At Mouse Design, we regularly receive enquiries from entrepreneurs and start-ups with exciting new ideas. Some have sketches, others have detailed drawings or AI-generated images. Many have never developed a product before. And there’s one mistake we see surprisingly often. People send us their entire invention before they’ve even considered protecting it. We love hearing about new ideas, but there’s a better way to get started.
It’s especially important if your idea includes innovative mechanisms, confidential designs or potentially patentable technology. At Mouse, we’re happy to provide a free NDA before you tell us anything confidential. You don’t need to explain every detail in your first email. Just tell us roughly what you’re developing, and we’ll take it from there.
Just because you’re paying someone to design your product doesn’t automatically mean you own all the CAD files, technical drawings and intellectual property (IP) they create. An NDA protects confidentiality. A development agreement should establish who owns the resulting design work, what’s included and what you’ll receive. At Mouse, we believe these details should be clear before development starts. After all, you’re investing in your product’s future. You need to know what you’re paying for and whether you can take your design to another manufacturer if necessary.
It’s easy to create an impressive rendering. It’s much harder to develop a product that’s functional, durable and commercially viable. Between us, we’ve spent decades designing, engineering and manufacturing physical products. We’ve worked directly with factories in the UK and overseas, and our Chester workshop allows us to prototype, test and refine designs in-house. We know how small design decisions can have big implications for tooling, assembly, materials and manufacturing costs. That’s why we always think beyond the pretty picture.
Take a look at some of the products we’ve helped bring to life.
And we’ll probably start by asking some fairly simple questions.
These conversations help us understand whether there’s a viable product worth developing and how we can help. We then break development into manageable stages, from initial concepts and prototyping through to engineering and manufacture. Not every project needs every stage. Our aim is to help you make informed decisions, avoid unnecessary costs and spend your money where it matters most.
Not necessarily for an initial conversation, but we recommend one before sharing confidential technical details or potentially patentable information.
Absolutely. We offer a free NDA so you can discuss your confidential idea with us.
Ownership depends on your agreement. Make sure IP rights, CAD files and manufacturing deliverables are clearly covered before work begins.
Yes. You don’t need drawings, CAD models or a working prototype. We can help develop your idea from the very beginning.
Yes. We can support everything from prototypes and small production runs to sourcing and managing larger-scale manufacture.
We’ll start with a free NDA, then have a straightforward conversation about your project, the challenges and the best route forward.
