The Good Client.

A friend recently asked me “who is the perfect client?” My first response was “there are no perfect clients, but we do have several good clients”. I told him we base our clients on three criteria: A client who pays on time, a client that can produce a great portfolio piece and a client who is fun to work with. A good client meets at least two of these criteria.

For instance, a client that pays on time and is fun to work with is a good experience for us; the end product/service might not be a show piece but that’s ok. There are a few clients that meet all three and that makes my job all that much better!

Maybe I'm old school . . .

Sculpting foam by hand is a tool Product designers have been using for years. However, it seems to me that designers are now often turning to digital methods (like CAD modeling and rendering programs) to convey their initial thoughts in a finished form.

Aren't we missing something? These tools are impressive and without doubt have a visual "wow" factor. However, I'm not sure we're really exploring concepts without truly seeing and feeling them in three dimensions.

Quick foam study models don't have the glamor or glitz of a 3D rendering - but they're not supposed too. They're used to assist designers (and clients) - you can't hold a rendering in your hands and know if it feels right. Is it too big or small, to heavy or light?

Maybe I'm old school but I think this is an important step - long live the foam!