Design & Create

Know what you're doing?
Down Arrow

Full custom Design & Creation

Our design and create service is the perfect for brand activations, exhibition stands, bespoke set pieces, unique props, interior fit outs or sculptural pieces. 

We pride ourselves on working with you to turn your vision into a reality. Developing your idea into 3D designs, selecting the right materials for the job and managing production. We are with you every step of the way. 

Our years of experience in the creative industries, eye for detail and flair for design means we can always find the right solution for you. 

How it works:

1. Click "Start Making" above - give us some key details about your project 

2. We will set up a meeting to chat through your ideas 

3. We will send you an initial concept for you to approve

4. We produce full 3D designs - you get 2 rounds of amendments so you can be sure you are getting exactly what you want 

5. Production begins - we manage everything to ensure your project arrives on time and looks great!

Case Studies

Living With Machines

Interactive Installation for Leeds City Museum

Designed to engage children visiting the exhibition, this piece featured an interactive mechanism that was visible through child-sized peep holes. Turn the cogs and see how that makes the boat sail, the train drive and the smoke rise.

This project required us to research the mathematics of machinery. Not only did the mechanism have to be perfect to ensure the machine worked, it had to look great on the inside. We created iterations of prototypes to test various mechanisms and ensure the whole piece ran smoothly.

Read more about this project on our blog

A 6ft plywood box full of a moving plywood landscape mechanism. Being tested in a workshop
A small girl looking through a perspex window at the front of a large exhibit to see the moving mechanism inside.
Close up of a 6ft plywood box full of a moving plywood mechanism. Being tested in a workshop

Working with Duke Makes was a breeze. They took my basic idea and made it amazing! First class help and support from design to execution.

— Tim Frenneaux, Co-founder (Do Books)

Do Books

Do Books wanted a product they could give out as part of their kickstarter campaign. We created designs, initial prototypes and a run of 200 units for them. All of the artworking, product design and production was completed in house.

Bookends around some books - shaped as a characterful cut out of the letter D the other a letter O in the style of the 'Do Books' logo. cut with a CNC machine
A characterful cut out of the word 'DO', cut with a CNC machine
a workshop technician hand finishing some wood using a hand router

B-Corp Signage

Certification sign for Engage Interactive

To celebrate achieving their B-Corp Certification, Engage Interactive asked us to create a plaque in line with their ethos. Their certification means the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability, so the only fitting material for a sign to celebrate this was 100% recycled plastic that was shredded, pressed and lasercut in our studio.

The specific plastic came from a previous project of ours that, when they’d finished using it, was returned to our studio where we could repurpose it. The new plastic recycling station has provided sustainable plastic for projects such as this, and united us with Off Cut Studio through use of their heat press.

A man inspecting a bespoke sign
Close up of some hands measuring a bespoke sign

The Peripheral set piece

This large scale set piece, created for Hedonist Events, was designed for a premier, as part of a larger immersive installation.  We took cues from clips of the original show and designed a piece that could be quickly disassembled into manageable pieces to be installed on an awkward landing. We created a modular shell, sourced props and added show specific details. Scenic painting by Hedonist Events. 

People in the process of making a large wooden caravan
Wooden Caravan made by Duke Makes
Large wooden caravan in situ as a set piece for netflix show Stranger Things
A close up of a CNC machine carving some modelling foam

Swift logo models

Swift Leeds hosted their conference with the soaring birds we designed and constructed flying above the stage.

We used the #RunCNC to carve the foam core, created a structure to make sure it could hang securely, layered and painted it to match the Swift Leeds Logo 🦅 We also created laser cut stencils so the IOS developers can easily sketch out their designs!

2 large colourful foam carved bird shapes that have been cut on a cnc machine and painted
A close up of a CNC machine carving some modelling foam
A stage in a full theatre with a speaker standing by 2 large bird shapes carved from foam and hung from the ceiling
A close up of a CNC machine carving some modelling foam

Bespoke event props


This flock of colourful butterfly mascots were designed and produced in house for a national campaign produced by Together For Short Lives. We designed, prototyped and produced a run of 30 butterflies. Each one included 3D printed brackets, CNC cut bases and precision laser cut fabrics.

large Colourful Butterflies installation made by Duke Makes
3D printed tokens
Large colourful butterfly being cut out on a laser cutter
Woman making large colourful butterfly installation

Our Tools

We have a whole range of tools and equipment we can use to turn your ideas into products. This includes a fully stocked woodworking workshop, metal shop and electronics kit.

An arm reaching out to take a chisle off a shelf in a workshop

Additional Machines

On top of all the machines you can find in our other services, we also have some additional specialist equipment for large jobs.

Vacuum Former

Vacuum forming can shape a form from an already produced object. This is really useful if you want to make casts of a product that you have already created.

The vacuum former is currently only used as part of our Design & Create service — if you have a specific request please Contact us.

A Vac forming machine.

Plastics Recycling

Our Plastic Recycling machines take waste plastic and turn it into a myriad of new forms from small sheet material to extrusions to tiles. We are excited about the possibilities for incorporating circular design into future projects.

Keep an eye out for upcoming recycling workshops, or if you have a specific request please Contact us.

A shredding machine having acrylic feed into it.
A hand lifting some shredded acrylic out of a tub

FAQ

How long will it take?

It very much depends on the scope of the projects. We are happy to take on projects of any length, and work with you to meet your needs, whether its a super fast turnaround or a far reaching deadline with long lead times needed specific material requirements its all possible.

For a project to be expedited, if we have capacity, we charge an additional fast-track fee. Please get in touch with your artworks and details of the project and we will follow up from there on time and costs.

Ready to start a Design & Create job?