Flash Drives for Tradeshows, Philips Norelco

Flash drives for tradeshows and conferences will continue to capture our imagination as we move into world of Internet of Things (IoT), mobile health, quantified self, autonomous vehicles and OTG mobile lifestyles.

We had the pleasure of working with companies like Best Foods and Philips Norelco to develop custom shaped (PVC) USB flash drives for new product launches for their tradeshows and conferences. In the next few paragraphs, we will walk you through the approach we take to developing a high-end custom shaped flash drive that client use to showcase during tradeshows and conferences.

Problem Statement / Purpose

Our client was the Norelco Male Grooming divison of the Philips Corporation.  Norelco was preparing for a major promotional sales event to be held in Naples, Florida in less than 30 days. The company needed 100, 2GB 3D-shaped USB flash drives made of PVC material with logo.

Creative Design Concept

The first step for creating tradeshow or promotional sales event flash drives that grab attention is to develop a creative design concept. In the case of  Philips Norelco, we worked with the client on a mockup sketch for two different creative concepts. The first mockup sketch was a bearded man, the second was a lone moustache. We ultimately recommended the second option, the moustache sketch. This particular concept made for the best, balanced PVC mold that would plug into the USB port on the side of a desktop computer or laptop.

Bearded man sketch for flash drive

Moustache-shaped flash drive sketch

Step 2: Engineering Design(s)

Once we selected the moustache design concept over the bearded man option, we needed to create an engineering drawing and test it for usability. The engineering drawing included a four view panel with front opened, front closed, back and side views. We then sent the a virtual proofs of the engineering designs to Norelco for approval. Once approved, we proceeded to the prototype development step.

Flash drive engineering design

Step 3: Prototype Approval

Following the engineering phase, we manufactured a prototype and tested it out to ensure the flash drive would easily plug into USB ports for PCs, Macs and laptop computers. The user-tested prototype was then reviewed by and approved by the client. Due to a tight deadline, we overnight express shipped the prototype to Norelco for final approval.

Step 4: Production Run

The final step in the process is to use the prototype mold to make the final production run of the 100 PVC shaped flash drives to use during tradeshows, conferences and sales meeting.