Hello, this post covers the steps, thoughts, and processes that went into creating a novelty flash drive. These flash drives have graced the shelves of Boots, Tesco’s and other international high-street retailers and to think, it all started as a happy accident (almost).
Stage 1 – The product concept
The initial drawings
and images weren’t created to be flash drives – they were going to
be characters as part of a marketing theme that would feature on
email signatures, brochures, trade stands, and other collateral –
not flash drives.
Hello!
These darker characters
were created to be the opposite of the Satzuma Man which was a
glowing orange character which looks like a happy marshmallow. He was
the ‘goody’ so to speak.
Rufus 1,2,3!
As time evolved, so did
the roles and priorities of the characters. It was discussed that
these characters should be turned into something else, why not a
product?
Not the first attempt at creating a product
This wasn’t the first
time at making a novelty product – I should be ashamed to say that
the first ever character to be created was the Satzuma Man… as
Elvis. He looked more like Carlton Banks from the Fresh Prince and he
was a pretty terrible version at that. I’m happy to say that this
design is lost to eternity, never to grace your screens.
The Original Character Art – Pre-Production
The Flash drive models
were based on my designs and illustrations. Although, if I was to be
brutally honest… I was never keen on the stuck-on googly-eyes. It
added a bit of humour but made the product feel a cheap-looking in my
opinion.
Notice the early
“Rufus” was a bit more moronic looking and mean? This was because
he was supposed to be a villain to the Satzuma Man, you weren’t
supposed to like the gormless rodent that meddled with the products
and machines in the gadget factory! As time went on, more love was
given to Rufus both commercially and conceptually and he became the
“goody” with this, his features softened and he became cute –
for a factory rodent.
Early Rufus Rat Design
Hello Melvin – Product Concept
Stage 2) 3D Modelling
Once I created the 2d
designs of the characters, the brief and reference images were sent
to a factory to start creating the prototype. The rat and the dog was
made up in a 3D program which was then sent back to us for approval.
After this, the factory got down to creating the tooling.
Stage 3 ) The Product
It’s alive! Once the
factory had made and completed the prototypes based on my
specifications. The product was then produced in bulk, packaged and
shipped out to the large high-street retailers. Melvin, Rufus and the
flash housing are all copyright Satzuma LTD.
Developing a product for your business isn’t a small undertaking… but it can be very rewarding if you do it right! This post has been written to share useful experiences for creating a product. In order to create a product, you should consider certain key aspects of its design.
So, how to make a product for your business :
Who is the product for?
Is there a market for your product?
Does the market need your product?
Would the market want your product? can you find out?
How much will it cost to create the product?
How will you market the product?
Where will you make your product?
Timeframe for product design
The questions above cover a couple strong questions when creating or launching a product.
Tips for creating or designing a product
Also, this post will cover what you shouldn’t do when developing a awesome new product. Enjoy!
My experience in creating physical products
In the early stages of my career I would never have imagined that I would have been involved in designing and launching physical products, it has been a journey that has both been challenging and exciting!
Speaking creatively, designing a product opens up a whole new road for innovative exploration – you just need to remember to put the breaks on every once in a while and assess why and what you are making.
My experience mostly covers designing products that are made from card and PET. I have also been involved in creating physical card/board games, developing learning products (STEM) and Flash Memory (injection moulding) and last but not least, the retail packaging that houses products.
Who is the product for? (It’s not you)
When you create a product, it shouldn’t be a product for you. This may sound counter intuitive but you need go beyond a gut-feeling if you really want to push the success of a product. One mistake I have often found is assuming that everybody else is a bit like me to a lesser and greater extent – this couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Not everyone is like you.
Do you represent a
demographic that would buy your product?
It can be a good start if this is the case but try to get some idea who would buy your product through looking at information online with trends, forums, statistics and if you have the money and resources, surveys and product testing. These early stages will help to decipher whether there is viability in your product.
Don’t leave it to chance.
Make your product about your customer, make it something they would love, solve a problem, entertain. It will be them that buys the product in the end – not you. ( you may find this interesting, making a board game prototype )
How to make a product for your business | Product Validation
A very good way for a business to get a product validation is by testing the waters on a crowdfunding platform such as Kickstarter or IndieGogo. If you are going to do a Kickstarter, make sure you have a crowd and an audience ready on the launch day.
This is not a mandatory way to validate a product, but it does show if there could be a demand for your product.
Assuming that you may or may not have gone down the crowdfunding root for your trailblazing new gadget or product do you have any evidence that the world ‘needs’ or would like your gadget or product?
A
good way to check is to see whether other companies are selling
something similar – I know, I know – you want to create something
SO unique that you would have made Tesla shed a solitary tear but
creating something without knowing if there will be demand can be a
huge financial risk, and you could end up selling something that the
world does not want or need.
It is a crushing feeling
if your product can’t get off the starter blocks when you have invested so much time and money into your passion. Make sure you do your homework first and maybe consider the – paragraph above “Product validation”.
Who knows, perhaps after creating your first few products you will be in place to show the world what you offer is better than what they want.
If
you are a creative or a student reading this post, you are probably
going to hate this point. For your product to be commercially
successful, somebody will need to be able to buy it! I know, who
would have imagined!
Unless you are creating a product for wealthy people with large disposable incomes you will need to consider if the man or the woman on the street can afford what you are trying to sell them.
That will generally come back to keeping that initial manufacturing cost down.
Creating a Product As a business owner or Start-Up
This may sound like familiar territory to you. The lower the setup cost, the better the margin or the cheaper you can sell your product and it have a wider market appeal. A lower RRP will make your product more accessible to a larger buying market with shallower pockets.
The type of product, brand or business you want to be is down to you. It will come down to you how much you believe the customer is willing to pay for your product and be brutally honest with the prices.
This may influence whether you do mass production, batch or stay with smaller scale cottage industry production. The choice is yours – based on your research and expertise.
How much does it cost to make a product?
It can cost anything from 10p a unit to £1000’s of pounds for a large mass produced run, it comes down to the materials, where you have your product made, speed and many other smaller factors.
Costing and pricing is a crucial stage for the success of your product. Below are a few factors which you should take into consideration when pricing the development of your product:-
How many units will you make
Generally, the more units you manufacture, the lower the unit cost is in larger quantities.
Where it is manufactured
It is common to find products that are manufactured overseas. This is a common practice in manufacturing as it is generally cheaper to manufacture products in place such as China.
Packaging
Depending on the level and complexity of packaging this can affect the cost of your product per unit. Having too much packaging could be costly and frowned upon by a modern and more eco conscious market. – You can read more on packaging here >
Transport and unit weight and size
The weight and size of your product will affect the unit cost of your product.
Other languages
If you are intending on creating a product that will be sold globally, you may wish to consider having translations added to the retail box. It can be inexpensive for translations to be created and worth considering as it will open up a much larger audience to your product.
Barcodes
If you are intending to sell your product to high-street retailers you will need a product Barcode. I wasn’t involved in the process of creating product barcodes in the past, but as far as I am aware it is relatively cheap.
Instructions
Large retailers will expect instructions as a basic requirement for your product if it something like a piece of electrical equipment, a gadget, a game, a tool and items with moving parts. Instructions can be made cheaply, but they need to be made ‘properly’.
Other Admin and legal areas
Your product may need testing for chemicals and toxic substances to meet with trading standards. These requirements differ from country to country and isn’t something I can advise on. I can only mention that you should be aware of it is best to seek professional advise.
* it should also be noted that Brexit ‘may’ have an effect on goods being imported and exported in and out the EU.
Marketing Your Product – A very important step
This step should not be scrimped on but is often is. It is a waste of time and money putting all of your efforts into creating a product that the world cannot see. Don’t rely on blind faith and hope that consumers looking to buy a product will stumble of yours. You will need to be proactive and there are actions you can take with a short or non-existent budget.
Invest your time, energy and planning into some good marketing and if you cant invest money, research low-cost or free marketing ideas.
But
remember, free is rarely free. Time is still a cost also and if you
can avoid doing it all yourself I would advise looking for help.
The marketing of your product can cover a large area; from the branding to the packaging to the website. 1 idea for marketing your product could be to consider crowdfunding – if this fits your business model.
A method for getting your product out there
a) Make a good product b) Create awesome packaging c) Present the whole package.
Show
your cool packaging to a buyer and let the large retailer do the
heavy promotional lifting and display your product. I have seen this
method work time and time again but you need to master your pitch.
Other Notes on creating your product
There isn’t a guarantee your product will succeed the first time.
I feel this should be added, not every single product you develop or make will rip it into success. Although, I hope that this article may guide you and help you steer clear of any pitfalls in the early stages.
I think many inventors make many products and prototypes before they blow it out of the water. Eventually, they find that eureka! And so will you if you if you have the right skills, knowledge, and attitude. I have written about the success of this party game >
IF you found this article helpful free to link to, share or show friend.
‘Do Not’ for developing a product.
– Don’t rely solely on your gut when creating a product. Try to do some research and understand your target demographic
– Developing products for the tech market can be volatile – especially if you are making products which are accessories for a model of (whichever product) Creating something for the latest release lasts as long as that model does. You either have to move quickly or end up with a warehouse full of products you cant sell.
– Don t assume that customers only look at pictures on the packaging, they do read the details on the back of the packaging, and if something is a little bit off – they will email you to let you know.
* Minimum Viable Product Quick Answer : What does it mean?
If your manager or boss
has just mentioned the term MVP this stands for ‘minimum viable
product’. A minimum viable product is just that, a product that is
still worthy of being sold but is stripped back to the bare
essentials.
E.g a car with 5 wheels, bike rack, a rearview camera, fine leather interior, sky television etc
MVP version = 4 wheels, plastic interior, simple functional car (Save money in other words) That is the end of the post for How to make a product for your business. I have tried to share some of my past experiences and how they can be useful for you.
I hope this post was useful to you and give you insights on how to make a product for your business. This is all based on past experience which I have shared. if you feel that this was helpful please share!
Thank you for reading “How to make a product for your business”
How to get your packaging printed in China in simple steps. This topic covers how to get your packaging printed in China from the concept to sending your design to a Chinese factory and getting printed proofs!
This post has been written based on past experience, in working with factories from overseas. My packaging design and artwork has featured on boxes in the UK and across the globe. If you would like to see some more samples of my packaging feel free to have a look!
Getting your idea made!
General information about this post :
– The pitfalls – What to expect when working with the factories. – The typical stages – Other details experiences
This article discusses my professional experience in getting packaging artwork printed with Chinese suppliers – all experience told from a design perspective.
I hope that this post will help you make an informed decision and how to go about getting the results you want from your suppliers.
You can get your artwork printed in China from a reputable factory or supplier. The challenge is finding a reputable factory and supplier and when you can’t speak the language, it can be difficult.
1 ) How to get your packaging made for your product (Chinese Factory)
If you are a business, an entrepreneur or someone looking to get a product manufactured for the retail market you will need packaging for your product, unless you are intending to sell only online using brown boxes. If you would like to read or see some of my eCommerce design you can view it here.
To be taken seriously, you will need to have professional packaging made.
Working with Chinese suppliers can be a great cost saving measure but you will need make sure you select the right one.
Mass production packaging
2 ) Why do companies get packaging for their products manufactured in China?
There are many reasons
for a why a company may want to get a product or a piece of the
packaging made in China if you are from a western country such as the
USA or United Kingdom.
By far most common reason for getting products manufactured in China is to save money on production, printing or manufacturing fees. From a business perspective, this is great news – but it isn’t always as ideal or as cheap as it actually sounds. If you pick the wrong supplier it can cost you time and money and can even lead to trouble further down the line.
3 ) How to supply your packaging design to a Chinese factory
This isn’t as tricky as it sounds from the designers’ perspective but be prepared to teach the factory how to suck eggs. DO NOT Assume they will understand what you want. And DO NOT assume that things will be created ‘as is’, on occasions factories may ‘help’ and tinker with your work without your consent.
When you create a design you will need to annotate and make it as clear to follow as possible, be it using spot UV or any extra features this will need to be told in FULL.
I would also strongly advise on sending rough mock ups or drawings to help communicate what it is you are setting out to achieve. Visuals often make one of the best lines of communication when having your sample made with a Chinese supplier or factory.
Getting angry at the factory won’t accomplish anything.
It won’t fix the problem.
And it wont make you wealthier and it wont speed up the process. The ball is in your court in the end and it just needs to be right.
Send them visuals and explain EVERYTHING.
4 ) How to find a Chinese packaging a supplier
There are hundreds, possibly 1000’s of businesses online that are looking to print your packaging in China alone. You could go onto a website such as Alibaba to find a supplier or through Linkedin.
I still hear from suppliers coming through my Linkedin account.
By the far, the most effective (not cheapest) way is by hiring or contracting someone to work as a middleman or woman to work between you and the suppliers.
Communication is key in getting your design correct otherwise you will get something you didn’t want from the factories.
I would argue that getting a good supplier from one of the factories should be a top priority. A bad supplier will result in bad results – funnily enough!
Here are some key points when finding a factory or supplier to work with:
– *Find someone you can trust* – Work with a factory that offers a quality service – Get as much written down in the beginning as possible – *Try to get prototypes or samples from factory supplier before mass production.
5 ) What to expect when having your packaging or product made in China
It all comes down to your supplier, communication and how you supply the artwork. It’s best to have everything ‘exactly’ as is when supplying artwork to factory and also be prepared for a bit of randomness when it comes to how they may produce the work.
Be vigilant and make sure to get ‘proofs’ from the factory.
I have written a couple of quick steps for you to follow when producing your packing:
– Find a reputable supplier, if you have somebody that is fluent in Chinese this can help tremendously
– See if you can get proofs or past evidence of packaging and material samples. What they sometimes say you will get and what you actuallyget is not uncommon in my experience.
– Getting digital proofs of your artwork through photos, and flat-screen image is a must.
– Delays can happen due to miscommunication from either or both parties.
– Don’t let the factories take the initiative.
– The factories are generally better at giving you want you want if you send a 3D mock up or illustration.
– They are often very good at the cardboard engineering stage but not so much on the creative side.
– The factories can improve as with any working relationship with the more work you send them.
– Weather can affect how and when your packaging may arrive.
– The Chinese factories can damage the packaging during ‘packing’ if they are rushed. Try not to rush them if you can help it.
– When supplying artwork, leave nothing to the imagination.
6 ) How long will it take to see your design once it is printed and shipped from a Chinese factory?
When having packaging printed In China, I have often seen a sample come back within one month, they can be very quick! Occasionally 3 months, depending on the weather, suppliers workload and method of transportation.
Shipping from China!
7 ) How to get packaging printed in China | The realities
When it is good it’s great and you will generally save money. When it isn’t great, as with some things in life, it can be a complete nightmare!
Working with new suppliers can be the most problematic as neither of you are familiar with working with each other, you don’t know each others strengths, habits, communication etc.
One of my mistakes when working with a new Chinese supplier is ‘assuming’ – assume NOTHING. Below are some assumptions to avoid based on past experience.
– Point 1 – Don’t assume that they know what is in your head. – Neither should you assume that a single colour should go all the way around the packaging eg – if you leave white bits on the fold … they will print it as is. – Don’t assume that they will offer the same level of service twice, they may be busy or rushed – or just – won’t offer it for some unknown reason. – And don’t assume that the factory understands what is to be made when you supply the artwork. You need to make sure what you want is as clear and as transparent as possible – in the end, if you are the designer, or manufacturer, the buck ends with you.
Make it easy and clear, and talk about everything you can. Don’t assume their knowledge.
Get it right you will
have a great piece of packaging. Get the communications wrong and you
will be in for a whole load of pain.
8) Great reasons for having your work made In China
I feel that I have covered many of the perks scattered through the post but it may be easier to bullet point why it is a good idea to have your packaging and product created in China in a quick to scan list.
– Getting work printed In China or overseas is often cheaper than getting work printed in western countries such as the UK or United States – There is an abundance of suppliers of products and packaging manufactures on websites such as Alibaba – It’s easy and quick to get wholesale and bulk quotes for your product – Using a factory in China will help you save money if you are looking to reduce overheads.
9 ) The ‘challenges’ with getting things printed in China
For its many perks and plus points for getting packaging and products printed in China it also comes with its shortcomings and challenges. I have listed a couple of points below based on first-hand experience and industry observations.
Copyright theft: the factories are notorious for stealing and selling your product ideas as their own. Not every factory is like this, but it is not uncommon. I have witnessed Chinese factories use my previous employer’s artwork and pass onto a competitor. There are other random knock off’s I have stumbled upon ranging from copies of renown books, bad copies of Hollywood films etc.
Stealing Kickstarter’s: I have seen factories steal Kickstarter campaigns and undercut the creators. Worse, the factories release their copy to the retail market before true creators have made it themselves. Sad stories really.
The decrease in quality: This isn’t something that always happens but on occasions, the suppliers I have worked with would do little things like: use less glue, ship scuffed or damaged work, rush on the packaging if you have blisters inside your box etc.
I also think this was a case of reducing expenses and overheads, but that is only my opinion.
As with anything, there are always challenges that can come when producing products. I have also worked with printers in the UK which have ignored specifics such as bleed and just printed it as is. Although one bonus as with most things online, is that you can check reviews
Getting packaging and artwork printed in China
Thank you for reading this post on how to get packaging and artwork printed in China. If you would like to know more about getting your work printed feel free to get in touch or view this post about packaging design
I have over 10 years commercial design experience and over 8.4/5 years working with retail design and producing packing through the Chinese factories.
It has been while since posting a project update, as many of the other posts have covered industry insights and experiences.
One of core project that appears to get a lot of attention is the post on how we created a successful game project. A post that is packed full of information on our design approach and what we did.
This Design Post
This post covers a range of packaging designs that were used and are still actively being used in the retail market – a phrase that was used often when creating the packing was “retail ready”.
These designs range from Tech Girl, Satzuma Gifting,Stem and a whole range of projects and pre-production artwork. These products have graced the shelves of Boots, Tesco’sTK Maxx, Robert Dyas, Menkind, Staples and stores across the globe.
Unicorn Power Bank
Yes… yes it is a Unicorn. And a Power BankPackaging and branding design for a ‘build your own Smartphone cover’ product
You can read more on the project on the portfolio website. It covers the branding, the packaging, the marketing and the digital design.
Proof Of Concept Packaging
The proof of concept packaging was used for design approval, used in product pitches to large retailers and also used to ‘visualise’ the package for print factories.
Early Beard Bib Packaging, This was put together very quickly to get a feel for the concept.
Packaging illustration
Boogie Pong Game Box Mock Up
Another Tech Girl Mock Up – Typography would be ‘Rose Gold’ Mock up / Render of a power supply boxFlash Memory Top – FSDU – Final ProofNeon Packaging – Product – Testing look and feel
Packaging Nets
The images below show the flat nets of the packaging. This is the print ready or near print ready artwork that is generally sent of production after approval.
Early Joystick design – Packaging – Card + PET – Concept (shelved)Card box net for packaging an expansion pack.
This is one part of a larger gaming project, if you would like to read more this product please feel free. Or if you would help with you card or game design feel have a look.
Google Card DesignAR Blaster Packaging NetStem Product | Build You Own RobotBeard Bib Dev
Final Products & ‘In Situ’ Shots
These are the completed products based on the designs I supplied.
Memory Capture Box & Product DesignHead phones packagingCounter Display for Product – VR GogglesMake your own Neon SignJoystick PackagingPOS design inside a retail store.
That’s all on this packaging post!
Retail Read
Packaging
If you would like any assistance in your latest packaging design be it the concept or putting together a punchy, relevant and cost effective solution feel free to get in touch or have a look at projects on the brochure website.
Retail Ready Packaging Projects – Perhaps you’d like to read :
The following block shows a simple method for making your own custom cursor in Stencyl. Please refer to theStencylcommunity help section for further details on coding blocks.
Big Stencyl logo
Getting started with your custom Stencyl cursor
This ‘how to’ covers some basics for making a custom cursor in Stencyl. In a nutshell, you need to hide the default operating system cursor and swap out for your own custom cursor, which will be an actor type.
Cursor
Part 1 : Graphics
A ) Firstly you will need to draw your one custom cursor in graphics program of your choice. I used Adobe Illustrator to draft up this pointer and exported it as a .PNG – Dims 29px 27 px, remember to save your .PNG in logical place in your project folder.
Part 2 : Importing a Cursor As An Actor Type
a ) Open Stencyl and navigate to your game project (assuming you have already made a project)
b ) In the upper left corner press on the “Actor types”and create a new actor. You will then need to add a frame and import your newly created cursor!
Example
Part 3 : How To Make it work
a ) Click on ‘actor behaviours’ and create a new behaviour! This will be a basic behaviour to make your Cursor work in your game.
b ) Click “add event” in the top of the panel. Add > When updating
c )You can either navigate through the code blocks manually or you can search for them. Using the image shown.
Stencyl Custom Cursor Code Block
That’s how to make a basic Cursor in Stencyl!
Don’t forget to attach the block to the Cursor Actor, the green button in the top right will allow you to do this – “Attach to actor”
Run game!
Bug!
Please take into account that the flash player from Stencyl ( when tested from the game ) game glitches in full screen mode. The main default operating system mouse will still be visible despite having the cursor hidden.
This could be an apparent issue with the flash player. – Dated from May 2016.
Try unticking the full screen mode… Not the best
Notes
: this bug happens on a iMac OSX i5 10.9.5
This post is edited originally from here > personal blog.
If you are looking to download stencyl you can download the software here.
If you need assistance with some of you game design assets have a look at the design portfolio here
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
