Helping hardware founders get their product right, start production, and launch.

26 companies, 48 projects, 20+ million products shipped, 60+ worldwide patents

A design partner to guide the way.

With my guidance, many hardware product founders have developed award-winning product designs in–house.

Our collaborations have resulted in over–funded campaigns, more cohesive product roadmaps that interest investors and high–quality design and manufacturing approaches that increase conversion and reduce returns.

Rather than losing intellectual property and control to external firms, I’ll help you uncover and establish an internal product vision, design process and launch confidence.

For nearly 20 years, I’ve guided the design of physical product experiences in the Consumer Electronics/Goods, Industrial and Defence Robotics markets that have captured the attention of media and users globally. I’m a listed inventor on over 60 design and utility patents, and the products I’ve designed have won international award competitions.

My experience was shaped at BlackBerry, the global smartphone brand that invented mobile email. As a lead BlackBerry designer for over ten years, I advocated for better design across many functional areas such as engineering, packaging, accessories, sourcing, and marketing. I helped shape processes and systems used to organize design development work.

I care deeply about helping you succeed through thoughtfully designed product experiences that create true believers, while having a strong sustainability focus.

“I needed a very creative design that was complex both from a technical and aesthetic standpoint and I wanted someone who could handle both which is difficult to find. I was surprised by your strategic perspective and by your ability to consider manufacturing requirements and your ability to evaluate different manufacturing options. I was very surprised by the quality of the work in the different dimensions, because the skill sets are very different and I expected some work would be less valuable. But all of it was extremely valuable.”—Terry Sweeney, Veranda Digital

“Joseph was amazing to work with. His approach to design and the creative process is unique and superbly value added to the brand. He is able to look at design strategy and implementation from beyond just a design perspective to help to cascade the brand’s ethos into authentic styling producing incredible looking products.”—Dilshan Modaragamage, Wearatec

“As a technical founder who appreciates design, it was an extremely valuable and rewarding experience for me to be able to work closely with such a talented design partner.

Being able to brainstorm and work through technical challenges with Joseph has given me a deeper understanding and appreciation for design and the user experience.”—James Pickard, Voltera

As an entrepreneur, I cannot think of anything more valuable than a consultant who treats my business as his own, sweating the details and covering every base with honesty and integrity.

In an environment filled with uncertainty, Joseph delivers the unexpected by his consistency and timeliness, and he does so with artistic genius.—George Rizkalla, Wolf and Grizzly

A fantastic and humble design partner with a comprehensive design process who would go above and beyond to ensure the best product is created.”—Ammar Jafar, LabsCubed

“Our name in the industry has grown in awareness and acceptance due to the design strategy—we have added value to our product and thus increased the current and future success of our name and brand.”—Kevin Vantyghem, Vantyghem Diamonds

“Design is something that I have traditionally overlooked or taken for granted. Not anymore. Well thought out design creates quality experiences and products. I now scrutinize products more than ever. As a salesperson who is focused on the end game, I trust have deputized strategic partners to execute the design vision and implement the process to achieve the best result.

Working with Hofer has achieved just that. Complete trust in the process and the trusted partnership that was created, allowed us to divide and conquer and achieve success. The time and thought process provided an output that was both measurable and rewarded both with awards but more importantly with purchases.”—Jeff MacIntyre, Grappleworks