Serving Los Angeles
Product Design Services for Los Angeles Brands and Founders
Concept, industrial design and production-ready CAD, done by engineers
Design that cannot be built is decoration. Our industrial design work is done alongside the mechanical and electrical engineers who will have to make it real, so the shape you approve is the shape that ships.
We work with Los Angeles clients remotely from our Louisiana engineering base, with late-day overlap for Pacific time and rates well below LA studio pricing.
- Concept from $3,500
- Production CAD in 5 – 10 weeks
- Designed by engineers
- You own the files
Who designs products for Los Angeles brands?
Short answer
LA NPDT provides product design services to Los Angeles brands and founders: research, concept design, industrial design, production-ready CAD, design for manufacture and renders. Design projects typically run $3,500 to $12,000 for concept work alone and $9,000 to $30,000 through production CAD, in two to ten weeks, and the same team can engineer, prototype and manufacture the product afterwards.
The difference on this page is the sentence above: most LA studios stop at the design package. Ours is drawn by the people who then have to build the thing, which is why our CAD arrives with wall thickness, draft, fastening and internal volumes already resolved.
What our design work covers
- Concept design: research, sketch exploration, scored direction selection.
- Industrial design: form, materials, colour, finish and the details a photographer will find.
- Production CAD: real dimensions, internal volumes, draft, wall thickness and fastening.
- Design for manufacture: choosing processes and geometry that hit your unit cost at your volume.
- Renders and appearance models for buyers, investors and crowdfunding.
LA NPDT compared with Los Angeles design studios
The design work looks similar on a portfolio page. What differs is what happens after the design is approved.
A design package that cannot be built is the most expensive document in product development. Our industrial designers sit with the mechanical and electrical engineers who will have to make it real, so wall thickness, draft, fastening, board size and battery volume are settled while the form is still moving.
Los Angeles-area industrial design studios compared on advertised scope
| Studio | Base | Design scope advertised | What happens after design | Why a client might pick us instead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LA NPDTUs | Ruston, Louisiana — serving LA remotely | Research, concept design, industrial design, production CAD, DFM, renders | Same team engineers, prototypes, tests and produces the first run | The shape you approve is drawn by people who then have to make it |
| RKS Design | Thousand Oaks, CA (founded 1980) | Human-centred industrial design with its Psycho-Aesthetics methodology, plus product engineering | Engineering advertised; manufacturing not advertised in house | We carry the same product into prototypes and short-run production |
| Tandem Design | Los Angeles / Orange County (founded 2009) | Industrial design, mechanical engineering, 'full stack' product development | Full-stack development advertised; production through partners | Fewer partners in the chain, and Louisiana overhead instead of LA overhead |
| FILE2FAB | Los Angeles, CA | Concept development, design refinement, industrial design, prototyping for startups and individuals | Production guidance for manufacturability | Electronics and firmware in the same team when the product is connected or powered |
LA NPDTUs
- Base
- Ruston, Louisiana — serving LA remotely
- Design scope advertised
- Research, concept design, industrial design, production CAD, DFM, renders
- What happens after design
- Same team engineers, prototypes, tests and produces the first run
- Why a client might pick us instead
- The shape you approve is drawn by people who then have to make it
RKS Design
- Base
- Thousand Oaks, CA (founded 1980)
- Design scope advertised
- Human-centred industrial design with its Psycho-Aesthetics methodology, plus product engineering
- What happens after design
- Engineering advertised; manufacturing not advertised in house
- Why a client might pick us instead
- We carry the same product into prototypes and short-run production
Tandem Design
- Base
- Los Angeles / Orange County (founded 2009)
- Design scope advertised
- Industrial design, mechanical engineering, 'full stack' product development
- What happens after design
- Full-stack development advertised; production through partners
- Why a client might pick us instead
- Fewer partners in the chain, and Louisiana overhead instead of LA overhead
FILE2FAB
- Base
- Los Angeles, CA
- Design scope advertised
- Concept development, design refinement, industrial design, prototyping for startups and individuals
- What happens after design
- Production guidance for manufacturability
- Why a client might pick us instead
- Electronics and firmware in the same team when the product is connected or powered
Facts taken from each firm's own public website in August 2026 and describe the services they advertise, not our opinion of their work. The last column is our own positioning, not a claim about them.
What product design costs in this market
Design scope, budget band and duration
| Design scope | Typical budget band | Typical duration | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concept exploration | $3,500 – $8,000 | 2 – 3 weeks | Sketch directions and a scored recommendation |
| Industrial design to chosen direction | $6,000 – $15,000 | 3 – 6 weeks | Refined form, CMF, control renders |
| Production CAD and DFM | $9,000 – $30,000 | 5 – 10 weeks | Manufacturable CAD, drawings, DFM notes |
| Appearance model from the design | $1,500 – $6,000 | 1 – 2 weeks | A model that photographs as the product |
Concept exploration
- Typical budget band
- $3,500 – $8,000
- Typical duration
- 2 – 3 weeks
- Deliverable
- Sketch directions and a scored recommendation
Industrial design to chosen direction
- Typical budget band
- $6,000 – $15,000
- Typical duration
- 3 – 6 weeks
- Deliverable
- Refined form, CMF, control renders
Production CAD and DFM
- Typical budget band
- $9,000 – $30,000
- Typical duration
- 5 – 10 weeks
- Deliverable
- Manufacturable CAD, drawings, DFM notes
Appearance model from the design
- Typical budget band
- $1,500 – $6,000
- Typical duration
- 1 – 2 weeks
- Deliverable
- A model that photographs as the product
Bands are from our recent work and exclude tooling. A fixed quote follows your brief.
Design work you can look at
How long each design deliverable takes
Typical elapsed time from a signed brief, assuming one round of feedback per stage.
Design deliverable, lead time and what it unlocks
| Deliverable | Typical lead time | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Signed design brief | 2 – 4 days | Scope, target cost and constraints agreed in writing |
| Sketch directions | 1 – 2 weeks | A direction chosen before any CAD time is spent |
| Refined industrial design and CMF | 2 – 4 weeks | Form, materials, colour and finish locked |
| Control renders | 3 – 5 days after design lock | Buyer meetings, campaign pages, pitch decks |
| Appearance model shipped to LA | 1 – 2 weeks plus 2 – 3 days transit | Something to hold, photograph and test in front of people |
| Production-ready CAD and drawings | 3 – 6 weeks after design lock | Quoting, tooling and engineering release |
Signed design brief
- Typical lead time
- 2 – 4 days
- What it unlocks
- Scope, target cost and constraints agreed in writing
Sketch directions
- Typical lead time
- 1 – 2 weeks
- What it unlocks
- A direction chosen before any CAD time is spent
Refined industrial design and CMF
- Typical lead time
- 2 – 4 weeks
- What it unlocks
- Form, materials, colour and finish locked
Control renders
- Typical lead time
- 3 – 5 days after design lock
- What it unlocks
- Buyer meetings, campaign pages, pitch decks
Appearance model shipped to LA
- Typical lead time
- 1 – 2 weeks plus 2 – 3 days transit
- What it unlocks
- Something to hold, photograph and test in front of people
Production-ready CAD and drawings
- Typical lead time
- 3 – 6 weeks after design lock
- What it unlocks
- Quoting, tooling and engineering release
Stages overlap where the risk allows, so a full design programme is usually shorter than the sum of these rows.
Not an LA office — an LA client base
Short answer
We are not headquartered in Los Angeles. Our engineers work from Ruston, Louisiana and serve Los Angeles clients remotely, with Pacific-time overlap into the afternoon and prototypes in the LA area within two to three days.
For a design project that means renders and CAD reviewed in a shared browser session, physical appearance models couriered to you, and a designer who answers late in your afternoon rather than at nine the next morning.
- How we work with Los Angeles clientsThe full picture: scope, costs, named-firm comparison and logistics.
Where to go next
- Concept designThe full guide to turning an idea into sketches, CAD and renders.
- Product development for Los Angeles clientsHow we work with LA founders and brands, and what it costs.
- Prototyping for Los AngelesWorking prototypes shipped to LA, built by our own engineers.
- Service areasHow we work with clients in every US metro from our Louisiana base.
- Product development portfolioProducts we designed, engineered and manufactured.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer product design services in Los Angeles?
Yes. We serve Los Angeles clients remotely from our Louisiana engineering base, with Pacific-time overlap, shipped prototypes and on-site attendance when a project needs it.
Is there a product design firm in Los Angeles that also does engineering?
Several advertise both — RKS Design in Thousand Oaks and Tandem Design in Los Angeles among them. We go a step further and also build the prototypes and the first production run in the same team.
How much do product design services cost in Los Angeles?
Concept exploration typically runs $3,500 to $8,000, industrial design $6,000 to $15,000, and production-ready CAD with DFM $9,000 to $30,000. Our Louisiana overhead keeps those bands below LA studio pricing for the same senior hours.
How long does a product design project take?
Two to three weeks for concept exploration, three to six weeks for industrial design, and five to ten weeks to reach production-ready CAD, depending on how many directions you want to see.
Can you design and engineer the same product?
Yes — that is the point of the way we are set up. Industrial design, mechanical engineering, electronics and firmware are all in house, so the design is engineered as it is drawn.
Do I own the design files?
Yes. Source CAD, drawings and design files transfer to you as the project closes out, and everything is under NDA from the first conversation.
Can you work to a retail or crowdfunding launch date?
Yes. We schedule backwards from the date and stage the deliverables — renders and appearance models first when they are needed for a buyer meeting or a campaign page, engineering behind them.
Where to go next
- Concept designThe full guide to turning an idea into sketches, CAD and renders.
- Product development for Los Angeles clientsHow we work with LA founders and brands, and what it costs.
- Rapid prototypingHow we build working prototypes and what they cost.
- Service areasHow we work with clients in every US metro from our Louisiana base.
- Product development portfolioProducts we designed, engineered and manufactured.
