Maix

Become Your Own Product Designer with Maix

 

Do you ever have that feeling that you want to design your own vase or planter and you simply don’t know where to start? Leave it to David Keller, Omri Bar ze’ev, Etay AmirMaix and Shachar Ilan who founded Israeli tech-design company, Maix, to give you the platform to fulfill your product design dreams! Using a set of tools and templates created by the Maix software, create a product in any shape, color or style you want in a variety of sustainable materials. Talk about a great way to impress your interior design clients or gift your friends and family in a personal way!

David – how did you get where you are today?
I was born in Russia in 1980 and came to Israel as a baby in 1981. Since I was a child, I was fascinated by art and technology, which led me to eventually study product design (BA and Master’s in design management) at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. Shortly after my graduation, I established Prime.total product design with my partners Omri Bar ze’ev and Etay Amir. Today, Prime is the leading technology design consultancy in Israel with clients such as Mobileye, SolarEdge, and more. In the last few years, we’ve been asking ourselves in the studio why only professionals can create physical products in the digital world. It doesn’t seem logical. Design tools are very complicated, inaccessible and out of reach for 99% of the population and 3D printers are very expensive. We realized there was a great opportunity to disrupt this market which led us to establish Maix.
How does the Maix process work exactly?
We figured out early on that we can’t and don’t want to teach our customers to be product designers, yet we saw that people can easily tell what they like and dislike. We also saw that people love to give a personal and unique touch to things they do. These insights led us to create a unique product design funnel that uses images, inspiration and mood-boards instead of complicated and frustrating computer software to empower users to create stunning product in minutes. We’ve also seen that the world of manufacturing is even more inaccessible. Today, we deliver our users their designs directly to their doorstep.
Maix
Why would someone want to use Maix to create a product rather than buy a product directly from a vendor, store or manufacturer?
I think that creation is an experience we all long for; as children we used to create all the time but this ability get somehow lost during the years. The 4th industrial revolution and the on-demand manufacturing technologies and capabilities created a situation in which every person can become a potential creator. We believe that our tool will empower our users to express themselves and experience creation – something that is very hard for them to do today.
How does Maix empower the average Joe to be a product designer?
Our product is designed to be super simple with zero learning curve and immediate results. We understand that our customers want immediate fulfillment and quick results and we’ve designed our platform to support these needs. I think that when our users see how easy and simple it can be to create a stunning product, they will fall in love with the product.
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Why would an interior designer want to create products using Maix?
One of the pain points we’ve recognized among the interior design community is the time and hassle wasted on finding items that will fit their clients’ taste. With our product, they will be able to customize the product to fit their clients’ unique style and create pieces of their own without the pain of looking for someone to manufacture it for them.
What are your most frequently used materials?
Our recently launched product supports single color bio degradable plastic but we plan to support many other technologies such as ceramic 3D printing, multi-color printing, laser cutting, CNC, textile printing, and more. We know that having a variety of materials and technologies will be a giant leap for us and we’re pushing forward to bring it to the market ASAP.
Maix
Can you name some of the most unique and surprising products people have created using Maix?
One of our first users created an amazing minimalist snow white vase which was so beautiful that we’ve made one for ourselves as well. Another user has created tiny cacti planters and received great feedback.
Based on your knowledge of product design and manufacturing, why should people embrace 3D printing?
I thing that 3D printing is only one branch of the on-demand manufacturing revolution that is happening. We as users become more and more aware of what we want and need and there’s no real logic in creating tons of products and only then selling them. The on-demand manufacturing revolution empowers people to manufacture something only when you actually need/want it and the implications of this revolution are immense.
Maix
Is the 3D printing process environmentally responsible?
We use bio degradable plastic but there are many other materials that behave like non-printed materials such as metal, ceramic, glass, etc. Because manufacturing is on-demand, I think it creates a situation in which you can design hundreds of products. However, you only have to create them when you need or want them, and this makes a real environmental difference from my point of view.
What’s Maix’s focus for 2018?
We plan to expand our product line and material variety, integrate new manufacturing technologies, and constantly improve our product. We’re really eager to collaborate with and learn from the design and home-decor communities.
Maix
Photography by Amos Bar Ze’ev

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