How to prepare UK design application images
Use clear photographs or CAD images of the same product version, with each view separate and a plain background. Keep the image type consistent, remove technical annotations and explain excluded features in a written disclaimer. Ask Cambridge China Bridge to coordinate the image brief with your factory.
Agree the product version before requesting images
Choose the sample or drawing revision you want illustrated. Ask the factory to confirm that every image comes from that revision, rather than combining an earlier sample with a later render. Decide whether your intended protection concerns the complete appearance or selected features before commissioning the images.
Keep this image brief separate from decisions about filing timing and alternative designs. See registering before sampling and applications for alternative samples for those questions.
Build a consistent set of separate views
The IPO requires each view as a separate illustration and the same image type throughout. Choose photographs, line drawings or computer-generated images and use that approach across the set. Do not combine a factory photograph with a line drawing in the same set.
Make a view checklist covering the front, back, sides, top, underside and an angled view where these help explain the appearance. Compare seams, openings, handles and surface details across the images. Ask the factory to resolve mismatches before you approve the set.
Prepare clean photographs or computer-generated images
The IPO requires a plain background, clear images and no details hidden by shadows or reflections. Keep hands and unrelated objects out of frame. Illustrations must show the design as it appears to the eye and must not include text, measurements or technical information.
For photographs, use a plain backdrop and adjust lighting until edges and surface details remain visible. For computer-generated images, export a clean view rather than a screenshot of the engineering workspace. Remove dimension arrows, notes and drawing frames. Keep annotated manufacturing drawings separately for factory use.
Identify exclusions and write the disclaimer
If visible features are excluded from your application, the IPO preparation page requires a written disclaimer explaining them. Its guidance also allows greying out, highlighting or circling parts to clarify the intended area. Decide explicitly whether colour, a surface pattern or surrounding components are included.
Describe the exclusion specifically, such as the colour shown or the pattern on the housing. Make the wording and visual treatment agree across every relevant view. Disclaimers and limitations narrow the protection; if you want to protect the whole design as illustrated, the IPO says not to use them. Have your design adviser review any uncertain exclusion.
Approve and retain the final image pack
Ask the factory for the original photographs or editable drawing files alongside the proposed filing images. Review the pack together, checking the product revision, image type, backgrounds, missing details and exclusions. Keep view names and revision notes in your internal checklist rather than adding them to the illustrations.
Save the approved images and disclaimer together, with a record of who approved them. Use design revision control when later factory changes affect the appearance. Cambridge China Bridge’s staff in China can coordinate requests for replacement photographs or drawing exports with the factory.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use factory photographs for a UK design application?
Yes. Use clear photographs of the agreed version against a plain background, without hands, unrelated objects or technical annotations. Check that shadows and reflections hide no details.
Can I mix photographs and CAD images?
The IPO requires all illustrations to be the same image type. Ask the factory for a complete photographic set or a consistent computer-generated set.
How do I exclude colour or a printed pattern?
Explain the excluded colour or pattern in a written disclaimer. Check that the wording matches the images and your intended protection before filing.
Should I submit dimensioned factory drawings?
Prepare clean illustrations without measurements or technical information. Keep dimensioned drawings separately for manufacturing and export views showing the product’s appearance.