The FlagGuard™
Behind the Design
As a new introduction to the water sport market, Beyond Design developed The FlagGuard™, a product idea conceived by Erin McLaughlin, to keep children Safe and Seen™ in the water. As experts in Product Development, our team went to work to think of every detail that makes this product work.
Behind every product is a solution
Successful product development involves first identifying a problem, and then providing the solution. According to the US Coast Guard, there are approximately 4,463 boating accidents each year. The FlagGuard™ Mission is to help prevent these types of accidents, designed to help boaters see children floating in the water.
The goal of the Beyond Design team was to ensure the efficiency and convenience of a product to provide the solution, enhancing the safety of children in the water while putting minds at ease. Every element of design was well-thought out, successfully completing a proven product development process.
Keeping your children safe and seen in the water through innovative design
The design
The FlagGuard™ is a two-part design which includes a plastic chamber with a flag and a mesh pouch with universal straps. When someone wearing The FlagGuard™ enters the water, the chamber fills up, dynamically forcing the flag over the user’s head. The design process did not stop there – the flag automatically retracts to its resting position when the use exists the water as the water drains from the plastic chamber.
Adjustable pouch attachment
One size fits most with the universal strap which includes a range of both youth and adult sizes.The element of the pouch with adjustable straps was incorporated as a way to make it easy to fit various life jacket sizes.
High visibility
In order to make children in the water more visible to oncoming boaters, using the right colors is essential. Using the bright orange flag, it raises as soon a child has entered the water for immediate and increased visibility. It also raises 14 inches for optimal visibility for boaters and other swimmers.
Convenient and comfortable
The Beyond Design team knows the importance of comfort and convenience of products and they bring their expertise to the table during development to deliver those to the user. The FlagGuard™ is positioned diagonally, providing comfort and may also be removed from the pouch for excellent visibility and convenience.
One-of-a-kind
Beyond Design excels in designing and developing products that the market has not yet seen. Our team works together to combine ideas, skills, and processes to bring one-of-a-kind products to life. The FlagGuard™’s patented design boasts innovation; there is nothing like it on the market today.