How we test a new design before you see it

A model that looks right on a screen and a model that works as a physical object are two different things. We print every new design in a plain color before it earns a listing.

The test sequence

• Print one at the intended size in a neutral color, so we are judging shape rather than color.
• Print one 20% smaller, to find the size where the detail collapses.
• Drop it onto a hard floor from waist height, in four orientations.
• Carry it in a pocket for a day, if it is a fidget.
• Hand it to someone who has never seen it and watch their face. Confusion is good. Indifference is not.

What kills a design

Most designs die at the small-size print, because a face that reads at three inches becomes a smudge at two. Others die in the hand — a piece that is satisfying to look at and awkward to hold does not get made twice.

We are not testing the file. We are testing whether it is worth someone's money.

From first model to listing takes a few weeks, most of it waiting for prints. It is why a request you send us today might show up in the catalog a month from now.