Project Detail

Description

I have successfully developed a half-dozen products with US-based Industrial Designers in the past. I’ve always used Coroflot. That was in my corporate role, and now I’m starting my own business – and thought I would try using GAF for this next project.

So I’m considering building a reel lawn mower. (The old-fashioned kind that doesn’t use a motor – just a spinning series of blades. Do a Google image search on “Reel Mower” if you need to see what I’m talking about.) What I don’t know is whether I can have one built that looks cool and different. My willingness to enter this market is based on the belief that I can have a better looking design that also has some interesting feature upgrades. Your ideation will help drive my understanding of the opportunity.

What I need at this stage is talented industrial designers (you) to do their thing – that is, apply your training and background to create some designs.

I typically leave specs wide open for designers and give them the most latitude possible. (The spec is this simple: A manual reel mower that looks cool and has meaningful features.) The rest is up to you! I’ll be happy to answer questions, but I don’t want to influence you before your design process begins.

Your output should be submitted as pdf files. They may be freehand sketches that are scanned or they may be computer generated. Color or black and white - whatever suits you. 2D or 3D - whatever. I don’t require dimensioned prints or engineering drawings or anything like that; just solid, creative ideation. I typically look for six to twelve sheets when I source this work domestically. Your sheets would likely include sketches of little details (a height-adjustment system here, a hanging system there), overall design studies, notes on critical dimensions, notes on special features (e.g. “stainless steel screw resists rust”), etc.

So why a mini-competition? Industrial Designers love competitions! That, and I’d like to see what a range of designers can create on this project. By creating this as a competition, I can give this project to multiple designers to get a range of input. (In my mind, I imagine a handful of designers sitting in a café in India hashing out a few ideas while a lone creative sits in an apartment in San Francisco, sketching away at one in the morning. I love GAF!)

Here’s how this project will proceed:

1) You must bid $100 on this project to be considered.
2) In the PM accompanying your bid, please include portfolio documents that represent your best conceptual work.
3) I will choose the best 5 respondents (assuming that there are at least 5 respondents) based on the strength of the portfolio documents that they submit.
4) I will open a project for $100 to each of the five respondents.
5) The deadline for materials submission will be ten days after the project is awarded. Each of the five respondents will send their work. I would expect a minimum of six separate concept sheets from each respondent.
6) At the end of the seven days, I will close the project and evaluate the work submitted by each of the designers.
7) Each of the five designers will be paid the $100 that they bid on the project. (Yes, all designs belong to me rights-free once they are submitted, as is typical.)
8) The designer whose work I consider to be the best (most thorough, most creative, most implementable) will be awarded an additional $400! (A total of $500.) That’s the carrot here – you have a 20% chance of earning $500 for a few hours of ideation.
9) The designer whose work I consider to be the runner up will be awarded an additional $200. (A total of $300.)
10) In the end, I’m going to pay $1,000 for the work, but I’m going to pay it out to five designers. Everybody that bids will be considered and five respondents will each earn $100 plus the option to earn more.

Sound like a fun challenge? Let’s begin! Bid to open and PM some portfolio documents.