It sounds simple. But as any experienced designer or inventor will tell you, turning a concept into a designed 3-D product can be more time-consuming and frustrating than you could possibly anticipate.

Every idea is different. But as solo inventor-innovators will testify, there seems to be a shortage of obvious places to go for answers to basic questions like…

• How much input should a professional product designer have?
• Where do you find one with the right expertise?
• Who owns the Intellectual Property in an innovative design?
• What kind of IP protection (patent/ registered design/ design right/ trademark) apply to an innovative product?
• How many design stages should you go through?
• What are the usual hitches that can be avoided?
• What should you expect to pay at different stages in the process?
• Is China the only real option for manufacturing?
• How do you go about sourcing and manufacturing in China?
• How to protect your product from being copied in the Far East?

We’re incredibly fortunate to have as our September guest speaker the award-winning product designer and creative director Morag Hutcheon.

Not only has Morag designed high-profile consumer products for big brands such as Pyrex, Toshiba and AT&T in her 19 year career, but she has also notched up the experience of turning two of her own award-winning inventions into businesses – her Pre-Vu technology, and recently her new range of active sportswear bags, Two Zero.

Morag is Director of Quadro Design Associates, which provides an end-to-end product development solution to businesses and individuals. The international consultancy researches and indentifies consumer needs, specifies and designs the products, and manages projects through tooling and manufacturing in the Far East, making sure skills and knowledge are transferred to clients in the process.

Morag has won a number of prestigious awards including the Most Innovative Product at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas 2002, and British Female Inventor of the Year and Best Product Development Award in the BFIIN Awards 2006. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of British Design Innovation and, having made more than 80 trips to the Far East in the last 10 years, is a member of the UK Design for China Task Force.

As well as having Morag highlight some insights and tips on taking a product through the design and manufacturing processes through to launch, the meeting offers a great chance for inventors and designers to share their experiences and set out their own questions.

Every month there's a She's Ingenious! networking meeting with a purpose. Come and learn about a key topic in the product development life cycle and network with other ingenious women also on the journey to making their product ideas and inventions a profitable reality.

Who should attend?
• Women with new product and start-up ideas
• Anyone already marketing their own products
• Professionals interested or involved in bringing new products to market

Booking details:
Time: 11am to 2pm (includes networking time)
Date: 17 September 2009
Price: £20 non-members, £10 Members (includes networking lunch) Take up Trial Membership for just £1
Booking: Add to cart at top of this page. (Members remember to use the email you joined with to claim your discount)
Place: British Library Business & IP Centre, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB

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