Midwest Product Design: How location unlocks innovation

But after a little more exposure to just how wide this industry is (not to mention how uncomfortable a beanbag is as an office chair), most of us came to a similar realization: great design is happening all over. And in the past 5 years, the midwest has been an especially hot spot, growing as a hub for strategic design and technology innovation around new products.

That's why I'm thrilled to be at a midwest product design agency. Despite what corn-related stereotypes might say, the reality of being located here is access to an incredible mix of world-class manufacturers, startups and entrepreneurs with strong ties to venture capital, and robust university connections feeding top-notch talent into the region.

So when you work with an Ohio design firm like Mertz, you tap into something larger. You enter a region where these forces mix, where collaboration happens naturally, and where the results of this collaboration are grounded in real business output. Unlike coastal spots packed full of design agencies but with sparse manufacturing, this midwestern collaborative mix fosters direct partnerships between designers, engineers, and business leaders. For consumer product brands—whether food and beverage, tech, or lifestyle—this means faster development cycles, smarter resource allocation, and a brand identity that resonates beyond trends.

Drilling down even further, Mertz Design's home city of Cincinnati is especially poised for CPG innovation, with everything from CPG-focused Fortune 500 companies to scrappy startups all right in our backyard. It's here that we bring our Think. Make. Move. methodology to life by blending strategic insights with hands-on industrial design experience born of many years of work with our industry partners in the city. Whether it's packaging and product prototyping or brand storytelling and launch campaigns, we help midwest brands scale with confidence because we're in a perfect spot to make connections with both consumers and manufacturers.

So do we have a Manhattan corner office? No. But then again, neither do our clients. I love being here precisely because building those connections is so easy. When we make those long term relationships, that lets us not just design something good to meet the brief today, but design something great to grow along with our clients.

If that's not a competitive advantage, I don't know what is.