Hasta La Ideas

Young German designer Hanna Emelie Ernsting is producing her latest furniture collection herself following a “really tough” experience with a major brand, and has warned fellow designers to “watch out” for unfair contracts (+ interview).

Ernsting has launched her range of Petstools under her own name, two years after signing a contract to manufacture her graduation projects with a brand that then failed to produce them. “I couldn’t get out of the contract,” she said. “So I couldn’t use my designs even though they would not produce them.”

Soon after graduation she was awarded second prize in the [D3] Contest for young designers at imm cologne 2013 for her Moody Couch, a sofa with a cover that’s much larger than the structure underneath so it can be scrunched around the user. A few months later she signed a deal to produce it along with a similar armchair called the Moody Next and a loose cover to create the same effect with a standard chair called the Moody Bag.

“I thought that was the start so I was actually really excited about it, but I sort of realised I would be super relieved when it’s actually on the market,” she told Dezeen. However, after a year of developing the design the company changed its strategy and dropped Ernsting’s products.

“It was really tough and I was really angry as it was my diploma project – my beginning as a designer,” she said. “It actually said in the contract if they decide to not go on with the project then the contract would be terminated, but then they said we might produce it sometime. So they backed out of that, which was not really fair.”

Speaking to Dezeen as the contract finally comes to a close, Ernsting cautioned new graduates to be careful what they sign up for in the excitement of beginning their careers. “Designers should really watch out for these contracts,” she warned. “I would be careful about giving away the rights, even for two years. That can still be a very important two years.”

She also recommended talking to other designers who have worked with companies to find out what experiences they had. “As long as you communicate with other designers, you know what to watch out for – I think that’s really important.”

In addition, Ernsting noted that the royalty system where designers are paid according to how many of their products are sold “doesn’t seem modern any more”, echoing the sentiments of the #milanuncut debate that engaged dozens journalists and designers during Milan 2011 and exposed the poor royalties designers earn.

“It might have seemed a good idea 50 years ago, but a product will not be on the market for 50 years any more,” she explained. “Companies change their products every year so you’re not actually paid much for the work…. Right now some designers work for a producer for a year and are not paid anything.”

However, she points out that there’s not much incentive for companies to change the way they remunerate designers for their work because there is so much competition amongst young graduates. “It’s kind of tough to make them see why they should choose you and not some other young designer who is perhaps willing to go further with the deal,” she explained. “I was willing at the beginning to go for that deal as I didn’t realise what risks there could be. There are always going to be other designers who are going to work like that.”

She therefore believes that in order for the situation to improve, “change would have to come from the designers.” She advocates designers working together to put pressure on companies for better deals, rather than undercutting each other. “I think it’s really important that designers talk to each other and that there’s not this competition so much. In a way everybody has a different chance at a producer.”

For now, she’s taking production of the Petstools into her own hands. Like the three graduation projects, the footstools feature baggy covers for nestling into. In this case, each one is shaped like a different animal.

The base is MDF on metal legs, topped with the animal-shaped pillow containing expanded polystyrene beads. She has found a company to make them and is taking them to the market herself, having sold the initial batch quickly via her own website. “Designers who can’t afford to have a shop or don’t have [a retail] network yet pretty often do have a network with press,” she notes. “That’s definitely something you can use as a designer to bring your products out into the world.”

Although frustrated by the way her first relationship with a manufacturer turned out, Ernsting acknowledges that her experiences with a range of manufacturers so far gave her the knowledge and confidence to be able to take this step. “I learned so much from working with these producers – they’re not all bad!” she said. “Coming straight from university, you don’t know anything about what production costs could look like, or how shops work. Things like that scared me in the beginning. Perhaps it was good that I had these experiences because I have learnt a lot about how to approach business as a designer.”

Meanwhile, the two-year contract for the Moody collection is now due to expire. Once she regains the rights, she will consider whether to produce those pieces under her own label as well or try to work out a new contract with a different company.

Hanna Emelie Ernsting’s story is not unique and she’s one of a number of young designers who have decided to produce selected designs under their own label in parallel with work for major brands. Notably British industrial designer Benjamin Hubert branched out last autumn by manufacturing a tent-like lamp made of underwear fabric in-house, alongside his prolific work for international design companies.

Designers’ options for self-production are increasing further with the rise of crowdfunding platforms, like the recently launched Crowdyhouse, where designers are able to raise money upfront by inviting funding for products which investors eventually receive once they have been produced.

Here’s a transcript of the interview with Hanna Emelie Ernsting:

Rose Etherington: What made you decide to produce the Petstools yourself?

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: I had some difficult experiences with some bigger producers. It started off quite interesting and nice; after a while I realised that most of the energy had to come from me and I had to keep motivating the company. Then [my work] still might get taken out of the portfolio. There’s a lot of work to get the whole project going and a lot of things can go wrong.

Then I decided I could do it myself. I’ve learnt so much, [working with companies] is good training basically, and I decided perhaps I could give it a shot and try it myself. I’ve found a company to make them for me and I’m taking them to the market myself.

Rose Etherington: How do you get the products to the customers?

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: I think what’s quite exciting about that is the internet. The products aren’t even in the shops yet and I sold the first batch of them through my website. Designers who can’t afford to have a shop or don’t have [a retail] network yet pretty often do have a network with press. That’s definitely something you can use as a designer to bring your products out into the world. Also in terms of the production the world is so connected now – you can just email somebody and they can start sending the textiles over and everything goes faster.

Rose Etherington: Tell me what happened with the Moody Couch.

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: I signed a contract with a company for all three of my diploma projects – the Moody Couch, Moody Nest and Moody Bag. It seemed really exciting and good, then after about half a year of developing it further, it turned out that the company had to change their whole strategy. They had a new CEO and everything was put on hold. After that, development of my products stopped.

But I couldn’t get out of the contract, so I couldn’t use my designs even though they would not produce them. [The contract is] actually going to stop pretty soon, it terminates after two years, so now I’m getting out of it.

Rose Etherington: How did you get involved with the company?

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: They actually came through my textile producer. They were a very interesting company who are very involved with what is happening and they also helped me a lot by handing me out some materials that they couldn’t use any more so I could play around with it, then they helped me with the contact with the producers.

I thought that was the start so I was actually really excited about it. It was good of course, but I sort of realised I would be super relieved when it’s actually on the market. There are so many steps that still have to be done before you really know how it’s going to work out. I didn’t realise a lot of things still had to be achieved.

Rose Etherington: How do you feel about the fact that they decided not to use your piece but still wanted to stop you from going somewhere else?

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: It was really tough and I was really angry as it was my diploma project – my beginning as a designer. Also it actually said in the contract if they decide to not go on with the project then the contract would be terminated. But then we talked about it and they said we might produce it sometime. So they backed out of that, which was not really fair. So I was of course angry about that.

This contract is going to be over in November, so I am going to have a new chance of finding a new producer, or perhaps I will find out that it is just a difficult as couple of years ago!

Rose Etherington: Would you consider producing the Moody Couch yourself?

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: I am definitely going to consider it. I think it’s different with a big piece of furniture like the couch. For some bigger pieces of furniture, it would be good to put it in stores, because with a couch you want to sit on it [before you order it]. I am not quite sure about that but I am definitely going to think about it.

Rose Etherington: Are you able to say which company it is that you had the contract with?

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: I would rather not. I don’t want to give the impression that I don’t want to work with producers any more – it’s not an idea that I want to give up. If I say the name then producers may not want to work with me.

Rose Etherington: So you would get involved in that relationship again? What would you change about it?

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: I still would consider the way of being paid only once the product is on the market. It doesn’t seem modern any more, though. It might have seemed a good idea 50 years ago, but a product will not be on the market for 50 years any more. Companies change their products every year so you’re not actually paid much for the work. So I would probably try to change that. Also, I would be careful about giving away the rights, even for two years. That can still be a very important two years.

Rose Etherington: Have you found that companies are open to the idea of changing the royalties system?

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: I don’t think its that easy yet, because there are so many other designers, especially when you’re a young designer, it’s kind of tough to make them see why they should choose you and not some other young designer who is perhaps willing to go further with the deal.

I was willing at the beginning to go for that deal as I didn’t realise what risks there could be. There are always going to be other designers who are going to work like that. I can imagine that it would be hard to talk to the producers about changing this contract but I would try.

Designers should really watch out for these contracts and they should also try to communicate more with each other. I think the designers should agree on a certain way of payment then producers would slowly have to warm up to that idea. It would have to come from the designers. Right now some designers work for a producer for a year and are not paid anything.

Rose Etherington: What would your advice be to new graduates who have projects taken up by companies?

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: Talk to other designers about their experiences. If they know somebody who worked with this company, what experiences did they have? I think it’s really important that designers talk to each other and that there’s not this competition so much. In a way everybody has a different chance at a producer, so it could be that it doesn’t work out for one person and does for another. As long as you communicate with the designers, you know what to watch out for – I think that’s really important.

Rose Etherington: Would you advise graduate designers to start making their own products?

Hanna Emelie Ernsting: Coming straight from university, you don’t know anything about what production costs could look like, or how shops work. Things like that scared me in the beginning. Perhaps it was good that I had these experiences because I have learnt a lot about how to approach business as a designer.

I learned so much from working with these producers – they’re not all bad! I realised what to watch out for and how to approach producing something. I can’t really say that anyone once they come out of university should produce their own things. For me, I needed some time to understand how these things work and not to actually fear this scenario of producing your own product.

You have a big unknown territory in the beginning. But I decided that if I worked so much to get this product onto the market, perhaps I can even do this myself. It’s more than a design job that I’ve been doing with these producers. It’s also thinking about the price or what kind of people will use it, marketing knowledge flows into it, how to motivate the producers or the people you work with. You always have to be really encouraging and make them believe that the product you’ve designed is super special, then you have to convince the producers and they again have to use that to motivate shops and the buyer. I can use that knowledge for my own business.

The post Change to the furniture industry
“will have to come from designers” appeared first on Dezeen.

Late in 1966 NYC television station WPIX-TV gave the city’s eight million residents a roaring log fire for Christmas. The seven-minute looping Yule Log video instantly became a holiday tradition around the world. Now, nearly a half century later, Brooklyn-based animation director and…

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Massachusetts design studio Nervous System has developed a method of 3D-printing jewellery and garments with articulated joints so they automatically change shape once removed from the printer (+ movie).

Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg of Nervous System describe their Kinematics project as an example of 4D printing, an emerging area of research which involves printing three-dimensional objects that automatically transform from one shape to another.

Although it’s long been possible to create larger structures by 3D-printing them in sections then manually assembling the components, what sets 4D printing apart is that the finished object will self-assemble or transform into a pre-determined form.

“4D printing refers to 3D-printing something in one shape that is intended to be in another shape,” creative director Jessica Rosenkrantz told Dezeen. “The design transforms into its final configuration without manual labour. The shape it is printed in may be advantageous for various reasons: faster, cheaper, or printing larger objects in a smaller volume.”

Nervous System are currently working on a dress that can be printed in one piece despite being much larger than the space inside the printer and have also developed a range of jewellery with articulated joints that automatically adapt to the form of the body despite being printed in flat sheets.

The designers first developed software to give any 3D model a flexible structure, made from tessellated triangles linked by built-in hinges. A second process then folds the model automatically to compress it into the smallest possible volume, optimising the use of space inside a 3D printer. The object simply unfurls into its intended shape once lifted out of the printer.

They named the process Kinematics after the branch of mechanics of the same name – also referred to as the geometry of motion – that describes the movement of objects but not its cause.

“We think the greatest advantage of Kinematics is that it can transform any three-dimensional shape into a flexible structure for 3D printing,” Rosenkrantz said. “The system then compresses the structure down through computational folding.”

To create the dress, a 3D-scan of a person’s body forms the basis for a digitally modelled garment, to which the tessellated pattern is applied. The rigidity and behaviour of the final dress can be controlled at this stage by altering the configuration of the triangular hinged mesh: the way the material will drape as a result is simulated on-screen. This digital model can then be folded into a much smaller shape using computer simulation software and printed in compressed form. When the dress is lifted out of the printer, it will unfurl into its intended shape.

“Compressed designs offer benefits not only for production but also for transport,” Rosenkrantz added. “It holds great promise for the creation of flexible wearables but could also be used to enable the production of other large-scale structures in today’s small-scale printers.”

Nervous System began developing the Kinematics concept last year in response to a brief set by mobile phone manufacturer Motorola to create customisable 3D-printed products.

The pair first produced a collection of nylon jewellery derived from the tessellated hinged triangles. The pieces emerge from the printer in a stack of flat sheets but the articulated structure allows them to to fit around the shape of the body.

They developed an online application so users can customise the jewellery designs themselves by selecting different module shapes, altering the density of components in selected areas, changing the profile of the design by dragging the outline around, specifying the size and deciding on the colour.

The price of the product is recalculated with every alteration and once happy the customer can order it to be produced by Nervous System. A second free application allows users to experiment with Nervous System’s templates and print the results at home.

Rosenkrantz and Louis-Rosenberg then developed the principle by adding the ability to fold the design down to its smallest possible spatial configuration. They intend to print their first dress in January.

Photography of the jewellery is by Jessica Weiser.

The post “4D-printed” shape-changing dress
and jewellery by Nervous System appeared first on Dezeen.

With an invocation of one of design’s most historic geometric shapes, Bulgari’s Octo men’s watch line reinvents classic, colossal beauty. Their iconic double bezel lays the purity of a circle, atop the faceted structure of…

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News: Belgian artists Studio Job have designed a postage stamp for Dutch king Willem-Alexander, who took office in April, that features a digitally modelled image of his face.

Studio Job‘s design references the country’s first ever stamp, issued in 1852, which depicted an image of King Wilhelm III in profile, shaded to give the impression of depth. The new stamps show King Willem-Alexander face-on, in a pose intended to be less formal.

An image commissioned specially from photographer Rineke Dijkstra was used as the basis for a three-dimensional portrait, which the artists told Dezeen was “digitally sculpted layer-by-layer using different computer programs, resulting in a 3D effect.”

“The advantage of digital modelling is that the image becomes timeless. Or better put: ageless,” they added. “This makes it hard to tell how old or young the king is pictured and that increases the period the stamp can be used. Also, the three-dimensional character of the stamp makes it more accessible and informal, which we also think is more appropriate for this king.”

The three colours of the Dutch flag, which were also used in the original 1852 stamps, differentiate stamps for two classes of domestic mail (light blue for up to 20 grams and light red for up to 50 grams) and international mail (silver-white).

When asked what appealed to them about this opportunity, Studio Job told Dezeen: “Our work is based on iconography. The permanent king stamp has a double iconic value: the stamp is an icon, as is the king. It was a challenge for us to design an unlimited functional product because mostly we design expressive unique pieces or small editions.”

The Dutch post office issues a new permanent stamp when a new Head of State takes office. The stamps designed by Studio Job are currently on show at a special exhibition at the Museum for Communication in The Hague, which continues until mid-2014.

The post Studio Job designs a postage stamp
for the new Dutch king appeared first on Dezeen.