Most design consultancies create brilliant prototypes, hand them over, and move on to the next project. For years, that’s exactly what we did at npd Studio. Beautiful designs, happy clients, repeat business – the traditional agency model working as intended.
Then something changed. We started investing our own money in select projects.
The Site Pod Story: When Designers Become Investors
When we first worked on Site Pod – modular construction site facilities – we didn’t just see a clever design challenge. We saw construction workers who deserved better facilities and a genuine solution to industry problems we’d witnessed firsthand.
So we made a decision that surprised even us: we invested our own money, time, and expertise.
Today, Site Pod has achieved 600% business growth. We run operations from our Preston facility, managing everything from manufacturing to marketing. More importantly, Site Pod is transforming how construction sites operate across the UK.
But the real transformation wasn’t Site Pod’s success – it was what the experience taught us about product development.
What Investing Teaches You About Design
When your own capital is at risk, every design decision carries different weight. Suddenly, you’re not just asking “Does this look good?” but “Will this actually work in the real world?”
The hard questions we now ask every project:
- Will this genuinely solve the problem it claims to solve?
- Can this be manufactured reliably and cost-effectively?
- Is there real market demand, or just polite interest from focus groups?
- Does the underlying business model actually work?
These aren’t academic questions when your investment depends on getting them right.
From Concept to Reality: The Complete Journey
Our evolution to “design it – build it – sell it” came from living every stage of product development:
Design It
We’ve always excelled at the creative and technical aspects of product development. But now we approach design with commercial reality baked in from day one. We consider manufacturing constraints, supply chain realities, and market positioning before the first sketch is complete.
Build It
Through projects like Site Pod and CypherBlk (our data-wiping solution for smartwatches), we’ve navigated supplier negotiations, managed production scaling, and dealt with the brutal realities of manufacturing timelines. We understand the difference between what looks possible in CAD and what actually works on a production line.
Sell It
Great products are nothing without great positioning. We’ve learned that even perfect solutions fail without proper market strategy. That’s why we now offer marketing, brand development, and launch strategy – because our clients deserve ongoing success, not just beautiful prototypes.
The Reality Check: What We’ve Learned
Investing in our own projects has delivered harsh but valuable lessons:
Features that sound impressive in presentations might be irrelevant to actual users. We’ve watched “game-changing” innovations get ignored by customers who just wanted something simple that worked.
Manufacturing costs can kill brilliant ideas if not considered early. Beautiful designs mean nothing if they can’t be produced profitably at scale.
Supply chain relationships matter more than most startups realise. A single supplier issue can derail months of perfect planning.
Marketing beautiful products is pointless if they don’t solve real problems. We’ve seen gorgeous solutions fail because they addressed problems nobody actually had.
Beyond Financial Returns: The Experience Advantage
While our investments have delivered strong returns (Site Pod’s 600% growth, CypherBlk processing thousands of devices monthly), the real value has been understanding what happens after the design phase.
We’ve experienced the sleepless nights worrying about production delays. The stress of first customer feedback. The excitement of hitting revenue targets. The challenge of scaling operations.
Most importantly, we’ve learned what separates successful products from beautiful failures.
What This Means for Every Client Project
This experience has fundamentally changed how we approach ALL projects, whether we invest or not:
We ask hard commercial questions early – because we know what happens to projects that skip this step.
We design with manufacturing and scaling in mind – because we’ve lived through production nightmares.
We consider the complete customer journey – because we understand what actually drives purchasing decisions.
We help build viable businesses, not just beautiful products – because we’ve seen the difference.
The Future of Product Development: Investment and Management
The traditional agency model – design, handover, move on – is broken for innovative products. As the agency world continues to evolve, we’re moving towards an investment and management model.
We’re still offering design services to our clients, but we’re also expanding into assembly and manufacturing to offer our experience in those areas. The gap between “designed” and “successfully launched” is filled with challenges that most design teams never see.
At npd Studio, we’re bridging that gap by living the complete journey ourselves – and inviting others to join us.
An Open Invitation
We’re now inviting both startups and established businesses who are looking for more than just design to start a conversation about how we might invest in your company.
Whether you’re a startup with a breakthrough idea or an established business exploring new product lines, we bring hard-won experience about what actually works in the real world.
For the right projects, we don’t just consult – we invest our time, expertise, and sometimes our capital to ensure your success. We can take you from concept through manufacturing and assembly, all the way to commercial success.
Because we’ve been where you’re going, and we know what it takes to get there successfully.
Ready to explore what’s possible? Get in touch: hello@npd.studio
Want to see our “design it – build it – sell it” approach in action? Watch Nathan’s tour of our Preston facility where we’re currently manufacturing and assembling products we believe in.
About NPD Studio
NPD Studio is an award-winning product design consultancy specialising in taking technically complex ideas from concept to commercial reality. Based in the North West, we work with innovative companies across all sectors.
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