From KeyShot to 3D Print: How Priority Designs Simplified Its Design Workflow

Good product design is hard to define, but most people know it when they see it. The role of a product designer is to outline a concept and bring it to life, making sure that the idea in their head not only works correctly, but is user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. It’s a difficult process to get right, but Priority Designs is a proven leader in the design consultancy space.

Priority Designs is an industrial design consultancy based in Columbus, Ohio. The team works with clients to help build “pretty much anything they need,” as prototype specialist Billy Rupe puts it. The company sees product design as a form of problem solving, and its role is to find solutions for customers, creating products that are simpler to manufacture, easier to use, and just work better.

“Product design is about putting the users first – we’re trying to create something that makes their life easier, and a little bit more seamless,” explained Industrial Designer Emily Stokes.

Priority Designs combines a cross-functional team with modern prototyping tools and a true passion for design, which means it can help clients at every stage of the design process. One of those prototyping tools includes additive manufacturing – and recently, PolyJet Technology™ from Stratasys.
When the team got the most recent PolyJet 3D printer, the office-friendly J55™ Prime, they knew it would transform their prototyping process.
This process typically involves a range of tools, especially at the initial ideation step – the team relies on pen-and-paper sketches, digital renders, and Photoshop images to collaborate and get their ideas across.