Designers can sell their concepts to product manufacturers all over the world, thanks to a new online design agency.

Design2b has been set up by a Brighton company to help designers find customers over the internet.

All the designer has to do is register with the website and send in his or her designs.

Then they are posted on the website as concepts which can be viewed and bought by manufacturers, product developers and buyers.

The site benefits product managers and manufacturers who can buy cutting-edge design concepts for everything from a car to a toothbrush at the touch of a button.

This can make the "lead time" from a product's conceptual stage to it appearing in the shops shorter and more cost effective.

Subscribers can also order designs for specific products which will be passed on to designers from Design2b's database.

Tracey Connolly, design 2b's marketing director, said: "Designers are often not good at putting forward their ideas to big manufacturers because they are not sales people. Design2b lets them get on with what they want to do, which is design, and we do the rest."

About 350 designers have already signed up. The figure is expected to reach 1,000 by January.

Ms Connolly said: "The advantage for manufacturers and product developers is they get a whole design team at their fingertips for a fraction of the normal cost.

"They can view the trends and have access to the latest designs which is important as customers are much more design conscious these days."

Buyers pay design2b an annual fee of £1,700 to view the site's gallery of concepts, order designs or buy off-the-shelf ideas which have already been developed as products. They also have to pay for the rights to any design they buy.

There is no charge for designers to have their creations displayed and marketed on the site, but Design2b takes 20 per cent commission on any sales.

For details call 01273 620319.

www.design2b.com