"Good design is good business."
Brightworks was founded in 2003 by industrial designer Graeme Paterson, after over 20 years of experience working for product design consultancies based in the United Kingdom and the Far East.
Brightworks consists of an award winning team of new product design and development consultants, mechanical designers and production engineers. This core team is supported by a network of other associates and specialists, providing a flexible company structure which allows us to keep overheads to a minimum whilst still being able to offer a wide range of
quality new product development services.
We believe our success is driven by the integration of user understanding and appropriate product styling, combined with an ability to provide innovative technical solutions to challenging problems and a pragmatic approach to manufacture.
We are specialists in the design of medical devices, healthcare products, electronic equipment and technical packaging. For more information on past projects please visit our
product design portfolio
We have successfully helped numerous clients and companies around the world to develop their ideas and launch them onto the market. If you would like to discuss how we could add value to your next project then please
"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."
our product design process
Project Briefing & Product Specification
Projects generally start with an initial discussion over the phone. This is usually followed by a meeting to discuss your requirements and details of the proposed product, including: its specifications, market, design criteria, timescales, etc. Following this we would produce a detailed project proposal, usually broken down into several stages, which outlines the process we would adopt, the deliverables, the cost and the timescale for each stage of work.
Based on your design brief we would generate a range of initial design concepts for the product. These initial ideas would most likely be wide ranging in their scope and consider more fundamental issues relating to the product, such as: market forces, usability, aesthetics, ergonomics, underlying product architecture, materials & finishes, technical feasibility and mechanical functionality. We would synthesize and evaluate these initial ideas together with you, to quickly focus in on a preferred concept option. This process would allow you to identify and visualize the most suitable product concept and to better understand potential costs, risks and feasibility before proceeding with the main stage of product development.
This is the main part of the product development process and often takes the longest time. In this phase, we would take the product concept and produce a 3D CAD model of the component parts and assembly using SolidWorks. We would confirm any assumptions made at the concept stage and validate the design functionality and materials through a rigorous testing process. We would confirm the ergonomic and usability aspects, specify the colours, materials & finishes to be used, focus on design for manufacture & assembly and discuss the proposed design with prospective manufacturers to ensure that it is optimized for production. For more complex projects the development can sometimes be broken down into several stages closely coupled with rapid prototyping activities.
At Brightworks we see prototyping as an essential part of the product development process, as it provides a physical embodiment of the product (or a detailed part of the product) for testing and evaluating before committing to production tooling. Interim prototypes or test rigs may be produced, to prove a particular detail during the development process, and a number of working whole product prototypes are usually produced at the end of the product development phase. There are many different rapid prototyping processes available and several levels of realism that can be achieved depending on requirements. Prototypes may be used for technical evaluation, user trials or sales & marketing purposes. Generally prototypes that mimic the final product entirely in terms of material, finish, feel, and functionality are more expensive.
Production Specification and Manufacturing Assistance
A production specification drawing is produced for each component part of the product and 3D CAD data is carefully checked before it is issued for production tool manufacture. Brightworks would liaise with your manufacturing partners during tool manufacture and check that first off parts are to specification and within tolerance. We have extensive experience in designing for manufacture, with an in-depth knowledge of most production processes such as injection moulding.
Brightworks' client Ecoegg has been chosen, from a shortlist of five companies, as the overall winner of the Smarta 100 Special Award for Innovation 2012. The announcement was made on 8 November during the awards ceremony at the O2 Arena in London.
According to the Smarta 100 website, this is historically one of the toughest categories for the judges to decide on as, by nature, every business in the Smarta 100 will have created a little niche for itself through terrific innovation. The shortlist consistently think outside the box, coming up with innovative ways to improve our lives and expand their business in new ways. The overall winner will have to stand head and shoulders above the others by proving it is the most disruptive in its sector, the most entrepreneurially-run company, the most promising business or the small business making the greatest improvements to its customers' lives in some way.
"Your products run for election every day and good design is critical to winning the campaign."
Brightworks is a multi-award winning new product design and development consulting company based in the UK
We are a team of leading product designers and expert 3D CAD design engineers, dedicated to helping other companies, organizations and individuals create unique & innovative new products and product experiences.
