Culture
In our view, new products will not only impact the world that we live in at an environmental level, but will also shape societies and minds. That’s why all we do is done responsibly, mindfully and with consideration for every detail.
We believe that ecology and economics go hand-in-hand, and that it is only possible to make impactful changes if the two are perfectly aligned, enabling new products to be better made and made better. Sustainability needs to be built into new products from the business plan phase before industrial design intervenes. We help the brands we work with navigate through the complexities of making this happen, enabling them to make more informed business decisions and enhancing awareness of our role in the supply chain and use of the world resources .
Our focus is on achieving results, so we face challenges with honesty and transparency. We take our work seriously but we don’t forget to have a bit of fun along the way, so positivity is contagious throughout our team and clients. Our work environment has a relaxed and proactive vibe and good humour is always welcome.
The Founder
Fabio Salvador
Industrial Designer and Founder of Makers Department
While living in Lisbon during his degree studies, Fabio developed a passion for understanding the origin of things, their materials and manufacturing methods. Before he started working as a designer, he spent a lot of time with entrepreneurial members of his family and friends, absorbing rich knowledge of business.
In 2011 he moved to London and got to work with renowned designers, brands and institutions including Bosch Appliances, McLaren Automotive and the Victoria and Albert Museum, which helped shape his demanding quality standards. In the past 6 years, Fabio has been heavily involved with the startup scene in London, helping a number of early-stage consumer product brands achieve success.
Fabio’s knowledge of materials and environment awareness combined with his passion for product shaping and entrepreneurship motivated him to start Makers Department in late 2017. Since then, Fabio prides himself on having built a stimulating and fun work environment where creative freedom is the key to achieving great work and building long-lasting relationships with clients based on good ethics and ultimately trust.
Our Approach
Our process “recipe” is iterative, caring, collaborative and accommodating all so that we can achieve better results faster, together.
Iterative
Following design-thinking methodologies, we break projects into short and focused bursts of work which we call “sprints” or “phases”. In each of these sprints we aim to learn as much as possible from the design challenges we face and validate solutions we can take forward to the next design phase.
Iterating over several sprints allows us to course-correct constantly by refining our understanding of the product needs and getting closer to a good solution. This process allows us to see the next phase through a clearer lens and gives you the opportunity to have input throughout the design process.
Collaborative
We work with our clients rather than for them. We like to roll up our sleeves and work alongside our clients to envision new opportunities that we can rapidly release into market-ready solutions. This is why we have built our workplace and our digital infrastructure so that our clients can follow the full process and engage in decision-making along the way.
Working with large and well-established companies has given us invaluable experience in both business and manufacturing over the years. It has connected us with an incredible pool of talent and knowledge that helps us bring unparalleled value to our clients and empower them to access areas beyond design, creating strong business relationships based on trust.
Additionally, our wide network of consultants and contractors helps complement our offering by widening the range of skills, tools and technologies at our disposal, so that no project is too big nor too complex for us.
Caring
We are convinced that design has an important role to play in society, and that good design is responsible and user-centred. Recycling, repairability and the circular economy are considerations always present in our minds.
We will always encourage and influence our clients to lean towards ethical and ecologically responsible decisions because we are committed to doing our bit to make the world a better place one step at a time, thinking critically and acting with integrity.
We also believe in developing rich, lasting human relations with those around us. Communication with us will always be timely and straightforward. Our team structure is designed to ease the decision-making process by having dedicated designers that take care of each client, resulting in faster and more effective communication.
Accommodating
Each business has different needs, so we create bespoke project plans by adapting our processes accordingly, accounting for time, budget and engineering constraints.
In order to start a new project, we encourage businesses to share the full “picture” of how our collaborative work will sit within your business. Each project is unique and everyone likes to do things a bit differently, so we fit our process around our clients’ needs, preferences and business structure. Our small scale but large network enables us to assemble specialised teams involving the most talented professionals to deliver a great service, giving your project the best chance to achieve success.
Hiring.
We are building a stimulating and collaborative space where each designer has a voice and the opportunity to develop their creativity.
We often have opportunities for talented and passionate professionals to collaborate with us or join the team. Get in touch and share some examples of your work, and to spice it up tell us what problem in the world do you feel committed to solving within your lifetime.
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