Tarlow Design

Tea Magic by Mr. Stove.

A classic from the Tarlow Design archives. Clean lines, smart design, built to last. ☕

Why prototyping saves money & how it works.
Swipe to see the full process →

Prototyping is an essential part of the product development process… especially if it’s something that’s going to be held or worn by an individual.

The strategy is to make quick prototypes that confirm the look and feel. High density foam, foam core board, even modeling clay: fast, cheap, and effective.

Once the shape and feel are confirmed, we move to CAD engineering drawings, allowing us to 3D print parts and assemble a prototype that’s fairly close to the real thing.

The early stages also involve sourcing stock parts (like gear motors or k***s) to see how they’ll fit into the housing.

If the product includes electronics, an electronic engineer can design a PC board and the components needed to make your product work.

The closer you get to a real working product, the more confidence investors will have — making it more “bankable.” Funding is always a key factor at every stage of the process.

A great prototype doesn’t just prove the idea. It funds the next step.

Never get caught without it again. 💙🧻

Introducing Spare Square — the compact travel toilet paper designed for life on the go. Discreet, lightweight, and ready for wherever the journey takes you. The travel essential you didn’t know you were missing.

Would you travel with one? Tag someone who needs this in their bag 👇

You built the product. Now what? 🤔

Patent it, manufacture it, license it, or sell it outright? These aren’t decisions you make at the end. They’re decisions you should be thinking about from day one. Each path has a completely different risk profile, upfront cost, and earning potential. The right one depends on your idea, your budget, and how much of the journey you want to take on yourself.

Which path would you choose? Drop it below 👇

The client came to us with beautiful renderings and one problem… no idea how the product would actually work. 👇

We figured out the pill removal mechanism, the rising and lowering of the dispensing system, the electronics, the software, the user interface, and the PCB design and fabrication.

Swipe to see how it came together →