Turn the idea into a brief
Factories work from drawings and numbers. A sketch with dimensions, tolerances, materials and colour references gives them something to quote and build. If you only have a photo or a competitor's product, mark what you want to keep and what you want to change.
Add the target price and quantity. A factory designing for 500 pieces makes different choices than one designing for 50,000.
- Dimensions with tolerances (for example 40 cm ± 1 mm).
- Materials and finishes, with references or samples.
- Colours as Pantone codes.
- Logo position, size and method.
- Packaging and how many pieces per carton.
The first sample
The first sample shows whether the factory understood you. It is rarely perfect. Look at it the way your customer will: hold it, use it, drop it if it should survive a drop, and compare it with your brief line by line.
Ask for photos and a short video of the sample next to a ruler, and keep them with the revision in one place.
Revisions without chaos
Number every revision (R1, R2, R3) and write each change as a precise instruction: 'handle 2 mm thicker', not 'make the handle stronger'. One clear list per round avoids the classic problem where a fix to one detail undoes another.
Ask the factory to confirm each change in writing before it makes the next sample. Most delays in development come from changes that were discussed but never confirmed.
Approve the golden sample
When a sample is exactly right, approve it as the golden sample. Sign or seal it, keep one at the factory and one with you or your agent, and photograph it from every side.
From now on, production and inspection are measured against this sample. That is why you should approve it only when nothing is left to change.
Budget the time realistically
A simple product can move from brief to approved sample in a few weeks. A product with new moulds, electronics or several materials can take months. The calendar is driven by sample rounds: each round means making, shipping and reviewing, so fewer, clearer rounds save the most time.
Build the schedule backwards from your launch date, and keep at least one spare sample round in it.
Protect your idea
Share only what the factory needs for the current stage, keep your files in one place, and use a written agreement for confidentiality. For important designs, an NNN agreement under Chinese law (non-disclosure, non-use, non-circumvention) is more practical to enforce in China than a generic English NDA.
