Pillar Product Design / Posts tagged "design"
February 9, 2022 In blog

Innovative Products at the Seattle Boat Show

This weekend Bob visited Anchor Drink System’s booth at the 2022 Seattle Boat Show. Held at the Lumen Field Event Center, this year’s 75th Anniversary Boat Show featured countless new boats, many other innovative products in the marine industry, and had a great display of vintage boats and water skis. It was great to see Anchor’s line of products doing so well and we look forward to seeing what opportunities come from such a great networking event!  

January 25, 2022 In blog

New Innovative Product – Mackie M.Caster Live

Last week in a live, virtual event held in conjunction with the NAMM tradeshow (National Association of Music Merchants), Mackie announced the launch of the M.Caster Live, a portable audio mixer for streaming and content creation. Alongside the M.Caster Live, they also announced their new innovative product line that features portable lighting and other creator accessories to make creating on the go breeze. Mackie came to Pillar with the idea of creating a portable solution to help bloggers and other content creators improve their audio quality and control. Branching away from their typical client in the pro-audio space, the new device

Inventor brings salt and pepper product to market
December 14, 2021 In blog

Bringing a Product to Market – Pepper King

We interviewed Mike, a local business owner in the Seattle area, about his new product endeavor and his experience bringing a product to market. Mike is the owner of Grain of Salt LLC and the brains behind the Pepper King, the last salt and pepper grinder you’ll ever need to buy.   Pillar: Tell us a little bit about your product. A: Pepper King is the world’s greatest electric salt & pepper grinder. It is powerful, robust, simple, and reliable.   Pillar: How did you come up with your product idea? A: I love electric grinders, yet they all suck. I’ve purchased several and they break

Sustainability information molded into a new product
October 26, 2021 In blog

Three Common Misconceptions about Sustainability

As the world pushes to be more environmentally friendly, our clients often ask about sustainability, recyclability, and recycled materials during the product development process. Here are three common misconceptions about recycling and a couple ways you can reduce the environmental impact of your product and its packaging.   Plastic Can Be Recycled as Many Times as Possible Plastic can only be recycled about 2-3 times before it starts to degrade and lose its properties. While some recycling is better than none, materials like glass and aluminum can be infinitely recycled and can offer a better End-of-Life for your product.   Everyone Can Recycle The Same

Mackie CR-X Series studio monitors feature industrial design with metal faceplate
October 7, 2021 In blog

Collaborative Industrial Design – Mackie CR-X Series

The CR-X Series studio monitors are one of many products that Pillar has collaboratively designed with Mackie. Hear from Craig, a Mackie Product Manager, as he talks about the collaborative industrial design and product development process.   Pillar: Tell us a little bit about you and your product. Craig: I’ve been at Mackie as a Product Manager for nearly 3 years, though have been in Product Management for 13 years total.  The project we’re discussing is the CR-X series of studio monitors. CR-X monitors target content creators primarily, producers and audio engineers, but the line also appeals to folks like gamers and/or people working or

Glass Expanse Doors Designed by Pillar Design in collaboration with a design consultancy
August 18, 2021 In blog

Working with a Design Consultancy – Glass Expanse

For our next client spotlight, we met with Adam, the founder of Glass Expanse, to talk about his source of inspiration, experience working with a design consultancy, and biggest product development challenge as he brought his sliding door and window system to market. Pillar: Tell us a little bit about you and your product. Adam: We manufacture slide and stack patio doors for the residential and commercial construction industry. Our product is designed to focus on usability and aesthetics first, providing an easy way to completely open spaces. Pillar: How did you come up with your product idea? Adam: I lived in Australia for

Product design firm team members discuss a new product design in Seattle
July 20, 2021 In blog

What to Bring to a Product Design Firm Meeting

Starting a product design journey can be daunting and often single inventors and/or entrepreneurs don’t know where to start.  When first meeting with a product design firm, these are a few things you should have ready to go to help maximize your time and help convey your product idea clearly. Signed NDA An NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) will protect your idea and allow you to freely talk through the details of your product. Make sure to get this signed before you arrive at your consultation so you don’t have to use your time at the meeting to print and sign the papers. Design Brief A

Pillar design visits client Glass Expanse production facility in Texas
June 24, 2021 In blog

On-Site Product Development with Glass Expanse

This month, Pillar visited Glass Expanse, a long term client who is located between Austin and Dallas in Temple, Texas. Glass Expanse is a high end, sliding door and window maker that produces products with the least obstructed view on the market. We have been working with Glass Expanse for six years now and it has been an absolutely amazing journey to see this small company grow to the height that it is at today. When they first brought the Pillar team on as a product development specialist, Glass Expanse was a very small group of innovative and knowledgeable individuals. To

Magnetic Leash Product Design Sketch
June 10, 2021 In blog

Idea to Product Transformations

Whether it be a napkin sketch, functional prototype, or an existing, finished product that just needs a revamp, our clients come to us at all stages of the product development process. Check out some of the projects that Pillar has helped take from idea to refined product. Ignition USA - SEARAT The Seattle Rapid Access Tool, or SEARAT, is a firefighting invention designed to expedite the entry into commercial buildings. Combining elements from multiple existing tools, the initial product idea for the SEARAT looked to merge functions into a single, easy to carry tool. Pillar has collaborated with Ignition USA throughout the

3Dio Omni Binaural Microphone Product in Use
May 12, 2021 In blog

3Dio – Omni Binaural Microphone

The 3Dio Omni binaural microphone is specifically designed to provide professional binaural audio for Virtual Reality & 360º camera applications. Binaural recording allows audio to be captured in the same way the human ear hears sound. This produces the most natural sounding audio that creates three-dimensional sound, transporting the user to the recording site. Pillar assisted 3Dio through their product development journey, reverse engineering the complex 3D ear models for both the 2 and 4-position binaural microphone systems and developing the housing with methodically laid out user controls and inputs. In response to higher demand, Pillar also helped scale up their

Back View of XOOT Professional and Ergonomic Drawing Stand Product Prototype
March 18, 2021 In blog

XOOT – Professional and Ergonomic Drawing Stand

Entering the final stages of testing, XOOT, a professional drawing stand for large tablets and monitors, is preparing to launch later this year. The XOOT system provides effortless monitor adjustment to seamlessly switch between viewing and drawing positions, providing a more ergonomic experience for tablet users. Pillar has assisted XOOT through the product development process from the industrial design to the engineering and CAD modeling process. We can’t wait for the first units to make their way into the market.

Closeup of MUi Magnetic Leash Product In Use
December 17, 2020 In blog

MUi Leash

The MUi leash is a magnetic dog leash that allows for quick and easy attachment to your dog’s collar. Utilizing a dual-magnet assisted system, the leash perfectly aligns and securely attaches to your furry friends. Pillar is honored to have been a part of this project, starting at the initial design phase and helping take the product all the way to production. Launching in mid-2021, we can’t wait to see this out in our local dog parks soon! Preorder your MUi Leash here: https://muipet.com/

July 31, 2019 In blog

Glass Expanse on CashPad!

The Pillar Product Design team worked with Glass Expanse to develop this amazing moving panel door system. This a clip of Jordan and Jojo of CNCBC show CashPad! showing the system in action in one of container homes that they just completed. Check it out! https://www.linkedin.com/posts/glassexpanse_cashpad-glassexpanse-activity-6562329714017521666-yMZn

Ceres Breast Milk Chiller Product in Use
July 25, 2019 In blog

Ceres Chill Indiegogo Launch

We are excited to announce the launch of the Ceres Chill Breast Milk Chiller on Indiegogo today! It has been a pleasure working with Lisa to help design and engineer an innovative product that prioritizes nursing mothers in a beautiful and elegant way. Check out the campaign to learn more and contribute. We can't wait to see this product make it to market in the upcoming months! Visit the campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ceres-chill-the-world-s-first-breastmilk-chiller#/ Visit the website: https://www.cereschill.com

July 22, 2019 In blog

Frequently Used Product Development Acronyms

The product development process is filled with acronyms that can be confusing for both new and returning clients. We've compiled a list of some of the most commonly used acronyms to help you navigate the process. Job Identification  EE (electrical engineering)  ID (industrial design)ME (mechanical engineering)PE (project engineering)PM (project / program management) Design / Process / Marketing  CAD (computer aided design / drafting)CAE ( computer aided engineering) CAM ( computer aided manufacturing) DFA (design for assembly)DFAA (design for automated assembly)DOE (design of experiments)DVT (design verification test)EVT (engineering validation test)GD&T (Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing)IP (intellectual property)JV (joint venture)MVP (minimum viable product)PD (product development)POC (proof of