Questions
Process, payment, ownership and production. The answers follow the agreement each project is signed under.
01
Getting started
- What needs to be ready before the first call?
- Nothing polished. A sketch, a photo of a prototype or a few lines about the product is enough. A short brief comes first, to fill in with whatever is known so far.
- How does a project start?
- With a free 30-minute call. A written proposal follows, with its stages, outputs, dates and prices, valid for 45 days. Work starts once the agreement is signed and the first deposit has cleared.
- Is a non-disclosure agreement signed?
- Yes, before anything confidential is shared. If the first call will include drawings, prototypes or plans, a mutual NDA (non-disclosure agreement) is signed before it.
- What kinds of products?
- Physical consumer products: furniture, homeware, lighting, and products for children and pets. Protective equipment is not taken on.
02
Cost and payment
- How is the price set?
- Some projects are priced on the time they need, others on the value of the outcome. The quote says which, and shows how the figure was reached. Each stage's price is agreed before work starts, and anything outside the agreed scope is quoted in writing first.
- When is payment due?
- Each stage is invoiced half before it starts and half when it is approved. Invoices are due within 14 days, and 2% comes off an invoice paid within 5 days.
- What else could cost money?
- Prototypes, samples and test parts are agreed in writing first and charged at cost, with no mark-up. Travel happens only when agreed in advance, also at cost.
- Is VAT added?
- No. The business is not VAT registered, so no VAT is charged.
- How many rounds of changes are included?
- Two per stage. Further rounds are quoted before they start.
03
Ownership and changes
- Who owns the design?
- The client does, once everything is paid. On full payment, the copyright and design rights in the final deliverables pass to the client. Rejected concepts and working methods stay with the studio.
- Can a project be paused or stopped?
- Either side can stop at the end of any stage with written notice. If a project stops mid-stage, the stage deposit is kept, finished work is invoiced pro rata, and the client owns everything paid for.
- What if feedback takes longer than planned?
- Dates move by the length of the delay. A stage review with no reply after 10 working days counts as approved, so a project never stalls without anyone deciding.
- Will the work appear in a portfolio?
- Only once the product is public, only the parts that are not confidential, and not at all if the client asks in writing.
04
Making it
- Is a factory found as part of the work?
- Production CAD ends with a supplier pack, ready to send to factories for quotes, and support through first samples. Ordering, production and quality checks stay with the client and their manufacturer.
- Who handles testing, safety and certification?
- The brand that sells the product. Design reviews point out where testing and standards will matter, but the advice is design advice, not legal or regulatory advice.
- Are sustainability figures included?
- Advice on material, finish, repair and end of life is part of every project. Calculated footprint figures are an add-on, because they need a licensed dataset. They are screening estimates to guide design decisions, not a full life cycle assessment, and the wording of any claim made from them stays the client's.
- Is AI used?
- Yes, for research, drafting and early ideas. Every decision is made and signed off by a person. Before work starts, a client can ask for AI tools to be kept off their confidential information.
Contact
Get in touch
Tell me what you're making and where it's up to. The first call is free.
Based in south-west London, working with UK and EU clients.