Mode Lab 431 NW Flanders St. #302 Portland, OR 97209 +1 (347) 788-0570
business@modelab.is http://modelab.is
Studio Profile | 2018
Statement of Confidentiality This proposal and supporting materials contain confidential and proprietary business information of Mode Lab. These materials may be printed or photocopied for use in evaluating the proposed project, but are not to be shared with other parties.
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
About Us Mode Lab is an advanced product creation consultancy specializing in computational design. We partner with forward-looking design organizations to help accelerate creative and technological innovation.
As product development has become increasingly complex
Our customers span a range of industries and include
and distributed, conventional design tools and workflows
well-known footwear and apparel brands, software
are no longer sufficient to keep up. Every organization now
corporations, automotive OEMs, amongst others. This
faces the challenge of re-configuring themselves to align
cross-industry perspective provides us with a unique lens
with the systems, flows, and exchanges that shape a new
for problem framing and an endless source of insight to
era of design and production.
bring to our work.
Since 2008, we’ve helped start-ups and established brands
We are an ambitious team with over 12 years of
harness the power of computational design to streamline
experience developing groundbreaking products with
creativity, accelerate innovation, and enable a more
design and engineering teams at some of the world’s
seamless transition from prototype to production. With
most innovative brands. Every project that we work on
services spanning computational design sprints, tools and
aims to transform the capabilities of design teams and
methods research, product design, full-stack development,
the organizations they serve. The products and services
and training, we are an end-to-end studio capable of
we deliver are built as parts of larger design systems, and
delivering on tomorrow’s most complex design challenges
fundamentally challenge how these systems function, how
Our computational design framework accelerates
they interact, and what they can produce.
innovation and pushes the boundaries of customization, data-driven performance, and advanced method of make.
Today’s most dominant technology trends are causing a fundamental shift in the behaviors of businesses and consumers alike. Who we are We’re a computational design partner that helps you connect your teams, tools, and workflows. Our mission is to harness the power of computation to streamline creativity, accelerate innovation, and enable a more seamless transition from prototype to production.
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What we do
Computational Design Sprints Product Labs including Design, Technology, and Research Computational Design Training
Mode Lab | Studio Profile | 2018
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Our Team
Project Team
Ronnie Parsons, Founder & CEO Ronnie Parsons is a Co-founder and CEO at Mode Lab, an advanced product creation consultancy specializing in computational design. At Mode Lab, he helps design leaders leverage computational tools and workflows to drive business transformation and organizational change. He is a design executive with over 15 years of experience, including computational systems research and data-driven product innovation. His engagements span across multiple industries, including consumer product, automotive, software, digital manufacturing, and architecture.
Our Computational Design Team Computational Designers are the creative driving force behind the conceptualization and development of disruptive
technology, tools, and design methods. Software Engineers build beautiful, functional software applications to support design, research, and technology
initiatives in creative ways. Strategists lead discovery initiatives to uncover, understand, and plan ways of working for organizational change and
process innovation. Researchers define and shape research tools and methods in the pursuit of novel ways of working and making.
Mode Lab | Studio Profile | 2018
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+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Our Services We’re thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate and explore alongside you the opportunities that Computational Design can bring to your business. Innovation Consulting As product development has become increasingly complex and distributed, conventional design tools and workflows are no longer sufficient to keep up. Every organization must now rise to the challenge of re-configuring themselves to align with the systems, flows, and exchanges that shape a new era of design and production. We work with design leadership to establish an understanding of their
Market Analysis & Industry Insights Strategic Foresight & Trends Tools & Methods
organization and roadmap a strategy to address unmet needs in the market.
Computational Design Sprints The complexity of tomorrow’s challenges requires a more responsive and agile
Product Strategy
design process today. We’ve brought together business strategy, computational thinking, user research, and visual programming methods into a framework that for validating ideas and generating solutions to complex challenges in under a week. This integration enables us to rapidly execute these concepts using
Digital Prototypes Physical Prototypes
advanced design and production systems.
Product Labs Designers need more intelligent and better connected tools in order to keep pace with accelerating technologies and shifts in consumer demand. Our crossfunctional teams address the complex nature of developing products in today’s market by leveraging lean research and agile practices.
Fullstack Development Product Design Research & Strategy
Computational Design Training We are in the midst of a paradigm shift, and teams must understand the nature of this shift in order to design for it. With advances in technology occurring at an exponential rate, continuing education is crucial in order to maintain a competitive advantage in the marketplace, retain talent, and support a positive company culture. We work alongside teams to understand their needs and develop training
Executive Education Computational Design Sprints Tools & Methods
programs tailor-made to their goals. 4
Mode Lab | Studio Profile | 2018
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Case Study
Harry’s | The Winston Razor We designed and developed a data-driven handle texture to enhance the overall visual aesthetic and functional performance of Harry’s signature Winston razor. Harry’s offers innovative shaving products that blend quality craftsmanship and simple design using an exacting
timeless simplicity and modern ergonomics.
construction process and only the finest materials.
Our collaboration with Harry’s integrated a level of
Partnering with uniquely talented craftsmen and
using conventional 3D CAD technology.
designers has allowed Harry’s to create handles that blend
product refinement and detail previously unachievable
https://www.harrys.com
Harry’s required a grip texture that: Embodied Harry’s brand position as an innovator in both aesthetic
Integrated durability and ergonomic product features
design and shaving performance Enhanced the control and positioning of the handle
Mode Lab | Studio Profile | 2018
Complied to injection molding geometry specifications
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+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Case Study Development Mode Lab was tasked with developing a data-driven texture profile that would both embody and further define Harry’s brand position as an innovator in product aesthetics and shaving performance. Our unique ability to architect and develop complex design algorithms allowed us to rapidly iterate with complex, responsive geometry. Initially, we explored a variety of schematic textures in an onsite design session. We mapped grip zones on the handle, identifying
Texture Map
areas for control, manipulation, and requirements for manufacturing. As the project progressed, we narrowed the focus and increased the detail and fidelity of the concepts being explored, providing both visualizations and rapid prototypes to Harry’s design team. The Winston handle features a diamond-textured grip, a nod to the knurl pattern of classic safety razors. The scale and depth of the texture vary based on grip zones identified in the performance maps to create an updated, modern take on knurling.
Project Deliverable Materials Product Design Sprint Algorithm and Product Concept Iterations Product Discovery Document Product Development Files (3D CAD and Visualizations) Final 3D CAD for Manufacturing
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Texture Iterations
Mode Lab | Studio Profile | 2018
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Case Study Timeline Week
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Pre-Flight Discover Explore Develop Prototype Finalize Planning & Strategy
Develop
Define terms, gather relevant project assets, and
Focused development and testing of single performance
synthesize project brief into an actionable roadmap.
system(s) in virtual and/or physical output evaluated
Deliverables:
against performance criteria.
- 3D and 2D Data & Physical Prototypes Audit
Deliverables:
- Product Vision & Design Sprint Outline
- Design Development of Single Design Schematic - Design Engineering for Manufacturing Specifications
Discover
Prototype
Onsite design sprint to gain insight surrounding current
Product testing of product and evaluation by targeted
design approaches, create initial texture concepts, and
users based on performance criteria.
identify relevant performance system(s) for texture profile definition.
Deliverables:
Deliverables:
- Prototype Visualizations
- Onsite Sprint & Market Survey and Product Research
- 3D CAD Files of 2-3 Prototypes
- Physical Prototypes
- Product Discovery Document
Explore
Finalize
Systematic exploration of 2-3 concepts that address
Refinement of prototypes and manufacturing
relevant performance system(s) for texture profile
considerations evaluated against performance criteria.
definition, culminating in the identification of a single schematic to develop.
Deliverables:
Deliverables:
- Design Engineering for Manufacturing Specifications
- Final Product Development Files & Visualizations
- Product Concept Iterations of 2-3 Design Schematics Mode Lab | Studio Profile | 2018
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Grasshopper Primer
+1 (347) 788-0570 | http://modelab.is | business@modelab.is
Dynamo Dictionary
Dynamo Primer