scarlet projects copy designboom's mart

Very poorly researched - maybe you should check the following link -

[url=http://www.scarletprojects.com/docs/projects/fete.html]

Their similar concept has been running since 2000 at the V & A. London.

Don't get out much?

Matt   09.26.06

I think it is very good that young designers
have more and more the possibility to put up
a show with little economic efforts.
But each curator or organizer of such events
should invent an original formula.
Designboom is right in saying that they
should have been involved and credited as it
seems to be exactly the same structure
(price range, 30 designers, limited editions, etc).

The link Matt has posted directs to a V&A party
event and its promotion says:
'A carefully selected group of designers
(the best of the up and coming, as well as
some of the more established stars) are
invited to conceive and run the stalls,
offering games to play, competitions to enter,
and prizes to win...'

As far as I know Designboom invented the formula
'Bring a design souvenir back from international
design fairs'. the MART concept is the first curated
show, where 30 designers are behind a table and
sell their works in world's biggest design celebrations.
They gain experience through interaction with customers,
through talking with press and manufacturers about
their projects. In such a group show they benefit
from each other through collaboration.
With the sales they can cover some costs of their travel expenses to the international venues.
I have seen the first mart in New York (and also the second)
and it was amazingly fresh. As journalist I have seen
many shows but THIS was really different.
In fact it won the international editors awards.

Melissa   09.26.06

second that, melissa.

fumi   09.27.06

DESIGNBOOM:
i hope that you take some kind of action on this.
it is not fair that people work hard, and get their ideas out there, and someone comes along and copies them.
it is not the first "thing" or company or organization that i've seen that has ripped off your ideas.
it's sad, and there should be consecuences for their actions.
though you could always look at it as a compliment, and know that you are on the right track. that's why people copy you.
best regards,

alex   09.27.06

That's a bad thing always happen now.Because of internet and designblog that can search and can tell the truth that who is the real one....Keep going... Designboom on the right way that a lot of copier is waiting for the new fresh ideas.

Put   09.28.06

oh come on, now, this is getting ridiculous. Scarlet Projects is a creative consultancy that curates and organises a number of exhibitions and events that aim to promote the best in design and architecture, and bring it to the widest possible audience. We were founded in 2000 and since then have done a number of events that promte and provide a platform for the work of young (as well as well-established) designers and architects. While the Village Fete at the V&A (thanks, Matt) is not exactly the same thing as a design market, it certainly established the idea of designers setting up a trestle table and displaying their talent, with the public able to talk with them and get a better understanding of their work. They are also able to walk away with a piece of it - a 'souvenir' if you like.

We have never been to the ICFF nor to Tokyo Design Week, and I'm afraid we haven't logged on to Designboom (except, inadvertently, when googling a designer, but frankly, we've never investigated the site further, finding it neither particularly useful nor illuminating), so we knew nothing about the Designboom mart. Is it really that astoninshing that a company such as ours would come up with the idea of holding a 'design market'? Come on! It's not exactly a groundbreakingly original idea. There are art/design markets in every modern city all over the world. In London we have Sunday Up Market, The Art Car Boot Sale, The V&A Village Fete, not to mention Camden and Spitalfields.

And I'm afraid that your piece totally misrepresents the argument. You've simply cut and pasted our description and said it's exactly the same as yours. Well, from what I can gather from what little information is on your website about the actual details of your event, it sounds quite different. Ours is not held as part of a larger trade fair, but is a totally independent event on the other side of town. Ours is not international - we only show British designers. Designers dont apply to participate in the SuperDesignMarket, but are invited after being recommended by a panel of respected design curators. We dont ask designers to set up and run their stall, we provide a kind of 'Argos' experience where you collect and pay for your goodies at a central point. We provide a fully-designed environment where each product is displayed supermarket style, and designers themselves dont actually have to be there (though we encourage them to be there, and most enjoy the experience of meeting the public, but we recognise at this busy time many have other commitments).

We decided to do a 'design market' because there was nothing at the London Design Festival where you could actually buy any design! This seemed ridiculous to us and we couldn't understand why anybody wasn't doing it. We also knew many wonderful young designers who simply could not afford to pay for expensive stands, so wanted to provide something they wouldn't have to pay anything to participate in. So we came up with the idea of the SuperDesignMarket. Now, I'm sorry if some aspects of it are similar to the Designboom mart, but that's not entirely surprising is it? I mean how many variations on a theme can there be? And if you're trying to say that the idea of having a 'design market' was yours, then you are surely taking the piss....

Claire Catterall, Director, Scarlet Projects   09.28.06

claire,
thank you for commenting on the blog.
I did not expect it, after all the messages
you've already written to us in the discussion
which was privately going on with other well known
uk design promoters. it seems that everybody
knows our marts very well apart from you and that
you are pretty alone in your point of view.
good and simple ideas seem as though they have
always been around. designboom created this
curated group show and has put a lot of effort into
it to make it grow. of course we expected your
'I don't know you / I don't like you' policy' even though
scarlet projects receives our monthly newsletter.

birgit - designboom   09.28.06

I have not written you any messages. I responded to something someone else sent me that you were ccd on. I am not personally on your mailing list, neither is Sarah, and I dont know anybody here at Scarlet who is. I did not intend to be drawn into this little spat as I really do think it is ridiculous - how can you possibily say we are copying you? Unfortunately, after reading such ill-informed comments made on your blog my instincts got the better of me and I felt I had to set the record straight. I shoud have just ignored it - it really doesn't deserve the attention.

Claire   09.28.06

I was just in London for their design events and
saw the write-up on 'the super design market'
in the festival guide,etc. I was reallysurprised that
this was all being passed off as an 'original'
'first- time ever' event with no mention of
the designboom mart.

It's such as a shame that so many in the design community
still think it problematic to give credit where credit is due.

Best wishes for future projects and I'd love to find a way to
work together on something in NY again during May.

Susan Schultz, Designdowntown   09.28.06

Birgit,

100% East would be delighted to invite 'designboom mart' to particiapte in the 2007 addition of 100% East. Rather than detracting from existing London-based events, we are sure that designboom mart will make it possible for many under-financed international designers to come to London for the first time.

As always we are only interested in presenting original design and concepts!

Jimmy MacDonald, 100% East   09.28.06

dear birgit
about scarlet projects, I'm not sure what to say -
as you point out, we are quite used to people imitating
us and then complaining that we are copying them.
we try to ignore this now as it rarely helps.
the important thing is to maintain your own integrity whilst those
about you, with little sense of their own, copy, copy and then
plead ignorance.

in the czech republic they do something called designerblok -
it was set up in 1999, one year after we launched.
the organisers included companies who had participated at our
event the year before.
they then claimed never to have heard of us!
at least kurosaki in tokyo admitted we started designersblock -
even when he took the name and then included us as little
as possible.

the good news is that we have carried on getting better.
london was a fantastic show (when's your review coming?) -
we even ran a club with performances from 12 bands.
the whole notion of producing a 'festival' is something
we are very happy with.
we now have excellent people and organisations wanting
us to do work - maybe one day we will earn a decent living.

will you be in tokyo ? if so i look forward to seeing you there.
my best wishes as always
piers
designersblock

piers roberts   10.13.06