Conor Murnane, Author at Pillar Product Design

In blog

A Past Project We Still Love: Celebration Stadium’s Birthday Grandstand

Over the years, we’ve had the chance to work on a wide range of products, and some stand out because they turn a familiar experience into something memorable. One of those projects was the Birthday Grandstand for Celebration Stadium, a modular candle holder created to make milestone birthday celebrations feel more dramatic, organized, and photo-worthy. Instead of placing dozens of candles directly into the cake, the Grandstand creates a dedicated display for birthday candles around the cake. The result is a cleaner presentation, less mess, and a more memorable moment for the guest of honor. We always enjoy projects like this that combine

March 31, 2026

In blog

Do the Hard Work Upfront

By Conor Murnane

One of the biggest mistakes we see with new product ideas is that founders come to us with a solution already fully formed in their minds. While well-intentioned, this can set the project up for failure. We can design the best widget in the world, but if it does not solve the problem (or the problem is not worth solving), it doesn’t matter. This can cause otherwise positive engagements to end on a sour note. The client loves the product that was designed and prototyped, but it flops in the market, or it doesn’t truly solve the problem, and they’re left

March 16, 2026