Design 1st
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Design 1st is a full-service industrial design and engineering firm that develops simple, compelling products that incorporate human behavioral science to support an organizations’ business and marketing goals. For over 25 years, Design 1st has helped Entrepreneurs, Start Ups and Enterprise organizations across Canada and the United States transform ideas into winning products across a variety of
06/10/2025
Design 1st CEO Kevin Bailey explores a critical question in his latest Fast Company piece.
How do you design products that remain viable when trade conditions shift?
Physical product development has always been high-stakes, and adding tariff uncertainty stacked the deck against you even more.
The companies getting this right are doing a few things differently:
- Classifying components by regional availability
- Building multiple sourcing scenarios into their BOMs
- Treating design flexibility as a competitive advantage
The reality is that design decisions made years ago determine which products stay profitable today.
If you're developing physical products, this could save you from costly redesigns down the road.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91340518/how-product-companies-can-smartly-navigate-tariffs-supply-chain-pressure
How product companies can smartly navigate tariffs, supply chain pressure We are seeing a fundamental shift in how smart companies approach product design.
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314 Athlone Avenue
Ottawa, ON
K1Z5M4
