Becoming a Design Entrepreneur

How to Launch Your Design-Driven Ventures from Apps to Zines

Lita Talarico, Steven Heller

• Publisher: Allworth
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781621535089
• eBook ISBN: 9781621535140
• Topic: Design
• Subtopic: Design History & Criticism

Any designer who runs a studio, office, or firm is entrepreneurial. In fact, anyone with a studio already has an infrastructure for entrepreneurial content development, and with the technological developments over the last few decades, there are more opportunities now than ever. The use of computers has allowed not only new tools for creating design, but also enables makers with entirely new ways to prototype, promote, and sell their products. Becoming a Design Entrepreneur is the guide for these designers and a breakdown of the prospects and challenges they face. Topics include: •Methods for launching a venture into the market
•Tips on presentation, pitch and public relations
•How to legally protect intellectual property
•Ways to do effective research, and crowd source
•How to benefit from social media
•Sources for funding and investment and incubators
•Case studies from successful and startup entrepreneurs.The ability to produce and market has helped to reposition graphic design in the new entrepreneurial economy, in which graphic design entrepreneurs are constantly raising design bars and standards. Everyone harbors at least one viable product idea, and designers can be "social entrepreneurs, " creating campaigns or events that serve the greater good aside from profit-making. Readers will learn to grow as innovators and creators from Becoming a Design Entrepreneur.Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

SECTION TWO

Talking about Entrepreneurship

There are many ways to float an idea, build a product, and grow a venture. The following interviews address the numerous kinds of entrepreneurial pursuits that designers are doing. Some succeed, while others fail. In either case the experience is worth the struggle. Or is it?

THE ANALOG WORLD

Todd Oldham

MASTER OF MANY MÉTIERS

It takes only a brief scan of his website to see that Oldham has had ten lifetimes of entrepreneurial activity rolled into one. He is known for his fashions, which triggered a TV series, interior design, movies, toys, products, books, and more. How to juggle the various activities and be entirely sustainable is a feat everyone with similar ambitions is anxious to learn.

When it comes to design entrepreneurship, you’ve covered the world, so to speak. From graphic design to publishing, from product to interior design (furniture, textiles), films, and, of course, fashion. So, why so many different ventures and adventures?

I have indeed had many working adventures in design and I am so grateful for them all, even the truly nightmarish ones, like working for Gap Inc., because there is always something to learn. For better or worse, my specifically tuned taste level and skill sets stay with me no matter what the medium, so it is very easy to shift gears and materials. I always embrace the realization I had in high school that I am basically unemployable and would be better served creating my own opportunities, a path that suits my kaleidoscopic interests.

Do you set aside specific time frames to work on any one or two of your disciplines? Or is it as the muse hits?

I do set times for specific projects, but I like working on several at the same time in shorter bursts. My work habits match my natural rhythms, which come alive at night. I love working big and fast.

And does working in one discipline influence entrepreneurship in another?

Indeed! If you are doing it right.

To me, the common denominator is design. Do you have another thread that runs through all your endeavors?

Design is important, but now the idea of being in service is a vital motivation. I do not want to be a part of any situation that is just “more.” The world does not need more.

You have produced for Target and Fellissimo, among other outlets. Do you always retain your rights to your wares? Is L-7 Designs Inc. an actual corporate entity that houses all your work?

I do retain the rights to all of my works and trademarks. I have in the past sold parts but now own them all back again. Here is great advice. Do not sell your trademarks. The company you sold it to will change management in a short time and you will get screwed. I have had a front row seat to this situation enough times to know: never again.

Let’s discuss, specifically, toys and books. They intersect, don’t they?

Making anything for children requires the most dedicated effort you can summon. Toys and books can help shape young minds into national treasures, so we take our work for the young very seriously.

You don’t own a publishing company, but you’ve done your books with one, AMMO. How does that work? Can you do pretty much anything you want? Or are the marketing constraints in place?

I have worked with several publishers over the years, but I have done the most work with AMMO. The publisher, Steve Crist, is like my brother, and we make great stuff together. The relationship an author has with their publisher is so important to success. Mutual respect and integrity are paramount, as bookmaking is not for pussies. I most often come up with my own books, but sometimes Steve will suggest an idea, which is always great. I design and produce all of my books in-house, turning them in on hard drives. I love not getting notes, a blessing for which I count my lucky stars. I only make odd books that are hard to market, so Steve and I are up for the less-easy ride.

You’ve published books on Ed Emberley, Alexander Girard, and Charley Harper, as well as series of kid fashion and craft books. What determines what you’ll devote yourself to?

My books seem to find me in always strange ways, so I keep my ears open for signs. I love celebrating secret masters like Charley or Mr. Girard. The books function as beacons of possibilities for folks that don’t choose the normal roads. It does take a supernatural devotion to your subjects. Books are very laborious and must be perfect. There is no room in the world for bad books, especially bad art books!

How do the books influence the toys? And what is the reason behind making crayons, blocks, and other toys and games?

When we started on the book Kid Made Modern, it quickly became clear there was room in the world for high-quality art materials and experiences for children, so we just set out to make them. The learning, growth, and confidence that occur in making art create great humans. We believe it is that simple.

What has been your most successful product? And what is your favorite of the lot?

I have no way to gauge this question exactly as we all have different definitions of success, but to me, success is if I feel my designs have fully bloomed, not attached to sales outcomes or comments. That said, I am completely amazed that we have sold over $4 million of construction paper pads! Can you imagine?

As a business, do you work hands on, or do you focus on creative?

Both. You must be able to do everything at your job; not that you have to do all the work, but the empathy that comes from knowing makes for kind workplaces.

Todd Oldham is a brand. How did you get to be that? Was it conscious on your part?

Me as brand has always made me very uncomfortable. I just kept making stuff and people noticed and still do, but it will never stop being kind of weird.

Do you have a specific business model?

Yes, she is a size 4. We also work in pack mentality, group together, and conquer with a smile!

Peter Buchanan-Smith

MAKING THE BEST STUFF

Peter Buchanan-Smith always had an entrepreneurial bent that was underscored by artistic passions. These passions manifest in a variety of post-graduate endeavors. He published his first book, Speck, right out of school and cofounded an independent publishing house. Then he became art director of the New York Times OpEd page, design consultant for Isaac Mizrahi, creative director of PAPER magazine. Every time Buchanan-Smith got too comfortable, he started something new. He founded Best Made Company in 2009 because he saw a need for a better axe: “an evocative tool that played an indispensable role in his life working on cattle farms and paddling and portaging the lakes of Northern Canada,” he says. Today that company has expanded to sell a variety of outdoor accessories and fashions and is primed to be the next big thing.

How did you become a design entrepreneur?

There were many catalysts, but the driving force was just a love/need to make things. Since my first book, Speck (my thesis for the MFA design program at SVA), I’ve always been fascinated with the role objects play in our lives. With Best Made, I set out to create the stage where my own objects can play off one another. And now I’m busy crafting that story, keeping the actors in motion, the audience entertained.

What triggered your interest in well-made axes?

You can either hate an axe or love it, but I’ll be damned if you can deny how useful it is at starting a fire! Around 2009 I was going through a divorce and an overwhelming series of calamitous events, and I thought: “If all I had was completely and utterly lost, what’s the one thing I’d need most?” And the more I came to reckon with the axe, the more it made sense as a real part of me: my tool and perch for many greater things.

How did you bridge from this axe fixation into becoming Best Made, a veritable urban J. Peterman?

I bridged the fixation by not fixating, and keeping the mission bigger than myself. I set out to get people to the campfire, and for that I knew they’d need a well-made axe. And once they had the axe, maybe they’d need the first aid kit, the warm wool blanket, or the right waxed jacket.

What has the process of making a business entailed?

Setting realistic expectations while constantly striving to improve the reality we’re in.

You currently have a store and have produced a print catalog. What is your business structure?

The best virtues of small business—and the envy of all big business—are freedom and agility. As a designer, I am fortunate in that I’m trained to make things materialize, often under tight deadlines. I take all of the product photography, I write the copy, I design the website and the catalog, and that makes my job thrilling, and it gives the company soul.

You’ve certainly grown. But do you foresee more growth?

We’re just getting started. Between clothing, home goods, edible products, camp gear, books, and accessories, we’ve spanned so many categories in just five years. All that hard work has taught us, and we’re becoming more masters of these domains. Now we’re perfectly poised to start drilling down, and to continue to expand upon our mission and reach more people.

Have you had to hire various specialists?

We’ve hired photographers, filmmakers, lawyers, clothing designers, bag designers, type designers, and graphic designers, and I hope many other characters as we grow. Having a clear and consistent mission is critical to working with so many people. Everyone’s gotta be on the same page, from the top down.

Do you push your comfort zone, or are you in a comfortable place?

As we grow, I seem to have little choice in the matter—my comfort zone is automatically challenged, all the time. As we grow, every quarter seems like I’m running a new company. New staff, new product, new customers: they all change the dynamic. They can throw dirt on me when I get too comfortable!

You began as a graphic designer. What element of graphic design do you maintain in the Best Made scheme?

There’s the literal day-to-day graphic design that I am still connected to, and then there’s the art of designing a company/brand. Now that I am CEO of Best Made, I am less career focused and more company driven. I bring my skills and the mind-set of a designer to bear as I shape and grow the company. We’re now seeing just how good it is for a company to have a designer—or one with a design mind-set—as its founder/leader. (Just ask Apple!)

Can you describe how you are branding BEST MADE?

The Best Made X is above all a mark of authority, but it should impart some sense of humanity, and even playfulness. I want Best Made to be that place most of us only knew as kids, when possibilities were endless, and expertise was for the grown-ups!

Is there a goal at this point, or are you only thinking about the here and now?

The goal is to keep the momentum driving forward, our intentions good and grounded, and then the fun and excitement will follow. We’re just abou...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• An Entrepreneur’S Glossary
• Introduction
• Design Entrepreneur First Venture Survival Tips
• Section One: An Entrepreneurial Toolkit
• Section Two: Talking About Entrepreneurship
• Section Three: Understanding Legalities
• Appendix/Resources
• Index