The quote you get for a new product is only as good as the brief you send. A vague brief leaves a design firm guessing, and a firm that guesses has to price in every unknown, so the quote comes back high, wide or both. A clear brief gets you a tighter quote and a better first conversation.
You don’t need a technical specification to write one. You need honest answers to a few questions.
Start with the problem, not the product
Before you describe what the product looks like, describe what it’s for. Who will use it? What problem does it solve for them? Why does it matter to you, and how quickly do you want to take it to market?
Those answers shape almost every decision that follows, from the materials to the number of prototypes, which is why they’re the first thing we ask about too.
Say where and how it will be used
A product that lives on a desk, in a field or in a clinic needs different engineering, so say where it will be used and who will handle it. Mention anything it has to survive, such as water, heat, drops or a child’s grip, and any rules it has to meet, such as medical or electrical certification.
Sim4Stem needed a steering simulator kit for children aged 8 to 11. It had to be easy to use, assemble and pack away. Volunteers also needed to clamp it to desks and carry it to events. That sentence told us the users, the setting and the constraints, and the design followed from it.
Say how many, and at what cost
Ten units and ten thousand units are different projects. Small runs suit 3D printing and hand assembly; large ones justify injection moulding tools, which cost more up front and far less per part. If you know your target retail price or cost per unit, include it: it tells the designer which processes and materials are realistic.
Share what you already have
Tell us what you already have: a rough sketch, photos of products you like, links to competitors, an early prototype, drawings, CAD or circuit diagrams. None of it needs to be polished. A sketch on the back of an envelope tells us more than a paragraph of description, which is why our enquiry form has a sketch board built in.
Be open about budget and timeline
A budget range isn’t a number to be spent; it helps the firm propose the right scope. Renders to show investors and a production-ready design are very different pieces of work, and knowing which one you need saves a round of back-and-forth. The same goes for your launch date: within three months and within a year call for different plans.
At TezRow we agree the scope, deliverables and fee for each milestone before work begins, and discuss scope changes before proceeding.
Ask what you’ll get at each stage
When quotes arrive, compare what each one delivers, not just the price. Ask what you’ll have at the end of every stage: sketches, renders, CAD, drawings, prototypes, files a manufacturer can quote from. And ask who owns the design when the project ends. Our project agreement specifies the handover files, ownership and any third-party licences.
If your idea is sensitive, it’s normal to ask for a non-disclosure agreement before you share the details.
A brief in five lines
If you only have five minutes, send these:
- Who it’s for, and the problem it solves
- Where and how it will be used
- How many you plan to make, and your target cost per unit
- What you already have: sketches, photos, prototypes or files
- Your budget range, and when you want to launch
Send us those five lines through our enquiry form, or sketch the idea on its board, and we’ll reply within two working days. We can discuss exchanging existing files by email after first contact.
