Our Portfolio
Our work does more than just fulfill a need, it improves the lives of those who use it. To do that, we consider all aspects of design – aesthetics, functionality, emotion, and craftsmanship – in the context of the user. Since 1934, we’ve created a portfolio that is deep in purpose, wide in variety, and hugely influential to our client’s success.
Explore Our Design Work
Product
Design
Physical + Digital
UX
Design
Consumer + Systems
Innovation
Strategy
Transformation + New Growth
Viatec: The Look and Feel of the Electric Future
Viatec: The Look and Feel of the Electric Future
Market
Commercial Products
Services
Commercial Products,
Creative Engineering,
Design Research,
Industrial Design,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign
The Look and Feel of the Electric Future Viatec Viatec is a unique player in the emerging electrification movement. Their first product, SmartPTO, provides on-demand power to hydraulic utility systems without the pollution, noise and high cost of idling diesel...
Repositioning Dremel: Evolving a Heritage Brand for the Next Generation
Repositioning Dremel: Evolving a Heritage Brand for the Next Generation
Market
New Mobility
Services
Commercial Products,
Creative Engineering,
Design Research,
ExperienceDesign,
Industrial Design,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Repositioning Dremel: Evolving a Heritage Brand for the Next GenerationDremel, renowned for inventing the high-speed rotary tool, has long been a leader in precision and craftsmanship. As the brand expands into mainstream power tool categories—such as drills, circular...
PHONONIC: Self-Refrigerated Grocery Tote
Market
New Mobility
Services
Commercial Products,
Creative Engineering,
Design Research,
ExperienceDesign,
Industrial Design,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
PHONONIC: Self-Refrigerated Grocery ToteIn the unprecedented context of a global pandemic, grocery retailers were faced with the daunting task of rapidly scaling their custom order fullfilment capabilities. This was compounded by the additional pressures of reducing...
UX Design for Michigan’s Future: Developing talent through the Michigan Design Prize
Market
New Mobility
Services
ExperienceDesign,
Portfolio
UX Design for Michigan's Future: Developing talent through the Michigan Design PrizeThe Michigan Design Council (MDC), a 501c3 non-profit, aims to boost industrial design talent and economic growth in Michigan. During a 2014 Innovation Strategy project between the...
Michigan Economic Development Corporation: Crafting Strategies for Sustainable Economic Growth
Market
New Mobility
Services
Innovation Strategy,
InnovationStrategy,
Portfolio
Crafting Strategies for Sustainable Economic GrowthIn 2014, Michigan was home to a rich pool of industrial designers, contributing significantly to the state's technology and manufacturing sectors. However, this talent was dispersed among various design organizations...
Luftcar
Hybrid eVTOL BEV design refinement
Market
New Mobility
Services
Industrial Design,
New Mobility,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign
eVTOL/BEV Hybrid Design to Meet Shifting Market ForcesLuftCar, a USA-based startup, is developing a true “flying car” that works both as an eVTOL vehicle and road vehicle. This transitional category is affected by both automotive & aerospace constraints and...
Internal
Sundberg-Ferar : Cobot Ideation
Market
Commercial Products
Services
Commercial Products,
ExperienceDesign,
Industrial Design,
Portfolio,
Service Design
Ideating Cobot Uses in the Food Industry So far, the emerging role of cobots (collaborative robots) in the food industry is only as broad as jobs which are dirty, dull, or dangerous. In this ideation activity, Sundberg-Ferar explored ways to maximize the collaborative...
StoryPoint Senior Living
StoryPoint : Senior Living Research
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Design Research,
ExperienceDesign,
Innovation Strategy,
InnovationStrategy,
Portfolio
Diving deep into the wants & needs of retirement-age users as they evaluate living in a Senior CommunityStoryPoint Senior LivingWith the size of the U.S. senior population expanding, and competitive pressures increasing, StoryPoint, one of the top 25 largest...
Michigan Virtual: What Can We Learn From Emergency Remote Learning?
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Design Research,
ExperienceDesign,
Innovation Strategy,
InnovationStrategy,
Portfolio
A design-focused look at the experiences of educators, students, & parents during emergency remote learningMichigan VirtualBetween March and June 2020, statewide school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions in both learning and daily life...
Electrolux
Electrolux: The Marriage of Physical and Digital Branding
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign,
UI Design
The Marriage of Physical and Digital BrandingElectroluxElectrolux collaborated with Sundberg-Ferar to explore the transition of their brand into the digital space of the embedded control screens on their products. This represented an opportunity for the company to...
Desin LLC / Obi
OBI: Robotic Feeding Device
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Creative Engineering,
Design Research,
ExperienceDesign,
Industrial Design,
Prototyping
Empowerment Through DesignDESῙN LLC / ObiEating is one of the most essential human experiences and one that many of us take for granted. The act of feeding oneself in the presence of others ties together families and is a fundamental means of participating in culture...
Low Speed EV Design for the Chinese Automotive Market
Market
New Mobility
Services
Industrial Design,
New Mobility,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign
Designing Innovative LSEVs for the Chinese Automotive MarketWith our deep experience designing for the Chinese automotive industry over many years, SF tackled this project to explore design solutions for 3-wheel and 4-wheel LSEVs targeting various customer segments in...
Corning
Corning: Automotive Glass Solutions
Market
New Mobility
Services
Innovation Strategy,
InnovationStrategy,
New Mobility,
Portfolio
China Automotive Persona Research and HMI Ideation CorningCorning’s Automotive Glass Solutions group engaged Sundberg-Ferar to help them identify and understand various Chinese automotive personae, and develop corresponding concept designs based on identified consumer...
SproutsIO
SproutsIO
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Creative Engineering,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Cultivating sustainable countertop agricultureSproutsIOSproutsIO, Inc is a startup company with a vision for changing the way the world integrates food into their lives. The vision is rooted in the need to localize produce to provide healthy, flavorful, and...
Xenith: Flexible Fit Shoulder Pads and Gloves
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Industrial Design,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Fitting the player’s body as well as their playing styleXenithXenith is a sports equipment brand known for its innovative protective technologies and product designs that push the boundaries of athlete-centered performance. Xenith partnered with Sundberg-Ferar to...
Bora Portamate
Bora Portamate: Speedhorse
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Industrial Design,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
This horse was built for speed!Bora PortamateSundberg-Ferar worked with Affinity Tool Works (ATW) to create innovative concepts for job site equipment products that would set the brand apart in the market. As a result of this project the team developed the Bora...
Bridgestone
Bridgestone: Future Vision Design, CES 2021
Market
New Mobility
Services
Industrial Design,
New Mobility,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign
Bringing Visions of the Future to Life - VirtuallyBridgestoneFor CES 2021, Bridgestone developed a virtual exhibit to showcase their mobility technologies and future innovative vision across several different verticals, highlighting their mission to become the most...
Mahindra GenZe
Mahindra GenZe Electric Scooter
Market
New Mobility
Services
Design Research,
New Mobility,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign,
UI Design
Designing for Green Urban Micro-MobilityMahindra GenZeTraditionally, scooters have filled a niche in personal transportation by being easy to park and cost effective to run & maintain in urban settings. Today, the needs and lifestyles of young urban riders go...
Hyundai
Hyundai Ventures: The Loop
Market
New Mobility
Services
Creative Engineering,
Design Research,
ExperienceDesign,
Industrial Design,
New Mobility,
Service Design
Could highspeed vacuum tube trains truly enable daily intercity travel?Hyundai Ventures: The LoopInspired by Elon Musk’s Hyperloop whitepaper that explored the potential of highspeed train travel, Sundberg-Ferar worked with Hyundai Ventures on a research and design...
PLAISIR des SENS
PLAISIR des SENS: Chaleureux
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Creative Engineering,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Innovating IntimacyPLAISIR des SENSPLAISIR des SENS was a unique opportunity for SF. Human nature seeks pleasure and the challenge presented to us by PDS was to enhance the experience of one of the most basic of human pleasure needs-sex. Their goal was to create a...
NHS Corporation / Danco
NCH Corporation: Danco Innovation Strategy
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Innovation Strategy,
InnovationStrategy,
Portfolio
Claiming new market space for DancoNCH Corporation / DancoNCH Corporation was looking to grow their Danco brand outside of their current big box aisle, where they serve the replacement plumbing hardware industry. They wanted to capitalize on other NCH capabilities and...
Gilbarco Vedeer-Root
Gilbarco Veeder-Root: Encore 900 Fuel Dispenser
Market
Commercial Products
Services
Commercial Products,
Industrial Design,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Boosting B2B with Optimal User ExperienceGilbarco Veeder-RootSundberg-Ferar's design team partnered with Gilbarco in developing a next generation bezel system for their Encore product line that would incorporate new technologies while maintaining a seamless...
Internal
eVTOL Concept Design
Market
New Mobility
Services
New Mobility,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign
A new take on eVTOL realismAs the horizon of eVTOL implementation and adoption draws nearer, the factors of user perception and community adoption are becoming increasingly crucial and concerningly unaddressed barriers to success. In this informal internal exercise,...
Hyundai
Hyundai: New Horizons Studio T.I.G.E.R.
Market
New Mobility
Services
Creative Engineering,
New Mobility,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Combining legged mobility with wheels and drone delivery means TIGER can reach almost any location on earth.Hyundai: New Horizons StudioHyundai’s New Horizons Studio wanted to create an unmanned compact modular vehicle that could reach the most extreme locations on...
Hyundai Cradle
Hyundai: Cradle ELEVATE UMV
Market
New Mobility
Services
Creative Engineering,
Industrial Design,
InnovationStrategy,
New Mobility,
Prototyping
What if cars could also walk?Hyundai CradleThe Hyundai Cradle team and Sundberg-Ferar worked together to explore compelling extreme mobility use-cases and develop a solution utilizing robotic capabilities to overcome the limitations of even the best off-road vehicles....
Chrysler
Chrysler Corporation: Uconnect™ Infotainment Interface
Market
New Mobility
Services
New Mobility,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign,
UI Design
User Centered Design Raises the BarChrysler / StellantisSundberg Ferar worked with Chrysler in developing the Uconnect infotainment platform. A single, scalable UI architecture was created for implementation on a wide range of brands (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Maserati,...
Stryker
Stryker: InTouch™ Critical Care Bed
Market
Commercial Products
Services
Commercial Products,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
UI Design
Setting a New Standard for the Medical IndustryStrykerStryker asked Sundberg-Ferar to help them set a new standard for the high acuity hospital bed market while achieving the following major challenges. Tastefully integrate new state of the art technology upgrades...
Lumecon
Lumecon: Shifting Visual Brand Language into Overdrive
Market
Commercial Products
Services
Commercial Products,
Creative Engineering,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Shifting Visual Brand Language into OverdriveLumeconLumecon LLC, a fellow Michigan company based in Farmington Hills, is a proud US manufacturer of exterior lighting systems. They produce wall packs, floodlights, canopies, and post-top ornamental LED products, all of...
JR Clancy
JR Clancy: Helios Hoist and SceneControl 12
Market
Commercial Products
Services
Commercial Products,
Creative Engineering,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
The show must go on!JR Clancy: Helios Hoist and SceneControl 12JR Clancy is a leader in live entertainment control systems. They came to SF looking to redesign their theatre hoist and the hand-held controller. This project was rooted in improved usability in a dark...
InSinkErator
InSinkErator: Evolution
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Industrial Design,
Portfolio,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Removing Food Waste Silently and EfficientlyInSinkErator: EvolutionInSinkErator approached SF to collaborate on the redesign of their latest “Evolution” series disposers. This time around, the disposer designs were based around noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH)...
Ingersoll Rand
Club Car: Precedent™ Golf Car
Market
Commercial Products
Services
Commercial Products,
Creative Engineering,
Design Research,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Design effort inspired by insights from stakeholders beyond the end userIngersoll Rand (Club Car)Sundberg-Ferar collaborated with Ingersoll Rand’s Club Car division on the design of an entirely new flagship golf car: the Precedent™. The challenge was to re-invigorate...
Ditch Witch
Ditch Witch: JT40 Directional Drill
Market
Commercial Products
Services
Commercial Products,
Creative Engineering,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Bringing utility installation to the next level.Ditch Witch Against its namesake and in favor of efficiency, Ditch Witch has expanded their traditional operations and machine production into the Trenchless category. For years Ditch Witch has made product offerings...
DD DANNAR, LLC
Dannar: Mobile Power Station 4.0
Market
Commercial Products
Services
Commercial Products,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Revolutionizing the Heavy Equipment CategoryDD DANNAR, LLCDD DANNAR, LLC, an Indiana-based startup, is the innovator of a new heavy equipment category, the Mobile Power Station ® (MPS ®), a revolutionary electric work vehicle and energy platform. DANNAR approached SF...
Celsee, Inc.
Bio-Rad: Overcoming limitations for Single Cell Analysis
Market
Commercial Products
Services
Commercial Products,
Creative Engineering,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Overcoming limitations for Single Cell AnalysisCelsee, Inc. - Acquired by Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.Celsee, Inc., a Michigan-based medical startup, is harnessing the gentle power of gravity to break down barriers in single-cell analysis. In Sundberg-Ferar’s second...
Merillat Cabinetry
Masco Cabinetry: Merillat CoreGuard™
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Creative Engineering,
Design Research,
Industrial Design,
Innovation Strategy,
InnovationStrategy,
Prototyping
A game-changing solution to a common pain pointMerillat Cabinetry, a Masco CompanyMasco Cabinetry came to Sundberg-Ferar to conduct a Genesis™ strategic innovation exercise to identify new product opportunities in the kitchen cabinet category. CoreGuard™ was one of...
Kenmore
Sears: Kenmore™ and Kenmore Elite™ Visual Brand Language
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
UI Design
Setting an Elite standardKenmoreKenmore partnered with Sundberg-Ferar in the development of their next-generation small appliance visual brand language (VBL). Kenmore was ready to hit the reset button and explore a complete line change. They leveraged SF's research...
APEX Tools
Wiss Tools: Medium Duty Shop Scissors
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Packaging Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Reinventing an everyday tool as a shop essentialAPEX Tools: Wiss Brand ScissorsAPEX tools had a successful niche product with WISS heavy duty aviation snips but saw a new market opportunity for a medium duty scissor line at big box retail. WISS had no products in this...
Arrow Fastener Company
Arrow Fasteners: Electric and Manual Staplers
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Creative Engineering,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
Designing for Brand Equity and User Confidence in DIY ToolsArrow Fastener Company, LLC.Arrow is the market leader in fastening, having earned the reputation as the go-to manual staplegun manufacturer with their heritage product from the 1950s, the T50. We were...
Ames True Temper
Ames True Temper: Pruning Tools
Market
Consumer Products
Services
Consumer Products,
Creative Engineering,
Design Research,
Industrial Design,
ProductDesign,
Prototyping
A Keen Eye on Hand Tools: Tapping User-Centric Insights to Drive Design InnovationAmes True TemperSundberg-Ferar worked with Ames True Temper to design a line of innovative pruning tools that include the hand pruners shown here. The team cross-referenced ideal user...