Concepts should not live forever in a folder. Most product ideas die between sketch and prototype. Not because the idea was bad. Because the process between the two was treated like a black box — handed to a designer, left for three months, and returned with something that cannot be manufactured, cannot be photographed, or cannot be explained to a buyer.
The gap is not a single step. It is a series of decisions about form, material, manufacturing method, and visual identity. Each decision closes some doors and opens others. If you do not know what those doors are, you are not managing the project. You are hoping.
At Studio Chan, we break the concept-to-prototype path into four phases. Each phase has a clear output, a fixed duration, and a decision gate. Nothing stays in a folder unless it deserves to.
Phase 1: Design audit and intent definition (1–2 weeks)
Phase 1: Design audit and intent definition (1–2 weeks)
Phase 1: Design audit and intent definition (1–2 weeks)
Before we sketch, we audit. We look at the competitive landscape, the retail environment, and the manufacturing constraints. We ask questions that sound simple but rarely are:
What is the actual problem this product solves?
Who buys it, and who uses it?
What is the target landed cost, and what does that imply for material and process?
Does the product need to match an existing range, or start a new one?
The output of this phase is not a design. It is a one-page intent document that every subsequent decision references. If a later sketch contradicts the intent document, the sketch is wrong. Not the document.
Phase 2: Concept development (2–4 weeks)
Phase 2: Concept development (2–4 weeks)
Phase 2: Concept development (2–4 weeks)
This is where ideas become visible. We produce a small number of concept directions — usually two to four — each exploring a different answer to the brief. One might prioritise manufacturing efficiency. One might push material innovation. One might optimise for shelf presence and launch photography.
Each concept includes hand sketches, digital form studies, and early CMF thinking. We do not present polished renders at this stage. Polished renders sell concepts that have not been tested. We want the client to choose a direction based on strategy, not on Photoshop skill.
The decision gate here is simple: pick a direction, or combine elements from two, with a clear hierarchy. No "explore all three in parallel." That is not exploration. That is budget evaporation.
Phase 3: Design refinement and prototyping (3–6 weeks)
Phase 3: Design refinement and prototyping (3–6 weeks)
Phase 3: Design refinement and prototyping (3–6 weeks)
Once a direction is chosen, we refine. Form proportions are locked. CMF is specified with physical samples, not screen colours. Manufacturing methods are validated with our network of UK and overseas suppliers.
Then we build. The prototype might be 3D printed, CNC machined, hand-finished, or a combination. The method depends on what we are testing. If we are testing ergonomics, a rough 3D print is enough. If we are testing finish and photography, we need a higher-fidelity model.
This is where most projects stall. Clients see the first prototype and want to change the form. Or the supplier reveals a manufacturing constraint that was not visible in CAD. Or the CMF sample that looked perfect in the studio looks wrong under retail lighting.
We avoid these stalls by building decision gates into the prototype phase. We review proportions with a rough model before we cut the final surface. We test CMF on flat samples before we apply it to a complex form. We photograph the prototype under retail lighting before we sign off the tooling.
Phase 4: Production specification and launch preparation (2–4 weeks)
Phase 4: Production specification and launch preparation (2–4 weeks)
Phase 4: Production specification and launch preparation (2–4 weeks)
A prototype is not the end of the job. A prototype is evidence that the concept can survive manufacturing. The final phase turns that evidence into a specification pack: 2D drawings, material callouts, finish standards, assembly notes, and packaging requirements.
If the project includes launch content — and at Studio Chan, it often does — this is also where we produce the hero imagery, the product video, and the range architecture documents that sales teams need.
The output is not a folder of concepts. It is a product that is ready to be quoted by manufacturers, presented to buyers, and photographed for launch.
Where the timeline actually goes wrong
Where the timeline actually goes wrong
Where the timeline actually goes wrong
Vague approval chains. A concept that sits with a committee for three weeks while the designer waits for feedback loses momentum and budget.
Scope expansion at the prototype stage. Adding a second SKU, a packaging redesign, or a new material after the prototype is approved restarts the clock.
Manufacturing surprises. The most expensive prototype is the one that looks beautiful in resin but cannot be produced in the target material at the target cost. We catch these by involving manufacturing expertise during concept development, not after.
The photography gap. We have seen too many products reach launch with a prototype that photographs badly — reflective surfaces that catch light unpredictably, colours that shift under flash, proportions that look wrong on a white background. We test photography at the prototype stage because a product that cannot be photographed cannot be sold.
What this means for your budget
What this means for your budget
What this means for your budget
A concept-to-prototype project at Studio Chan typically ranges from £8,000 to £25,000 depending on complexity, fidelity, and whether launch content is included.
This sits within verified UK market rates. Design2Market, a UK product design consultancy, quotes £2,000–£6,000 for initial concept exploration and £12,000–£25,000 for full development of a simple consumer product through to manufacture-ready specification. Idea Reality, another UK studio, prices concept design from £4,500 and concept development at £2,250–£6,000, with a simple non-electronic product typically reaching an initial working prototype at £15,000–£20,000 + VAT. Studio Chan’s range accounts for the added value of launch content (hero imagery, product photography, and range architecture documents) alongside design and prototyping — a hybrid capability most standalone consultancies do not offer in-house.
That is not a small sum. But it is significantly cheaper than tooling a product that fails at launch, or running three rounds of design because the first brief was unclear.
We scope each phase with a fixed fee and a defined output. If you want to pause after concept development, you can. If you want to accelerate into production specification, we know exactly what we are building on.
A good product should be easy to photograph
A good product should be easy to photograph
A good product should be easy to photograph
One of our principles at Studio Chan is that a well-designed product is easy to make look good. Not because the photography is skilled — though ours is — but because the form, material, and finish were chosen with visual communication in mind.
If your prototype requires heroic lighting, heavy retouching, or a specific angle to look acceptable, the design is not finished.
Got a sketch or a sample that needs to become something real?