About
Brett Shipley.
Open for projects
36+
Projects completed
8
Years in practice
LA
Los Angeles
E2E
Concept to production
Industrial and packaging designer based in Los Angeles. I work across the full arc of a product: concept, 3D development, material specification, and production liaison. Home goods, lighting, beauty, and CPG are where most of my work lands, though the category matters less than whether the problem is worth solving.
I stay in the file. From the first sketch through the production approval, I'm in the details. That's not a constraint; it's where good design actually happens.
Specialties
- Industrial design and 3D form development
- Packaging structure and graphic direction
- Material and finish specification
- Engineering drawings and production documentation
- Manufacturer liaison and sample approval
- Self-initiated product series
Categories
Availability
- Project-based and retainer engagements
- Independent or integrated with in-house team
- Remote and in-person, Los Angeles preferred
Services
Where do you need help?
Tier 1
Full Engagement
No handoffs
The full arc: concept through production approval. I stay in the room for the whole conversation so nothing falls through between phases.
Research + brief
Concept sketching
3D modeling
Surface development
Material + finish spec
Engineering drawings
Production files
Manufacturer liaison
Sample review
Production approval
Tier 2
Product Development
Pick up mid-project or take a defined problem to production-ready CAD. Ideal when the concept exists and needs engineering expertise to finish it.
3D modeling
Surface development
Tolerancing
Engineering drawings
Material + finish spec
Production-ready files
Vendor documentation
Tier 3
Packaging
Structural design and graphic direction, separately or together. Single SKU through full system rollout. Beauty, CPG, food, baby.
Structural dielines
Graphic design direction
Print production
SKU system design
Production spec
Manufacturer coordination
Process
What comes next.
01
Discovery
1-2 weeks
Research and Brief
Category study, competitive audit, user and retail context. I map what already exists before touching a pencil, because the gap worth designing into is usually different from the gap the brief describes. This phase ends with a sharpened problem statement and a set of constraints I'll hold myself to for the rest of the project.
02
Concepting
2-3 weeks
Sketch and Explore
Fast hand sketching through rough 3D to generate a genuine range of directions, not just one idea dressed differently. I push until the concepts look different from each other, then select based on which one solves the right problem. You'll see multiple lanes: a safe read, a strong read, and one that would be genuinely surprising.
03
Development
3-6 weeks
3D Modeling and Engineering
Production-intent CAD, material and finish specification, tolerancing, and detailed manufacturing drawings. I stay in the file until the geometry is right, not just until it renders well. This phase ends when the design is fully specified: every surface, every junction, every radius is a deliberate decision, not a default.
04
Production
2-4 weeks
Sampling and Approval
Manufacturer communication, sample review, and iterative refinement through production approval. I stay in the loop because what happens between CAD and the first run is where most projects lose quality. My job isn't done when the files are sent. It's done when the product in the box matches what was designed.
Contact
What are you building?
Open for project work, ongoing engagements, and licensing conversations. If you have a product that needs a designer who stays with it from the first sketch to the production run, I'd like to hear about it.
Location
Los Angeles, California
Availability
Open for new projects
Work format
Remote and in-person, LA preferred
Response time
Within one business day