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The Form Designs Monthly
The Latest From the World of New Product Development
We wanted to create a community online to connect all our past, present and future clients. The new product development process can often be daunting and aspiring entrepreneurs should not feel like they are going out alone. We have had the privilege of working with so many great products and companies in the past: if you are having a problem then chances are we can either help you out or know someone who can! We wanted to cultivate a community that supports each other and shares their experiences, challenges and lessons learned, as well as showcasing your wild successes. Each month we will feature a new product, client or project, as well as keeping you up to date with what is happening in the ever-busy Form Designs Studio. I hope this helps you to feel inspired to tackle the challenges ahead and bring your ideas and products to life!
"The wise man learns from someone else's mistakes, the smart man learns from his own, and the stupid one never learns."
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From The Editor
I joined the Form Designs team in the Marketing Department in February of this year. I have found it very inspiring to work with such a creative team at Form Designs and to hear about all the ideas and product concepts that are solving problems in the community and around the world. This publication is one of the initiatives that I wanted to implement to connect people around ideas. My ultimate goal is to develop a large network of people that can share their concepts and products, support each other, become mentors and friends, source potential product growth opportunities, create business partnerships, and connect to potential investors.
Marketing is not about selling, it is about creating and communicating value. Our lives are all too busy to read advertisements in our inbox. Hopefully this publication will provide something of value for you each and every month. If it doesn't, there is an 'unsubscribe' button at the bottom! If you would like to stay in touch for more regular updates, connect with us on social media using the buttons below.
Mitchell Lang
Marketing Department
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Feature: A New Australian Water Meter Cover
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The Problem:
The innovative new water meter cover was created by local Western Australian resident Graham Weatherall. Graham had noticed a common problem with water meters: they need to be accessible and visible for a quarterly reading, yet they are often unsightly and vulnerable to damage. Water meters have traditionally been exposed to the elements and often subject to damage from vehicles, lawn mowers, rubbish bins and other yard activities. It can also be unsafe to have the meter sticking out of the ground, as it is a trip hazard and potentially dangerous to children.
Graham recognised an opportunity to develop a simple product for Australian front yards that will meet these common problems. Many great product ideas have been born out of everyday frustrations and pain points. Graham had for many years been frustrated with water meters and came to see the Form Designs team in August 2013 with the goal of creating something to cover his water meter, and a product to solve the same problem for others.
The Product:
The Australian Water Meter Cover:
- Improves Yard Safety
- Protects Meter from Damage
- Removes Garden Eyesore
The Water Meter Cover is made from injection moulded polypropylene that is resistant to damage from environmental forces. It is strong enough to withstand accidental impacts from objects around the yard. The Water Meter Cover has spikes that hold the structure firmly in the ground. It also has sliding doors that can be easily opened to turn off the water mains and read the meter.
The Design Process:
There were a number of challenges that had to be overcome in the design phase. The design team had to figure out a way to secure the Water Meter Cover in the ground whilst creating a structure that is sturdy enough to withstand impacts from vehicles. To give you an idea of how the concept evolved along the process, see below the initial peg-in frame design, and the final design with integrated sturdy pegs connected to the base legs. The latest design also features rounded ends to give a more aesthetically appealing, and safer, structure.
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The Market:
The target market for the Water Meter Cover is broad. At the moment the cover is designed to house standard Australian water meters, but may evolve into a product for international markets as well. Every yard has a water meter, and the majority of households try to keep their front yards looking neat and tidy (unfortunately not all!) so we believe that there will be a huge market for this relatively simple innovation.
Watch out for the Water Meter Cover as it hits retail shelves, and purchase one for your garden to support a local West Australian inventor!
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The Bionic Barrier
The Future of Shark Mitigation
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The Bionic Barrier is a project from the startup company Global Marine Enclosures. The barrier has made headlines recently as an innovative new design that has the potential to protect beach swimmers without killing sharks unnecessarily. Our design was recently featured in Virgin's blog which showcases entrepreneurial ideas that have the potential to benefit our communities, society, and our planet. It is an honour to be recognised by such a large organisation for the work we are doing with Global Marine Enclosures to find a solution to the complex shark mitigation problem. For those who missed the article, it was featured for World Industrial Design Day on June 29 and can be read below.
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Innovation for Sharks and people
“Design is change”. This World Industrial Design Day, discover a cool new innovation protecting sharks and people.
We are driven by a belief that there will always be a market for something that is fundamentally good: something that makes people’s lives better, and the world a better place to live in. On rare occasions we get the opportunity to bring to life a project that has the potential to profoundly change the world in a positive way.The Bionic Barrier is one of those projects.
We developed the Bionic Barrier in response to a string of fatal shark attacks in Western Australia which had shattered the public’s confidence in our pristine waters. While action seemed necessary, we learnt that governments around the world were destroying sharks to reduce the chance of encounters with humans. We felt there must be a better way to protect swimmers and our beach lifestyle that did not involve killing sharks and other marine animals. The Bionic Barrier is a fully enclosed shark-proof beach swimming enclosure which gives ocean users peace of mind.
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Unlike shark nets, the solid hybrid-plastic structure is environmentally friendly as it does not trap sharks or other marine species. The design allows it to adjust to vertical sea height movements, such as tidal fluctuations. While traditional nets are limited to sheltered bays, the Bionic Barrier is suitable for exposed beaches, surf breaks and all marine environments. The Bionic Barrier is also a cost-effective solution, as it requires minimal ongoing maintenance, has low operating costs and a long expected lifespan. Our solution is environmentally friendly, technologically feasible, and economically viable.
We set up the company Global Marine Enclosures Pty Ltd to scale the technology around the globe. Global Marine Enclosures is a for-profit, for-purpose company that was formed around a single ethos: to preserve life. We dream of a world in which swimmers, sharks, surfers, fish, and all marine creatures have the opportunity to coexist peacefully. We aim to expand into new markets to scale our capacity to protect sharks, marine animals, and people around the globe.
We envisage the barrier technology being used on beaches to protect swimmers and families, behind popular surf breaks, and protecting the stocks and assets of offshore aquaculture farms.
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As inventors, designers and entrepreneurs, we have taken the initiative to create something that will improve the world we live in. We are letting the world know that there is a viable alternative and a better way of doing things: an alternative that has the potential to save thousands of marine species as well as human lives. Our design is just a drop in the ocean, but with the support of business leaders, policy-makers, conservationists and the public, we hope to see our vision spread and transform the ripple into a wave of positive change.
This is a guest blog by Edward Khoury, Managing Director of Form Designs Australia and Inventor of the Bionic Barrier. This is a guest blog and may not represent the views of Virgin.com. Please see virgin.com/terms for more details.
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The New Form Designs Website
Our new website has arrived! We felt that a facelift was needed and have chosen a more visual platform to present all of your fantastic projects and products! We would love to hear from you and feature your thoughts on the development process with your project profile. We would also love testimonials from past clients if anyone would like to refer our services. If your project is not yet featured on the website, don't worry! It is still under development and we are adding more projects each week. Send an email to mitchell@formdesigns.com.au to make sure your project is featured.
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Public Statement Against Misrepresentation
Anyone who follows us on social media may have noticed a recent attack on the company from a number of individuals. We would like to make clear that the allegations made were completely incorrect and defamatory in nature towards the company. Whilst it is unfair that malicious remarks can be made without any factual basis or substantiation, it is clear that those responsible were ignorant of the facts when making the claims.
We have released a full statement on our website that outlines our position and the facts surrounding the project in question. We would like to apologise to anyone who was embroiled in the attack and we hope that we can resolve the matter without the need for legal action.
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Feature Products Coming!
Each week we would like to feature a different product, project, or startup company from our client base. We want to hear about your challenges, your successes and your lessons learned along the way. The article will appear in our website blog, this newsletter, and possibly other industrial design blogs that we contribute to.
If you would like to feature, please get in touch and we will arrange a story:
mitchell@formdesigns.com.au
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Shark Mitigation - A Better Alternative for Western Australia
Ahead of the full environmental assessment of the Western Australian Government's drum line policy, we weighed in on the debate surrounding shark culling in our state.
Colin Barnett and the State Government have admitted that the drum line program is not ideal, but the best option in the absence of a better alternative. We strongly believe that there is now a better alternative: hybrid plastic marine enclosures that offer complete protection within designated swimming zones. This allows each individual to choose their own level of risk: for those who are comfortable swimming with the threat of sharks can swim wherever they like, those that aren't prepared to take on that risk can enjoy the safety and protection of the barrier.
We are hoping to raise public awareness of the benefits of marine enclosures in the coming months and push the State Government to listen to the logic behind them as a viable shark mitigation strategy.
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