Great Projects Start with Mockups

By Jennifer Fujimori

If you’ve ever hired a company to customize a product for yourself or to give as a gift, you might understand the anxiety that stems from not being able to see your finished product until it’s done. Or worse, the disappointment you feel when you’ve paid and waited patiently, only to come face to face with a result that’s not what you’d hoped for.

A vast and growing number of retail industries are placing an emphasis on custom products, from bespoke wedding dresses and men’s suits to vitamins and skincare. In theory, this is a great thing for consumers. But many companies require a deposit or even payment in full before providing their customers with a visual of the planned design, and that can be a recipe for disaster and disappointment.

Our mockup service at Fusion of Ideas aims to alleviate that risk. When we start a conversation with a client about customization and branding services, we take the time to gather as much information possible about the client’s business needs. Armed with that information, along with any artwork, logos, or images that the client provides, our creative design team gets to work. We then present a mockup of several realistic, high-quality images that showcase some of the device customization options for the client’s unique brand. “Mockups give us a chance to show a prospective client what we can do,” says Bryan Underwood, Creative Manager at Fusion of Ideas. “We pull ideas from the client’s website, logo, branding, and existing artwork and come up with several design concepts that compliment the devices we’re showcasing. In many cases, the client ends up going with one of our designs instead of their original request.”

In our experience, this paints the clearest possible picture of what a finished custom device might look like. The mockup sent to the client is formatted as a polished, elegant image that sets the tone for the Fusion experience. And because Fusion is committed to providing a truly elite service experience, the first mockup is always free of charge. Our Senior Business Development Manager, Jacob Sarabia, can attest to the effectiveness of mockups. “The initial mockup is our first visual impression on a client. It’s a great way to settle any fears or apprehension about our customization services, and to present a sneak preview of the quality of service you can expect to get from Fusion.”

Take a look at some of the examples in this post. Each mockup displays six customized service offerings. Our creative team incorporates the look and feel of your brand into each different device, which gives you multiple options to choose from. When you are investing in a high-value item such as a mobile device, you need assurance that anyone altering that device will treat it with meticulous care and attention to detail. Fusion of Ideas establishes that level of service from the start by putting diligent thought and effort into every individual mockup.

The Chicago Bulls pre-production mock up.
The Chicago Bulls actual completed project before shipping.
Pepsi Co. Mountain Dew pre-production mock up.
Pepsi Co. Mountain Dew’s actual completed project before shipping.

 

KUIU’s Mockup pre-production.
KUIU’s actual completed project before shipping.

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What’s next? What will the next iPhone be called?

There’s been a lot of speculation as to what the next iPhone will be called. It’s no secret that Apple typically chooses consecutive numbers for its iPhone releases. But since the iPhone X deviated from that pattern, the name of the next iPhone is up in the air. Will it be called be called iPhone 11? Or iPhone X1?  There’s even talk of the lower-end iPhone being called iPhone SE. Rumors have been surfacing that the next generation iPhone might be getting a new name.

We asked our Fusion of Ideas team for their best guesses on what the new iPhone will be called.  The name that got the most votes was iPhone XI. Additional suggestions and name ideas included iPhone Xs, iPhone X-1, iPhone 9,  iPhone Elite, iConnect, and iPhone Pro.

“The X isn’t technically the 10, but just a roman numeral to represent the anniversary of the iPhone,” said our Creative Manager, Bryan Underwood. “That being said, I believe the next release in line is still the iPhone 9.”

Rachel Trotter, Administrative Assistant, thinks it’ll be named something completely different.  “I don’t even think it will be called an iPhone anymore,” she said. “I think it might be something like iConnect or iLink.  Something that implies an iPhone is far more than a phone, but also of a way to interact with the world.”

Junior iOS developer Long Le said, “I think they could keep it boring and just call it the iPhone Xs.”

Whatever it’s called, we’re excited for the debut of the new iPhone and all of its new features.

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