One person, from first sketch to working object.
I’m Charles Buchwald. I design and prototype physical things including products, fixtures, patterns, and the occasional exhibit, and I frequently build what I design, in my own shop, in Minneapolis.
The path here
I’ve spent twenty-five years making things other people use: a hand tool for a leading bike-tool company that went from 3D CAD to 3D print and straight to production and is still in professional use today; an award-winning composite product taken from napkin sketch to patent and manufacture; user experience work for names like Disney, BMW, and U.S. Bank; exhibit design for museums in the U.S. and Mexico.
The common thread: I don’t hand drawings over a wall. I follow them into the shop and find out how to make them better.
Why it matters to you
When the person who designs your prototype is the person who builds it, decisions get made in minutes instead of email chains. Problems surface at the bench, where they’re cheap and fast to solve, not on the factory floor, where they’re not. And the drawing you approve is a drawing I know can be built, because I’m the one who has to build it.
Alongside the practice
I design and produce my own outdoor gear line, Procya, which keeps my prototyping honest: if my products don’t survive real use, I hear about it. I also teach and write about design and fabrication.
How it starts
Book a discovery hour – no commitment.
Or email me at: info@charlesbuchwald.com.