What DDSTUDIO does

DDSTUDIO is a privately held product design and development consultancy founded in 1984 by Charles Curbbun and headquartered in Solana Beach, California, with additional offices in downtown San Diego and Palo Alto. The firm delivers multidisciplinary design services spanning industrial design, UX/UI design, mechanical engineering, and design-for-manufacture, organized around a five-stage Human-Centered Design process (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Iterate). It serves clients from venture-backed startups (Field Medical, NanoCellect, Nicoya, ROVA) through Fortune 500 enterprises (Johnson & Johnson, Hologic, HP, PayPal, IGT, Aristocrat, NETGEAR), with concentrated domain expertise in medical technology, casino gaming, transportation, and emerging-technology categories.

The firm's technology stack is built on human-centered design methodology, cross-functional teaming, and the use of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality as concept-review and client-alignment tools. Distinctive capabilities include photorealistic "Hollywood model" renderings for startup investor presentations, visual brand-language development, and VR/AR-enabled product demonstrations used in commercial engagements with clients such as Everi, Blueberi, and Nortek Security & Control. The firm has accumulated 40+ years of brand equity and a sustained award record (Gold MDEA 2019, three MDEA 2018, three GOOD DESIGN Awards 2014, Core77 Runner-Up 2020, IDEA Finalist 2014).

DDSTUDIO operates a B2B professional-services revenue model with undisclosed project-based or retainer pricing, engaging enterprise clients through a consultative, direct sales motion. The boutique is staffed exclusively by senior practitioners — the firm explicitly employs no junior designers or interns — with a published headcount band of 11–50. It has no external funding, no parent company, and no public ticker, remaining entirely founder-owned and operated.

Name

DDSTUDIO

Legal name

DDSTUDIO

Website

https://ddstudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DDSTUDIO is a Solana Beach, California-based product design consultancy, founded in 1984, that delivers industrial design, UX/UI, mechanical engineering, and design-for-manufacture services to med-tech, casino gaming, transportation, and emerging-technology clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Solana Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Design Consultancy Services: Professional services engagement model providing industrial design, UX research, and design for manufacture services. Projects range from early-stage concept development through production-ready product design.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

DDSTUDIO is a B2B product design and development consultancy providing industrial design, UX/UI design, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing liaison services. The firm applies a Human-Centered Design (HCD) process—a five-step cycle of Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Iterate—to deliver production-ready product solutions for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies across med tech, transportation, casino gaming, and emerging technology sectors.

Product overview

DDSTUDIO is a premier design consultancy that offers human-centered design services across multiple industries including med tech, transportation, casino gaming, and emerging technologies. Their core offering is a multidisciplinary design approach combining UX/UI design, industrial design, and product development services. DDSTUDIO follows a five-step Human-Centered Design process (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Iterate) and employs diverse teams of seasoned experts who work in partnership with clients from startups to Fortune 500 companies to create award-winning products. They also utilize Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality as design and development tools during their collaborative design process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Human-Centered Design Services A creative problem-solving approach putting real people at the center of the development process through a five-step iterative cycle: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Iterate. Diverse, seasoned teams partner with clients to create new and iconic product solutions.
• Industrial Design Design of physical products including form factor, ergonomics, and aesthetic elements that produce visually stunning and functional product solutions for med tech, consumer electronics, transportation, and gaming clients.
• UX/UI Design User experience and interface design services that ensure intuitive and engaging experiences for digital and physical products, including UX research, app design, and workflow design.
• Product Development Full-cycle product development from concept to production-ready outputs, including engineering, prototyping, mechanical design, and design for manufacture.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25-year client relationships with consistent award-winning designs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CONNECT San DiegocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of CONNECT's Nearsourcing Initiative steering committee, comprised of production cluster leaders in the San Diego region. Committed to diverse and innovative San Diego through nearsourcing initiative.
• UC Irvine Henry Samueli School of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDD Innovation Camp program created to educate engineering students on importance of incorporating human factors and usability. Hosted 80 students for project presentations with panel of DDSTUDIO experts providing critiques.
• UCSD Jacobs School of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharles Curbbun lectures and mentors at UCSD, raising awareness of experience design process. DDSTUDIO helps engineering students understand design thinking approach and place products within overall service offering.
• West Wireless Health Institute (WWHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial design and prototyping partnership for Sense4Baby wireless fetal monitoring device. Joint effort bringing care for high-risk pregnancies into wireless arena.
• Herman MillerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Design + Innovation Showcase and Connect with CONNECT event hosted by Mintz Levin.
• Riviera MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsored Design + Innovation Showcase event recognizing brilliant experience design nearsourced in San Diego.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• fuseproject: Industrial design and brand consultancy led by Yves Béhar working across consumer, med-tech, and furniture. Direct peer for premium, brand-conscious product design engagements.
• IDEO: Global design consultancy offering human-centered design and product development across med-tech, consumer, and enterprise; Ant Creed's pedigree includes IDEO. Directly comparable services and target client base to DDSTUDIO.
• Smart Design: Human-centered product design consultancy with strong med-tech and consumer portfolios, pursuing similar awards and enterprise accounts as DDSTUDIO.
• Ammunition Group: Boutique design and product development firm combining industrial design and UX for consumer electronics, audio, and emerging-tech clients. Comparable scale and engagement model.
• Whipsaw: Boutique industrial design and product development firm specializing in med-tech, consumer electronics, and IoT. Closest headcount and engagement-model peer to DDSTUDIO.
• frog (frog design): Industrial and product design consultancy serving med-tech, consumer electronics, and mobility clients. Direct competitor for design engagements and awards circuits (IDEA, Core77).
• Lunar Design: Product design and development consultancy covering industrial design, UX, and mechanical engineering for med-tech and consumer clients. Same services stack and scale band as DDSTUDIO.
• New Deal Design: San Francisco-based product design firm specializing in consumer electronics, wearables, and med-tech with industrial design and UX integration. Direct competitor for premium West Coast engagements.
• Bresslergroup: Philadelphia-based product design and development firm combining industrial design, UX, and mechanical engineering for med-tech and connected devices. Closely comparable scope and verticals.

Emerging players

• Gravitas (formerly Grizzly Design): Mid-sized industrial design and product development consultancy focused on consumer and emerging-tech hardware. Comparable offering but with a younger brand and lighter med-tech portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/designdesigninc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/designDESIGNinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/ddstudio1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dd-studio
• Instagraminstagram.com/designdesigninc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DDSTUDIO