Product & Industrial design

For nearly 30 years now, PHI DESIGN has been developing know-how in the creation of innovative products and concepts.

We control the entire design process, including style studies, concept studies, technical studies, prototyping and monitoring manufacturing operations.

Our expertise focuses on product design, products which are to be manufactured industrially and produced in various quantities. Strong teamwork involving the designer, engineers, technicians and graphic designers is fundamental to our success. Our overriding purpose is to create a product that is functional and perfectly suited to its user. This implies a general level of knowledge in the following fields: stylistics, trends, ergonomics, environmentally-friendly designs, technique, materials and production technologies.

Thanks to the experience we have garnered since our creation, we are able to quickly grasp the purpose and challenges of any industrial project, and in any field. As a result, we can propose the methods and means suited to your requirements.

PHI DESIGN contributes its creativity and experience in the creative research phase, but it can also accompany you through the technical development, all the way through to manufacturing operations. We can work autonomously, or comply with any type of decisional and design team, from the innovating high-tech start-up to the multinational corporation that integrates marketing engineering and production skills.

We know that creating a new product is complex:

Style
Style is crucial for customer appeal and for the enhancement of a brand’s image.
Design
Rational and innovative design are essential assets and assurance for the future.
Ergonomics
User-friendliness and ergonomics are vital for safety and user comfort.
Cost
Manufacturing costs are a strategic component in terms of cornering a market and competitiveness.
Environment
An environmentally-friendly design is a federating aspect centred on a humanistic philosophy.

Our detailed expertise throughout the standard phases of product development:

Preparation and study of the specifications:

As the first phase of the creation of a product or concept, the study of specifications is essential to determine the product’s challenges and limitations. With nearly 30 years of experience, we understand and are able to organise the various components in the specifications, in order to design a product that fully complies with the requirements of the client and the market.

From the very beginning, we pay particular attention to the feasibility of the concept, its simplicity, and cost control, in order to create a competitive product. Once all these aspects have been put in place, we follow this guideline which is a guarantee of the product’s success. Constantly brainstorming, we define and refine ideal solutions all the way through to manufacturing.

This process implies a capacity to listen and communicate with our client, from the initial determination of objectives until the end of the study.

Design study:

Offering aesthetic solutions and concepts is at the core of our expertise. Your objective is our driving force and we are constantly aware of the constraints your product must respect.

We are always attentive to the image that the client or the market expects from a product. We offer various style options, providing different values and perceptions. Style can carry the idea of technological mastery, simplicity and modernism, and can even translate originality and offbeat humour.

Depending on the study, this design research phase can also examine aspects such as concept, functionality or architecture. It can be presented differently, depending on the subject, but we generally use sketches, rough drawings, renderings, project outlines, 3D scale models or preliminary prototypes.

We use these propositions as a basis for discussion, to analyse and confirm the directions to be developed.

Mechanical design and prototyping:

An original design, an innovative concept, an ingenious function or a recognisable identity must find a path to completion and manufacturing. Major constraints have already been taken into account, and thanks to our experience, we have been able to anticipate technical choices. But it is the design study that enables us to identify and implement detailed technical solutions, to move on to the manufacturing stage, and to ensure the product’s functionalities.

This means that:

The designed parts fulfil their functions, and comply with constraints.
The manufacturing process and materials are suited to the range, projected costs and production.
Ergonomics and modelling contribute to safety and comfort of use.
Assembly, after-sales service and recycling are easy.

As a result, elements of the technical study for product development include: the architecture, the mechanical concept and assembly principles, the integration of components and functions, the detailed design using suitable materials and technologies, and the modelling of complex forms.

A design study is never definitively completed in one go. In reality, it is a continuous process that integrates research, exchanges, validation and verification.

We conduct our studies using digital design software. In the initial stages, we build virtual prototypes. At a later stage, it becomes necessary to check our design using real prototypes. The purpose of these prototypes can be to validate a design, a mechanism, a form or a function.

We build prototypes and scale models using various applicable technological means. They can be used for a part of the product, or the entire product.

Depending on the type of study, the research and design phase can include CAD files, overall or detailed design files, models and prototypes.