Well the obvious answer you’d think would be Yes.
If you ask for advice you would be told – “if you can afford a bag design professional to do a design for you, you’ll definitely get a better design”. But you might be worried about cost?
We know that it can seem to be a mystery about how much design costs but we’re able to give you a quick quote when you need one.
So, let’s say that the only reason NOT to hire a Pro is that you’re wanting to save money?
The easy way to design your own bag
- First, find a bag a bit like what you want to make.
- Make a written list of the changes you’d like to make to it.
- Post it to a factory, (that may be in China – you can find loads of them on Alibaba).
- Pray, hope, wait and see what comes back!
If you do this you are behaving like a lot of other people …and you might be able to make a cheap bag – but copying is theft so if that’s what you want to do …we are not the right people for you. We don’t copy!
We have had a lot of clients who have come to us after spending a year getting samples made in China – and they all say the same thing – the factory never fully does what they want and they feel they have wasted a lot of money. Not so cheap after all.
Good luck, you might get lucky, but not good luck with copying.
There is a better reason for not copying.
That is if you want to create a brand then your product has got to mean something. It has to have some genuine, integral ideas in it with a message and a purpose that means something to the consumer. Otherwise it may well end up being “just a bag with a badge on it” or a “me too” product.
Unless you are just a trader there is no point in this approach.
Let’s help you create a product with meaning and purpose that solves somebody’s problems…
Every product and new brand must mean something – solve somebody’s problem or charm and entertain – and help people somehow – otherwise what is the point?
This is where good Market Research and Design comes in. We are very focused upon conducting the market research for our client’s product ideas – otherwise there is no point in designing.
Our job is to help distil the essence of your bag idea and turn that into a really delightful bag design that captures the brand message you want to communicate.
When we have established the essence of the “brand message” and the purpose of the brand we can design the bag.
If all your Designer wants to know is what it will look like and what other brands it will be like they are really only a Stylist – not a creative Designer.
What’s the difference between a “Stylist” and a Designer?
A Stylist will take something that exists and style it up with image and stories to be very attractive – but may not really be digging deep into the brand message and purpose.
A professional Designer should be looking deep into the heart of the intended brand’s purpose. What problem does it solve? What is it’s “Elevator pitch” – i.e. How you would explain it to somebody who is not design literate in 90 seconds.
When we know your “elevator pitch” we can design your bag for you, so we are here to help you work that out.
As you will gather, these aspects about message, function, purpose and story are what we are interested in as designers.
Think of Design IQ as a really rare example of a Product Design company that cares about what you are going to be telling your customers. Our job is to create the “product that keeps your promise”.
We care that you make money as a consequence of creating a great new product – so we are very upfront about costs – and let you know all about the process before we start on anything.
Hire a Professional Designer and you should have a marketing minded partner who is as focused on the positioning of your brand – your purpose and commercial objectives – as the elegance of the lines of a drawing on paper and the way the bag is sewn up, the way the fabrics fold and the way the shoulder straps fit while you are running for a bus!
Yes, it will cost you some money – but if you hire a good professional designer you will also be hiring a good marketeer at the same time – not just a design technician or stylist.
Footnote:
When I studied at the London Business School on a Entrepreneur scheme in the mid-‘80’s they taught us that “Poor Planning makes for P**s Poor Performance”.
I have learnt that planning and getting the brief right makes all the difference to getting the product just right.
So that’s why we created the “How to Brief Design IQ” document”.
Drop us a line and we will send you a copy to help you start the process to create your new product.
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