Style
Each firm’s work has its own visual flavor and you should like what you see. Because design is so much of what you will be selling, the design firm’s aesthetic should excite you first.
We named our firm to describe what is we want consumers to think about the products we design for them – Machineart – style with substance. Our portfolio speaks for itself.

Prior experience
It’s an asset if a design firm already has experience with your kind of business, but it is not essential to being able to develop creative, appropriate solutions. In fact, less knowledge is often an advantage when innovating because “how it’s always been done” doesn’t become a handicap. While it is human nature to want the security of knowing that a design firm already understands your business, it should not be the overriding factor when making a decision. An exception to that rule is products in technically specialized industries, such as surgical tools or automobiles, where the learning curve can be steep. For the most part, a good firm will give you good work even though your product may not appear in its portfolio.
Machineart designs products for a variety of industries and diversity makes us better prepared to solve new problems. We’re not expert in any one area, but we are expert in the design process – it‘s the same regardless of the kind of product being developed.

Services
The range of services offered varies considerably from firm to firm. Finding the mix that fills a client’s needs is a key consideration. Some clients, like entrepreneurs, may need full service support from market research, concept development, engineering, prototyping and testing through to sourcing a manufacturing partner. Others, like established corporations, may only need new concept creation to supplement work underway internally. The biggest design firms work soup to nuts as policy, while smaller firms are more flexible in the kinds of projects they take on.
Machineart designs new concepts, does user interface, design development, parts engineering, prototyping, and model making. In addition, we provide brand identification graphics and point of sales packaging design. We rely on outside experts to provide specialty services such as user needs and market research, electro-mechanical engineering, and mold flow and structural analysis to optimize plastic part design.

The Relationship
The head of a design firm generally introduces its capabilities and body of work. The introductory presentation may relate case studies and insights gained that are pertinent to the proposed project. After the start of a project the size of the firm will determine to what extent the Principal can be involved with a project on an ongoing basis. The larger the firm, the more likely it will be that a Design Director or Project Manager will become the day-to-day contact. In a smaller firm, the Principal is more likely to be involved in the project on a managerial level, if not also in the design effort.
Machineart is a small consultancy whose Principal, Andrew Serbinski, personally manages each project and is responsible to the client for the quality of the deliverables. Staff designers are briefed on all the projects in-house and can stand-in whenever necessary to serve a client’s needs.

Personality
The product design process requires the collaboration of many kinds of people and it can have its moments of stress along with the joys of accomplishment. We all prefer to work with people we like so, other factors being equal, personal chemistry and a compatible attitude can be the deciding factors.
Our philosophy is that, “we can’t do it for you – we can only do it with you”. Our role is to help guide a client through the creative “fuzzy front end” of product design, and to be an advocate for quality execution in the effort to build brand value. We do not “demand” that only our course be followed, however. Our attitude is to be co-operative and respectful of the client’s needs while always steering effort toward quality results.

Location
Ideally, your design firm would be around the corner so you could drop by with a coffee to go over ideas. If that is not possible, distance is less a hindrance to commun- ication today than ever before. Nevertheless, a firm that’s no more than a half-day away will reduce the cost of getting together at key points. Most communication about drawings and 3D CAD files is easily handled via e-mail, while physical model evaluation does require getting together.
Machineart is located in western New Jersey 1 hour 15 minutes away by car from both New York City and Philadelphia. The area is served by Newark Airport, Lehigh Valley International Airport, and Trenton Airport.

Cost of Services
The cost of a project can be presented in several ways. Typically, it is based on hourly rates which either add up to a flat fee, or into totals per phase that add up to a grand total. Expenses are in addition to fees. Some firms work on a royalty basis and negotiate an advance against royalties then receive a percentage of sales or a stake in the business. Hourly rates differ in different parts of the country and are higher in urban areas. Fees on the West Coast and in the cities of the Northeast are higher than those in the South and Mid-West.
Machineart is located in a rural area to keep overhead low. We estimate projects on an hourly basis and write proposals broken-down into phases with an estimate for cost and time to completion for each phase. Fees are typically 10-15% lower than those of urban firms. We know – we’ve worked there. Machineart sticks to its estimates, so long as the client does not request changes or additions that increase the scope of the work. Even if we take longer to complete a task than anticipated, it is not passed-along to the client. Our interest is in developing trust and an ongoing relationship.