Questions,
answered.

MatteLab is an independent industrial design studio based between Portland and California that takes hardware products from first sketch to production line. We bring four capabilities together: market research, brand design, industrial design, and production support. That way the opportunity, the brand, the product, and how it is made are shaped in the same conversation, across products such as wearable XR, medical devices, robotics, and consumer tools.

MatteLab offers four connected services: market research, brand design, industrial design, and production support. Market research finds a clear opportunity and the people it serves. Brand design gives the product its identity, name, and story. Industrial design shapes form, function, materials, and use, and develops the concept into specifications and prototypes. Production support is where our production team takes the product through tooling and pilot runs into mass production. Each service can start on its own, and they work best as one process.

Timing depends on the complexity of the product and the stage it is at when we start. Most hardware products take about 6 to 12 months from concept to production, and products with complex electronics or certification requirements usually take 12 to 18 months. As a rough guide, research and industrial design take 1 to 2 months, engineering, DFM, and prototyping 2 to 4 months, and tooling, samples, and pilot production another 2 to 4 months. Share a little about the product and where it is today, and we will start from there.

Pricing depends on the scope of the project and which services it needs. Most projects are priced as a fixed fee for each phase, with an hourly rate for open-ended work such as ongoing production support. US studios typically charge $125 to $250 per hour. As a general guide, a focused design or DFM review is typically under $10k, an industrial design phase $15k to $50k, and a project from concept through production support $50k to $150k or more. Prototype parts, tooling, and certification are generally billed separately. The inquiry form on our contact page asks for a budget range, so we understand the project from the first message.

Yes. MatteLab is an integrated product development studio with its own production capability, so prototyping and mass production are part of the same project as design. Our production team plans how each product will be made, choosing processes, materials, and where in our production network each part is built. We then run tooling, production samples, and EVT, DVT, and PVT pilot runs, with quality control at every stage so that what comes off the line matches the approved design. Finally, we take the product into mass production and stay with it as volumes ramp up. If you already have a factory in place, our production team can manage production there as well.

Yes. We take on DFM-only projects and take over existing designs, from CAD made by another team to a prototype that needs to be ready for production. A focused DFM review typically takes 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the number of parts and their complexity. Product development and production readiness are core to our work: we turn designs into specifications, prototypes, and decisions ready for production. Product development and production support can each be requested on their own, so a project can start where the product is today.

MatteLab is a good fit for teams that want one product development partner from first idea to mass production, with design and production decided in the same process. Early-stage startups come to us to turn an idea into a product with a clear path to market. Growth-stage hardware companies work with us to develop new products and take them into production. Established brands bring us new product lines and redesigns, and universities and research labs work with us to turn research into real products.

Yes. We sign an NDA before you share project details, using your agreement or ours. You own the design IP, including CAD, drawings, and design files, once the project is paid in full. Until an agreement is in place, you can describe the project at a high level through the contact form or at info@mattelab.design.

Tell us what you are making through the contact form or at info@mattelab.design. Share a little about the product, the opportunity, or the production challenge, and we will start from there. After your first message, we generally reply within two business days to set up a short intro call. If needed, we sign an NDA, then send a proposal with scope, timeline, and budget, typically within a week of the call.