Stefanno Giovannoni and his golden rabbit chairs created under his new brand Qeeboo.
I just read this very interesting article in Dezeen this morning and thought it was worth sharing for all other designers out there doing it alone. And for anyone else interested in creative business in general...
When I started anaca studio, I sure didn't think it was going to be a walk in the park. I have questioned many decisions I have made and it's often been a matter of trials and errors to get to a solution that worked for me. Things change so fast these days that adjustments have to be made continually.
One of the hardest thing to get my head around was how to structure the business. Do I just want to design? Do I want to everything? Is there somewhere in between?
So far I'm handling the lot. Designing, getting the designs to the manufacturers, going round picking up parts, doing some assemblies, quality control, distribution, orders, accounting, sales, clients meeting, PR, marketing, social media and so on...
I'm not writing this to complain here. In a sadistic way, I enjoy doing all this - or at least the control freak part of me does! I did make the decision to leave the manufacturing to others... I do know that I couldn't do it all. My Jamfactory days as a designer-maker in Adelaide at least taught me that...
I won't say that if there was an opportunity to design for a larger company, I wouldn't do it. Of course I would! But I can see why designers cannot rely on this alone to make a living... and therefore end up creating their own brands. For some big names, it might not be as challenging. Although Tom Dixon acknowledges the complexity of getting the products to the market .
Lee Broom though, is an example of someone who has done it own his own, as a start up really and succeeded in creating and growing his own brand. I'm a huge fan not just of his products but also of what he's achieved.
Anyway... check out Dezeen's article here. It's a good read.
All image from Dezeen's article.
