The Importance of Prototypes

Lisa and I just returned from exhibiting at the 2006 SURTEX show in NYC (we've been working 20 hour days for the past 6 weeks - that's the reason for the lack of posts) and were reminded of the power of prototyping. We spent the better part of the past month working to create the most effective booth possible, based on what we learned last year.

In 2005 we focused on Lisa's black and white, pen and ink illustrations and had only a few examples of now to apply them to products. The response we got was usually something along the lines of "I love your work, but I'm not quite sure how I'd use it." And we thought it was so obvious. The lesson for us was that the manufacturers and art directors who attend the show need to see how graphics and designs can be applied to their products and categories.

As a result, we did lots of prototyping over the past several months and it appears to have paid off at the show. In reality, we won't know the true results from the show for months, but we had a number of people visit the booth because they saw examples of how Lisa's designs applied to their products. Several art directors and marketing directors literally walked into the booth picked up a prototype and said "I really like this, who'se manufacturing these for you?" The answer was no one (they were all prototypes), but the message was clear: "this is what our stuff could look like on your products."

The lesson for anyone is, if you want someone to understand your vision and concept, they need to be able to see it, touch it and relate to it personally. Make it real.

Several months ago I blogged a review of Tom Kelley's "The Ten Faces of Innovation" in which he talks about the importance of prototyping. I cannot stress this enough. The idea of using prototypes to sell an idea applies to any concept, whether business or creative, and simple prototypes can be your best way of demonstrating your idea to would-be customers, investors or potential business partners.