Product creation, design & innovation

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About

Gusto Design Ltd is involved with the design and development of award winning products for international markets. Our extensive experience across a number of sectors means that we can take a project from initial design brief right the way through to final production and beyond.

Our core skills are a blend of art, science, engineering and innovation and we work closely with clients to deliver an aspirational vision.

We are equally comfortable developing small batches of technology demonstrators for blue chip companies (eg Intel) as producing mainstream commercial products produced in annual quantities of many millions (eg Boots). Clients include Intel, Boots, Thulé, Body Shop, Lego, Escada, Unilever, E.ON, Cyden.

gusto-clients

Process

We work with most companies at board or senior management level on strategic innovation projects. Every project is different and we thrive on the challenge to create the new, but think and act responsibly regarding sustainability, cultural and social issues. Above is a selection of our work - please have a browse and feel free to contact us if you have a project to discuss or if you just want more information.

Designers Accord

We are proud to be part of the Designers Accord: 'a coalition of designers, educators, researchers, engineers, business consultants, and corporations, who are working together to create positive environmental and social impact.' Click logo to find out more.

gusto-designers-accord

Activities

Ethnography Studies - We employ ethnographers as part of the team and will make observations which will often help to identify unexpected user, cultural and societal opportunities. We strive for inclusive user centred solutions to design problems throughout the design process.

Theme Development - expressive objects or images which define a project before a brief is available.

Carbon Footprinting/Sustainability Evaluation - of existing products, competitor products and prototypes - we use theoretical models and laboratory measurement equipment to evaluate the appropriate elements of performance. Such quantitative measures then complement the qualitative design aspects of a project.

Conceptual Design - divergent thinking. Drawing and making - we draw and make extensively throughout most projects. We focus on the identification of (often unexpected) opportunities. This is invention in its rawest state and is all about lateral and divergent thinking.

Strategic Design - this is a consciously broad version of conceptual design involving the purposeful development of strategies, brands and product ranges over the longer term.king.

Design Development - we take disparate design concepts and synthesize them into one or more coherent design solutions. Convergent thinking.

Model Making & Prototyping - we generate an engineering specification for models or prototypes of objects before committing the client to any production investment. These can be extremely detailed and convincing and can be used for press and advance publicity before any production objects are available.

Computer Solid & Surface Modelling/CAD - we generate computer models of final objects to resolve visual and technical issues in a cost effective way. We also employ rapid prototyping which is essentially model-making driven by the computer data (eg SLA, SLS, FDM, LOM...) . Computer graphic manipulations are used for the simple exploration of colour or material or configuration/detailing.

Production Design - we have experience of an extremely wide selection of materials and production processes from high volume injection moulded plastics, through rapid manufacture to low volume CNC metal working.

Packaging - we will design packaging if there is a challenging core idea. (eg The Body Shop. Boots)

Point of Sale/Exhibition design - we are regularly employed to continue our vision into POS and exhibition design.

Production Liaison with toolmakers, moulders and manufacturers - an essential element to any project. As far as possible we try to insist on continued involvement with a project through to production and beyond. That way, we can ensure that the original vision is realised fully in the final production objects. It is not unusual for us to contribute hands on interaction with tooling and production lines!

Background

Principal Designer & Managing Director

Principal Designer and Managing Director, Neil Barron has a background in engineering and manufacturing through Rolls-Royce Aero engines and Aeronautical Engineering: this was later complemented by studying Industrial Design at postgraduate level and by engaging in research at the Royal College of Art, London for the award of Master of Philosophy.

Neil continues his links with education as a part time senior tutor at the Royal College of Art and Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor in Innovation at Queen Mary University of London.

Contributing Designers

Other members of Gusto are Graduates and Postgraduates in Industrial Design and Three Dimensional Design.

Gusto operates a flexible company structure to enable teams to be assembled on a project by project basis. Neil goes to each and every briefing to ensure that the needs of the client and the end user are correctly interpreted from the start.

Contact

5 torrens street, london, UK, EC1V 1NQ
Email: info@gusto.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)207 736 8828