We are product designers with a passion for crafting beautiful solutions to brilliant challenges. Tools, hardware, industrial, electrical, sporting, consumer. We have a strong focus on technical products. This is is a key part of our approach, which forces us to always ask “why”? So what do we do? We seek out the best solution, which may not always be the most obvious.
Great design is instinctive. You know when you hold a great product, when you use it, that a great deal of of effort and care has been put into making it the best it can be. It’s unmistakable. That’s the feeling of quality, harmonious function, and intricate subtleties that we aim to bring to every project we work on.
WHO ARE WE?
Founded in 2012, Whistle Design Group has quickly grown to become a trusted partner to many clients. We’ve completed over 500 projects since opening our doors, with over 50% of our projects from international clientele. Growing our core team in a short period, we have achieved successful outcomes for a large variety of clients working on many diverse projects.
As a result, we have built a wealth of knowledge and experience in the process, helping us to be more efficient, and better anticipate and prepare for the challenges that can arise. As we continue to grow, we look to forge more long-term relationships whilst developing more great projects.
2012
COMPANY FOUNDED
8
DESIGNERS & ENGINEERS
500+
PROJECTS UNDERTAKEN SINCE 2012
52%
2019/20 PROJECTS FROM INTERNATIONAL CLIENTS
OUR TEAM.
PAUL CONNOR
CEO & Studio ManagerB. Eng (Mech) / B. Des. (ID)
Monash University, 2004
PAUL MILLER
Marketing & OperationsB. Eng (Mech) / B. Des. (ID)
Monash University, 2004
LUCAS LASTMAN
Business Development & NPDB. Eng (Mech) / B. Des. (ID)
Monash University, 2005
ALASTAIR WIGHTMAN
Design EngineerB. Engineering (Mechanical)
RMIT University, 2013
BEI CHEN NAN
Industrial DesignerB. Industrial Design
Monash University, 2010
DANIELLE BOYD
Industrial DesignerB. Industrial & Product Design, QUT, 2018
Dip. Graphic Design, QIBT, 2011
KIERAN CHOY
Industrial DesignerB. Design (ID)
University of Tech. Sydney, 2008
PAUL RIAIKKENEN
Product Design EngineerB. Design (ID)
RMIT University, 2011
STUDIO.
Our new, multi-level studio, is filled with the latest workstations, Wacom™ Cintiq pen tablets and software, allowing our designers to focus on crafting beautiful solutions.
Adobe Creative Suite
Solidworks™ 3D CAD
Wacom™ Cintiq pen tablets
Makerbot™ 3D printers
Onsite workshop
We’re located in the South East Melbourne Innovation Precinct (SEMIP), surrounded by 40% of Melbourne’s manufacturing operations, and home to world-leading facilities including the Australia Synchrotron, Monash University, CSIRO, Southern Health, Melbourne Centre for Nano-fabrication, and a host of other global companies.
We’re easily accessible via the Monash Freeway (M1), located about 25 minutes south-east of Melbourne CBD, with plenty of onsite parking.
Industrial Design
Industrial Design is all about developing real world solutions to real world problems. To achieve this, we employ a range of tools and research methods, working across areas including market & trend analysis, idea generation, product styling, ergonomics & anthropometrics, visual communication, prototyping & testing, manufacturing, technology, materials and intellectual property.
More and more modern companies are recognising the important role that Industrial Design plays in their product development process, and the positive effect that great products have on their bottom line.
Product Engineering
Taking an idea from concept to production involves a number of steps, starting with the 3D design. We use the latest Solidworks 3D CAD software to generate production-ready data for manufacturing. This allows us to design and verify components rapidly and accurately ensuring they are fit for purpose and manufacturing requirements.
The 3D data we produce is also be used to generate other valuable assets such as 2D production drawings, 3D printed prototypes, CNC and machined prototype parts, photo-realistic product images and more.
Prototyping & Production
We employ various rapid prototyping options allowing for fast and cost effective design validation. These include 3D Printing (FDM), Selective-Laser-Sintering (SLS), Stereolithography (SLA) and Computer Numerical Control (CNC). We 3D print in-house to churn out quick evaluation models to test ideas or forms. For more demanding applications, our workshop in China produces parts for us from production realistic materials to provide the most accurate performance and evaluations.
And if you’re after a turn-key solution, with your product manufactured and supplied ready to go, we can look after that too. From sourcing, tooling, production and import, as well as packaging, certifications and patents, we’ll guide you through the entire process.
Graphic, Packaging & Branding
With saturated retail spaces and online shopping continually gaining market share, consumers are engaging with product like never before. It’s become increasingly important to develop desirable, innovative branding, packaging and Point-Of-Sales (P.O.S.) solutions that win the attention of today’s consumers to help complete the sale.
At Whistle we approach branding, packaging and P.O.S. solutions as an extension of your product and brand. In order to present a professional and convincing offer to the consumer, all elements must complement one another and support the brand message and product features.
R&D Tax Incentive.
The Research and Development Tax Incentive (R&D Tax Incentive or R&DTI) helps to offset some of the costs you put into eligible R&D, which benefits the wider Australian economy.
You can apply to register your eligible R&D with the Department of Industry, Science, Energy & Resources within 10 months of the end of your company’s income year. You may then receive a tax offset when you lodge your Company Income Tax Return with the Australian Taxation Office.
What do you get?
You may be eligible for a tax benefit to offset some of the cost of your eligible R&D activities. This may be a refundable or non-refundable offset depending on your company.
Who is this for?
Your company needs to be liable to pay income tax in Australia, and conduct at least one activity that meets the definition of a core R&D activity, and incur the minimum eligible R&D expenditure.
If you’re a small to medium-sized company, you can collaborate with an RSP such as Whistle Design Group, to conduct R&D activities for your company without having to invest in the specialist staff or infrastructure needed to support such activities.
Companies that engage an RSP to perform R&D activities can claim an R&D tax offset for eligible expenditure on registered R&D activities even if their total claim is less than the usual expenditure threshold of $20,000 in an income year.
Whistle is a listed RSP for the R&D Tax incentive.
Whistle Design Group is proud to be recognised by AusIndustry as a Registered Service Provider for the R&D Tax incentive. Our registration number is RSP104563.
Thanks to our diverse project experience and background, we are registered in the following fields:
- 0903 Biomedical Engineering – Medical device development
- 0910 Manufacturing Engineering – Packaging development
- 0913 Mechanical Engineering – Engineering design, simulation, prototyping, testing, Failure Modes and Effect Analysis
- 0915 Interdisciplinary Engineering – Engineering practice
- 0999 Other Engineering – Product design engineering
- 1203 Design Practice and Management – Design theory, ergonomics, industrial design, visual communication, design management
- 1204 Engineering Design – Engineering design knowledge
- 1006 Computer Hardware – Other computer hardware design
Talk to us about supporting your R&D program and how you can claim an R&D tax offset for eligible expenditure on registered R&D activities.
Find out more at business.gov.au