FOAMA
Custom foam inserts
FOAMA, Canadian company located in Ontario, that specializes in custom foam inserts. That work with a variety of different industries from film to medical equipment. My position in this organization is to understand the necessities of our clients by designing an elegant and user friendly solution, made with high quality foam that protects any fragile gear.
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My role
Working at Foama as the product designer, my role is to proactively identify my clients needs, through a human centered design approach, convert the broad information into a useful, valuable and detail oriented design solution for our customers and businesses.
My work consist on a day to day problem solving at all the levels of product development, from the initial phase when meeting the client to the moment when we deliver the final product. Working in a fast-paced environment, requires managing the workload in a way that will facilitate and therefore accelerate the work of the other branches of the company, as production, marketing and sales.
This level of cross-functional collaboration, demandes efficient communication as well as being flexible with managing different tasks at the same time and therefore being a fast learner.
Overcoming challenges wouldn't be possible without visualizing my limitations, consulting seniors of the company and being able to learn from those setbacks.
Developing a relationship with stakeholders is also an important aspect of my job, this leads to referrals and positive reviews on social media which creates a strong reputation for the company.
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MEETING CLIENTS AND SCANNING THEIR EQUIPMENT
Most of Foama's clients come from social media, mainly Instagram where most of my recent projects are showcased every month.
Every project starts with few questions that help me as a designer understand how they want their custom foam insert to work for them. Some of our clients are starting photographers that are looking for and elegant and professional packaging helping them establish their brand in the industry.
Others are already well established businesses businesses in their industry, requiring custom foam inserts that are organized, compact and user friendly.
Understanding the function of the equipment and how the client interacts with it, allows me to place it in a way that will best be protected and where it is more useful when having to use it.
The following step of the design is scanning their equipment, there are occasions where the client lives outside of the country, unable to come to the office for a scan. If we do not have the 3D model in our data, than in those cases, we receive a 3D file from the customer, we may contact one of our clients that may have those items in their procession. Or look for technical drawing online After gathering all the information from the client I can start the design, and keep the client informed f the process of his design.
 Habibi lenses |  B-Camera |
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 Pink case |  NRG7 |
 FX3 |  Oculus 2 |
 B-Camera |  G Technology |
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3D RENDER AND TECHNICAL DRAWING
The design process is done after receiving all the necessary information about the client and the industry in which they work.
There are a few questions that I ask my clients before initiating the design process, for example: " Do you have a preference on how you would like your equipment to be displayed within the case?" Particularly in the film industry they usually have their camera set up in a way that what is most used would be placed in the front of the case.
The industry in which they operate is also a factor in the visual aspect of the custom foam insert, if their work on a movie set, usually obscure environment with very little lighting, I will recommend my client to choose a flashy color as Yellow and Green. Allowing them to quickly see, and manipulate their equipment without having to depend on an extra light.
The detail of the design will depend on the equipment, if I am designing for a heavy lens, the slot will have to be a tight fit to prevent the lense from moving around. The way the client interacts with their product is also an important factor, if the customer takes both his hands to grab his camera for example, then two insertions placed on both side of the equipment will be placed to allow the customer to easily take out his product. The bigger and heavier the item is, the deep and larger will the space for the hands to grab the equipment will be.
Once a design has been made, a few renders of the custom foam insert is sent to the client, I then discuss how they would like to modify their case, by giving them new options as adding their logo to the lid of the case, which is an extra cost. However it gives the client the advantage to expose their brand when working on different movie sets.
The facility in which we try to be as flexible as possible and anticipate their needs, usually leads to long term collaboration with the client and therefore new projects.
When working with companies as Nanuk, technical drawing are required, they are then checked by their design and engineering team before their order is sent to production.
Short animations are useful tools used to communicate to businesses how their equipment is going to fit within their custom foam insert. Visually explaining the overall size of the case and how their camera is taken out the insert, as well as where the other items go within the case.
At the end of it all, it is the final look of the design that will leave an impact on the primary consumer, that is why when designing for the latest high-end technology brought into the market, paying attention to the product's design language, and replicating that style in my design is key to creating an elegant product.
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PRODUCTION AND QUALITY CHECK
Communication between the designer and production is important to deliver a quality product at a high paced. Understanding the manufacturing process, as well as the limitation of the material used for our custom foam inserts helps me comprehend the limitations of my designs.
It was also through constant collaboration with the production team that a better understanding of their work process made the difference when designing. Keeping in mind to create designs that are self explanatory for production and simple to assemble.
Prototypes are key tools when producing quality products, especially when producing a large quantity of the same design. Working with resealers requires the input of different stakeholders and therefore various modifications of the design, that is why prototypes are very useful as it allows the client to directly interact with the product, give us detailed feedback, which is clearer than a 3D render.
Even if the client is on another continent, shipping a prototype allows us to accelerate the design process rather than send endless emails that are based on renders.
Before we ship or have the client pick up their custom foam insert, a quality control is done, checking that there was no mistake that could have been made during the production process, and that the product aligns with my render. With long time customers a little coffee coaster with their logo or the image of their favourite motorcycle, made from our waste foam (upcycling) is always a little gift that keeps a strong relationship with a liable consumer, but more importantly a happy client.
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CLIENT SATISFACTION
Client satisfaction says a lot about my design, it is often after a first project after the customer has seen the equipment placed in a new home, and telling me that they have other equipment that don't have custom foam inserts, that I know my design responded to the clients needs.
The design aspect they often comment on is the consistency of my work, taking the time to understand their needs, keeping the same design language for every project that is linked to their brand, and understanding how to best display their equipment in a way that makes their interaction easier.
Another indicator of happy customers are the positive reviews our clients post on Instagram, it is a pleasure seeing my design being used in its natural environment and accomplishing their purpose.
Since the company has been growing our business has expanded beyond the borders of North America. As we get recommended by local clients that work internationally. We currently collaborate with companies located in England and Asia for example ARRI Hong kong . Therefore new challenging and exciting projects gets sent my way.
companies collaborated with
"World's Best Protective Cases Built to Organize, Protect and Carry."
"Leading designer and manufacturer of camera and lighting systems for the film and broadcast industry, with a worldwide distribution and service"
"Offers commercial, consumer & custom drones for all needs. Buy Drones Online Servicing, Repairs, Education"