form of art!

Especially at MAKO Design + Invent, viewing product design as an art form is integral. When a client comes to us for invention help, first and foremost, we listen to our client’s vision for their product idea. We discuss how they imagine their product will look and function so we can begin brainstorming ways to achieve their desired functionality within a visually stunning product.

Not only does creating an artistic product design give us joy as design enthusiasts, but it also ensures we deliver above-and-beyond results to our clients, whom we love to see delighted with their final product designs or prototypes.

Creating an aesthetically pleasing product is also a great design strategy for maximizing your product’s chances of success when entering a competitive market. Products with unique and aesthetically pleasing designs grab the attention of consumers quicker than others.

Although the saying goes that you can’t judge a book by its cover, most people still do and base their purchasing decisions largely on appearance.

Innovation and Progression are Deeply Embedded in Design Strategy

Those who work in fields centred on design agree that the design realm is extremely fast-paced and constantly changing. The whole industry relies on forward-thinking innovation and change to run. At MAKO Design + Invent, we believe that a huge part of developing a successful design strategy is striving to contribute to this progress.

The value of sharing our work out of our great appreciation for design innovation as a culture and taking part in driving it forward within the field is deeply embedded in our design strategy. Being able to share our designs with the community through conventions, conferences, trade shows, and award galas has served enduringly as a huge source of motivation for us.

Conversely, we also love to use these channels to gain inspiration and observe what product designers around the world are working on and contributing to society.

Developments in virtual reality and communication technology have helped progress the design industry immensely in this regard!

Design Strategy and Functionality

Aesthetics aside, as a leading product development firm, our responsibilities include spending the majority of our days passionately finding new ways to create products that exceed our client’s expectations.

While there are tons of exciting aspects of product design that deal with aesthetics and styling, it’s important to remember that our design strategy will always focus foremost on creating a product that can perform its primary function to a high degree to solve a pressing problem.

When considering functionality in your design strategy, you want to ensure your product is designed to be user-friendly in the sense that it is easy to use and feels good to use. Focusing too much on creating a cool-looking product with a complex design may have a negative impact on how well your product will work.

It’s important that your design’s aesthetics benefit or complement your product’s functionality rather than hinder it! For this reason, MAKO Design + Invent focuses on creating products that not only look fantastic but also function exceptionally well.

Want to see what MAKO considers a top design? Check out our picks from the Fast Company’s Innovation By Design Awards!

If you have a great new invention idea and you’d like to learn more about this process, get in touch with MAKO today and visit our website to find out more. Or feel free to give us a call at 1-888-806-MAKO, and we can set you up on a call with our product strategist!

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!