Vincent Lai is a native Brooklynite who recently launched an amazing bag collection. With a product designer's eye and love of function, the minimal bags serve your every need. I couldn't resist buying the Rimu, after hearing his story and seeing the pieces in person.



Skinny Vinny
www.skinny-vinny.com

I know you were involved with overseas manufacturing - why did you make the decision to go that route, and how did you find a factory?

Growing up, my mom worked in a garment factory. To save money, rather than going to day care, I spent a lot of time in the factory. I would help out and I learned pattern-making. So when I started Skinny Vinny, I planned on using her factory. It turned out that they didn't have the right machines, though, to go through all the thick layers of fabric. I couldn't find factories here. But my mom has childhood friends back in China, and I got hooked up with a factory through a friend of a friend of a friend... It was really small; they don't work for overseas clients.

I ended up going to China for a month or two to figure the factory thing out. I speak Cantonese, but all the workers spoke Mandarin. It was horrendous. I had to completely rethink my way of communicating. In school, I was taught how to do technical drawings, but I found that the factories didn't read those well. I had to get them a real prototype to get the best results. I sourced fabric in the markets, and almost got pickpocketed. And they didn't do deadlines well.

I finally got to the point where the samples looked good, and came home. I'd told them to make a second set of samples for their reference. They didn't, to cut costs, and they "forgot how to make them," so I ended up having to send the samples back. Then they skimped on materials. I started working with a second factory in China, which was much better but they had huge minimums I would have had to order, and I couldn't do it. So I ended up buying a machine and doing the production run here.



How do you incorporate sustainability into your company?

A percentage of every sale goes to the National Resource Defense Council. I wanted to create everything out of eco-friendly materials, but as a small business, I just can't afford them. It's so expensive, about ten times more.

What led you to become a designer?

I went to public high school in Brooklyn, where we had one art class. I knew I wanted to do art but I didn't know what exactly. When I started thinking about college, I was planning on staying in New York. I applied to all New York schools as a fine arts major, with one exception: I also applied to the design program at Carnegie Mellon University [in Pittsburgh]. When I interviewed there, I fell in love with the facilities. And so I ended up in design school.



How did you transition from design school into into the world of manufacturing and selling objects?

Like everyone, I found that looking for a job after school was hell. A connection through a friend led me to an internship at Pollen. After 3 months they asked me to stay. I was there for almost a year total. It was design boot camp: school doesn't teach you a lot! My time there really increased my skills and boosted my confidence. After a while, though, I started to feel that the soft goods industry would be a better fit for me. I wanted to combine industrial design with my pattern-making experience. So I left Pollen and started looking for something new.

I planned on eventually starting something, though definitely not this soon. But when I couldn't find the kind of job I was looking for, I decided to just go for it. I figured it's easiest to stumble when you're young. My bags are all designed from a ID point of view. I see them as products, not fashion. They're functionally driven rather than decorative.



How has the internet helped you as an indie designer?

The bags recently got posted on NOTCOT, which sparked a lot of interest. From that, other blogs picked them up - Refinery29, Coolhunting... And that led to little boutiques emailing with orders.

What advice would you give to young designers looking to start manufacturing and selling their products?

If you're manufacturing in China, abandon your Western ideas of doing business. You're going to get your feelings hurt. It may be shocking, but the way of getting them to do things is bribery. All they see are dollar signs. It's very different.

When it comes to the design, be very, very specific about everything you submit. They take everything very literally. I once corrected a sample where a seam had been put in the wrong place by drawing a red line where the seam needed to go. The next sample came back with all red seams!

You also have to stand very firm when dealing with the manufacturers. They make a lot of excuses and try to do it the easier or cheaper way. For example, I got them to use really nice hardware on the samples, but when it came to production they said they "couldn't find" that hardware anymore, and used something much cheaper. I told them to find it, and stood my ground, and they did.


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Exit 9 is one of our favorite gift shops in New York. The collection ranges from high design to kitsch, and it's pretty much impossible to not find something you fall in love with. We caught up with the owner and founder in their Brooklyn store.



Exit9
Manhattan: 64 Avenue A
Brooklyn: 127 Smith St.
www.shopexit9.com

Do you have any advice for designers trying to wholesale a new product they have developed? How should they approach you?

If the product is something hand stitched or hand made, it has to really stand out. The craft market has its own place. In our store, if it looks hand made, the customer thinks, "I could make this at home." It's not like they WILL go home and make it, but since they think they could, they won't buy it.

As far as approaching me, email is best. Send all the information to submit[at]exit9.com. Walking in off the street works, if I happen to be here. It's better if you call first and set up an appointment.

What tips can you give young designers about presenting their work?

Bring samples of a real, actual product. If it's a prototype, it needs to be very good quality. Be totally solid about what the prices are going to be, wholesale and retail. And have all the information on a piece of paper that you can leave behind for me. I may not order right away, but if you leave something with me I can file it and may order in a few months.

Another thing to keep in mind when approaching stores is territory. Stores don't want to all have the same thing, so don't just go down the block and stop in every place. Be choosy. Pick the store that you think is the best fit and approach them first.



When did you open the store, and how did it start?

I started Exit9 in the village in '95. It was a series of fortunate events. I came into exactly enough money to open a store, and a space was for rent just around the corner from my apartment at the time. Before opening the store I had a clock business, designing clocks and selling them to stores. So I filled my store with clocks and other things I'd made. Eventually I got into selling other people's designs. We opened the Brooklyn store two years ago.

Do you still sell things which you've made?

No, I don't have time anymore... There are so many other people out there that are so great at their craft.

How do you do your buying?

75% of it happens at trade shows. We go to the big gift fair at the Javitz. The other 25% comes from people who contact us and people who come in off the street and show us their products.

What do you look for in new products these days?

I really like things with more than one function. We have a ring that is also a bottle opener, which is fantastic. It shows that the artist is thinking and innovating.



What is your favorite object in the store right now?

This "I Tap N Y" reusable water bottle. [above]

Also, there's this ashtray. It says, "Jesus hates it when you smoke." The designer is a guy who came in off the street and approached us. We've been selling it for 8 or 9 years now. It's pretty rare for a product to have that long of a staying power. [below]



Who is your typical customer?

It's different between the two stores. In the Village, it's 18-30, single, hip artists. In the Brooklyn store, it's 25-50, a more established crowd, people who own property in the area, and moms with strollers.

Have you noticed any recent trends in terms of what people are buying?

There was a huge micro-trend with these crystal sparkling bouncy balls. A few of the kids brought them to school and everyone had to have them. We've also done really well with kitschy items. You can buy pretty much anything in this neighborhood, except for the funny stuff. Novelty breath sprays are very popular, people in the neighborhood love them. Another trend we've noticed is that there are lots of European tourists in the store. They're buying everything up because it's cheap here.

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Events in NYC this week.

Tuesday, August 12

Discussion: PopRally presents The Art of Dissent
PopRally at MOMA

Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Time: 7 pm. - 10 pm.
Place: MOMA Theatre 2
Admission: $6 advance $8 doors

"For many artists, politics are an essential component of both their art and their interactions with community and commerce. In this panel, artists and musicians discuss how politics and art mix in their work and working processes."-MOMA

Friday, August 15

CLOSING DAY

Yuval Yairi: Palacs of Memory
Andrea Meislin Gallery

Date: June 26 - August 15, 2008
Time: Tuesday - Saturday 10 am. - 5 pm.
Place: Andrea Meislin Gallery, 526 West 26th Street
Admission: FREE

Andrea Meislin Gallery is pleased to present Palaces of Memory, an exhibition by Israeli artist Yuval Yairi. The show consists of seven new photographs and will be Yairi’s second solo exhibition with Andrea Meislin Gallery. -artinfo.com

Sunday, August 15

CLOSING DAY

Anish Kapoor's Funhouse
Gladstone Gallery

Date: May 12 - August 15
Time: Monday - Friday, 10 am. - 6 pm.
Place: 530 West 21st Street
Admission: FREE

How to describe Anish Kapoor’s new show? In the language of the movie pitch, you might say the funhouse mirror meets Richard Serra (downsized), but that would take out the rush of excitement so unique to almost any new work by Kapoor. Even though one issue here is also scale, and this show does have its own mini tilted arc, the comparison stops there because unlike Serra’s monumentality, Kapoor’s scale is ambiguous. In front of the four pieces in this new addition to the Chelsea spaces, I can’t decide if the reflective surfaces are grand or intimate. Like funhouse mirrors, they distort and contort, deform and transform the viewer’s body, to such an extent one almost experiences a sea-sickness. Nevertheless, that fluctuating scale seems magical and precious because the work achieves a unique intimacy that feels immense. Looking at one’s reflection flip upon it’s head there is a disembodying moment that gives to the funhouse mirror a laugh that has echoes of the metaphysical. -artslant.com

ONGOING

Artist as Publisher
center for bookarts

Date: July 10 - September 13
Time: Monday - Friday, 10 am. - 6 pm. Saturday 10 am. - 6 pm.
Place: Center for Book Arts 28 W 27th St
Admission: FREE

In response to art-world elitism, or simply for lack of a better option, many young, independently minded artists have taken to publishing as a means of shaping and sharing their work. The Center for Book Arts highlights this alternative approach in its Artist as Publisher show, establishing three separate "reading rooms," each curated by a different team of book-arts experts. The exhibition features works by established multimedia artists such as Paul McCarthy, Devendra Banhart, and Brendan Fowler (aka BARR), as well as a slew of lesser-known practitioners of the craft. -Nick Earhart

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Events in NYC this week.

Friday, August 8th, 6-10PM
Opening: Fresh Meat
Factory Fresh
1053 Flushing Avenue
btwn Morgan and Knickerbocker, off the L train Morgan Stop



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It seems fitting to end our first week of blog posts with the story of how Design Glut started. It was the spring of 2007, and we were a couple months from graduating college. Kegan discovered this thing called the Designboom Mart. The Mart gave us access to the world of trade shows, introduced us to the world of design as a business, and convinced us to form a partnership.



Liz Kinnmark and Kegan Fisher, NYC Designboom Mart, 2007
www.designboom.com

The DesignBoom Mart was an exercise on stepping into the unknown. For those of you unaware of the mart, it is a cash and carry market that happens two to three times a year, worldwide, as part of a larger trade show. "It is an unprecedented opportunity to meet the young avant-garde, and become familiar with their work.” DesignBoom

For New York, this means being able to participate in ICFF without throwing down thousands of dollars for a floor space. For you, it means an entry point into the coveted trade show full of spotless glossy white finishes and seemingly untouched floors.

The Mart is an opportunity to sell goods, meet manufacturers, distributors, press, and maybe have a product picked up for production. For $300 you can have four feet of table space to sell items priced $100 and under.

Looking back, Design Glut probably would not exist today were it not for the chance stumbling onto Designboom.com. We designed the Crude collection, our first piece together, because we figured, if we were going to spend $300 for a table, then we’d better have more then one product to sell.

First response

It was there, behind that four-foot table, with our respective business cards guarding our products, we realized we needed a name, a webpage, business cards, and to flush out all those little details that give one the appearance of having a company. After all, when someone asks what your brand’s name is, you certainly can’t say, “we don’t have one”.

And while yes, we did sell products, and came relatively close to recouping our investment, the outcome of that Mart was much greater then either of us could have fathomed. It was the creation of Design Glut, and now, DesignGlut.com.

Art school teaches you how to think, to design – generally without thought to manufacturing. It teaches you that anything you want to exist, probably can.

Going from this sort of idealism, to an international cash and carry mart rooted in small run manufacturing, was quite a humbling experience. I recommend the Mart to any young designer looking for an inexpensive way in to the design world, but I caution, this is still ICFF.

Cash and Carry in no way means your neighborhood flea market - and being at the bottom of the totem pole only means people are clamoring to push you up.

Be prepared, make business cards, figure out packaging, price points, wholesale costs and shipping. Write down every possible question you would ask yourself, and then answer them. Half the battle is product display - you have a surface, and a wall, so use those skills you’ve collected over the past four years to distinguish yourself. Lastly, a word to the wise – everyone drapes a cloth over their table – think bigger. Always think bigger.

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Character is a little shop in Nolita, full of strange oddities that can't help but make you smile. Its merchandise ranges from nostalgic childhood objects, such as the Little Prince, and Tin Tin lunch boxes, to high end design. Much of the work in the shop has a story behind it, and if you linger for just long enough, they'll be sure to tell you. Keep reading to hear Rae, the store manager, explain to us why the person behind the design, they story, is just as important as the object itself.



Character
19 Prince Street
NY,NY
212.274.1966
www.characternyc.com

When did Character open, and how did it start?

Character started in 1999. It was at that time that all the European character work was coming out. We were bringing things over from Belgium- Tintin, Astrix, The Little Prince, I'm sure you remember. The current owner bought the store in 2004, and wanted to put a different spin on it. At that point the store became much more design oriented. We focused on up and coming designers, current events, and really the celebration of fantastic ideas. It became much less about the traditional definition of a character, and more about the character of an , its personality, the story of how it came to be. I think the word character is the one thing which really connects the store- from the products we carry to the staff and designers. There's nothing that cant be seen or done here.

What do you look for when you bringing new product into the store?

We don't like to put limits on what product we bring in, it just has to be good. Obviously, as you see, we have a little bit of everything. You can find anything from a baby gift to a bad ass necklace. We look for products that aren't trend driven, but rather unique and creative, that catches peoples eyes - conversation pieces. Our customers tend to be more interested in the intellectual pieces, as well as the stories of the designers behind them. Obliviously if a product doesn't work with the clientèle, I can't do anything about it, but we're always looking for work with a story- objects that people can connect to.

Do you have a typical customer?

There are a wide variety of people that come into the store. The clients vary depending on who's working, the music, the weather, the specific time of day - I'm generalizing - but our product range is so vast you can't really typify a customer.

For example, I know that my older clientèle comes in the early morning, on Saturday we're going to be rocking out playing music and giving out free condoms, and if there is going to be a little granny in the store on Sunday, well I certainly still don't want to have bowls of condoms out. All three of us that work here, Adam, Tyler, and myself all have a very different personalities, and as a result, we draw in very different customers.

You've talked about connecting people in the store to the staff, as well as products, do you think it is important for the customer to be able to connect to the designer behind the piece?

I think it's critical for us to be able to present the designer as well as know their work. This is especially true with the local designers. Customers love it when you can tell them the product there buying was made by someone based in Brooklyn. The locality makes the work much more tangible.

Have you noticed any current buying trends?

Summer is a very interesting time because we have a lot of tourists. This year its been people from Mexico and California, less Europeans. The trends change with the demographic. In the last three weeks we've sold a lot of jewelry and mirrors. The Harry Allen mirrors in particular are doing particularly well.

How does display and packaging of a product affect the sales?

The placement of a product in the store is extremely important, and was a big part of my professional career in merchandising. When people first walk into the store, especially if it's empty, they're going to be a little trepidacious. We like to place relaxing, inviting items near the front of the store - work which is easy to grasp and will draw people further in. I also like to create narrative with some of the smaller items, place them in glass cases, use putty to stand the product up, it makes them more visually engaging.

What is your favorite object in the store and why?

I have the pieces that I've always loved, and had for a while. I love the Harry Allen mirrors, but every product in here is really a favorite of mine, I wouldn't keep ordering it, or work on selling it, if I didn't believe it was great. I'm very selective about what we carry, simply because if I'm not passionate about an object, I certainly can't sell it.


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Make is a product design consultancy run out of Red Hook, Brooklyn. Cake is their quirky counterpart; the designers' creative outlet for their own ideas and products. We sat down with one of the founders and listened to his story. We love how diverse these two companies are, with a portfolio that includes both a shelf derived from department-of-defense technology and chrome gnomes.



Cake/Make
160 Van Brunt Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
718.797.9182
Cake
Make

How did the group of you start working together?

Originally there were five of us - we all met at Pratt during grad school. After school most of us were freelancing. In 2000, Kevin got a project from a housewares client. It was too big to handle alone, so he assembled the group. We got together, once or twice a week, ate pizza in our living rooms and developed twelve products to pitch to the client. We hoped they would pick one or two to go forward with, but they ended up picking ten!

All of a sudden we had a whole new set of problems. They were paying us, but we had a huge about of work to do and didn't have a real work space. So we moved here. It was good timing, Red Hook was was just turning, and we got 5000 square feet. Make was officially a business.



What led you to form Cake?

We started consulting for housewares companies, but we were also coming up with ideas on our own. Cake became our outlet for our own products. We decided to do shows, and went to ICFF with prototypes. We didn’t completely know what we were doing, you never do... Our consultancy work was very mass market focused, while the pieces for Cake are meant to sell in boutiques, and are inspired by form exploration and various things we like. Cake is about pieces that are fun for us. It’s the type of thing that can go into hibernation for a while, but new people will continue to discover it and love it.

As far as Make goes, who was your first big, breakthrough client?

Well, obviously there was the client which led us to form Make... But another big breakthrough client was a guy who had an aerospace company in New Jersey. He’d gotten a DARPA contract to develop a technology that allowed people to climb up walls like Spiderman. After the technology was proved to work, he had an idea for a soap dish utilizing the same pressure/suction system. He brought us this really scary contraption, which we though was pretty cool, and we ended up expanding it into a whole line of home products.

We helped name the company, worked on packaging, really everything. The end product was this modular bathroom system where the starter piece retailed around 16 dollars. He ended up selling a few hundred thousand pieces. I’m pretty sure it’s still available at Linens’N’Things and Home Depot.



What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?

Getting new clients is a big one. You have to constantly be out there, finding new business, in order to keep it all going.

Do you have any advice for designers looking to band together and start something?

You have to be tenacious, get out there, be on the phone, and follow up – in a nice way. Talk to people. If you send in your resume, follow up with a phone call. I get stuff all the time; I just don’t have to time to get back to everyone. You also can’t get discouraged. People are going to reject you – you’ve need to get past that. Develop a thicker skin.


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Reiko Kaneko is a young lass from England, most known for her Soldier Egg Cup holder, and her mischievous, surreal product design. Reiko graduated in 2005, and is already a mover and shaker. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of her in the years to come.



Reiko Kaneko
www.reikokaneko.co.uk/

Where did you go to school, for what, and when did you graduate?

I went to Central Saint Martins, and graduated in 2005.

How did you transition from design school into the world of manufacturing and selling objects?

The real starting point for me was being approached by Beyond the Valley, a London boutique store promoting offbeat and graduate designs. They took my handmade products on - notably the Egg soldier cup. I used to line up the little soldiers and nearly poison myself with the resin fumes to put them together at home.

To my huge surprise, they sold well which got me thinking; perhaps I could do this whole manufacturing and selling business. Finding manufacturers was the hardest thing but steady part time work kept me going.



I met you at ICFF this year, where you had a table in the Designboom Mart. How did coming to NY for the show benefit you?

The mart was a great experience - there was a real buzz about that little area of the trade show. It was beneficial in terms of retail contacts as well as meeting great people whose work I've always admired.



How has the Internet helped you, as an indie designer?

It's a massive help. Selling directly to individual customers is great. Online blogs also up your web presence, work as a public portfolio, and put great retailers in touch.

What are three pieces of advice you would give to new designers looking to start manufacturing and selling their products?

Stick with it if you decide to go the whole hog. Start small and don't overstock. And don't watch TV.


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Events in NYC this week.

Wednesday, July 30

Wunderkammer: A Century of Curiosities
www.moma.org/

Date: July 30–November 10
Time: Regular Museum Hours
Place: MoMA – 11 West 53d Street
Admission: $20

Wunderkammer is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional cabinet of curiosities, and includes a selection of works by twentieth- and twenty-first-century artists who have felt the pull of unusual and extraordinary objects and phenomena.

Thursday, July 31

CLOSING DAY

Architecture of Authority Exhibition
www.aperture.org/

Date: May 23–July 31, 2008
Time: Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 – 6:00
Place: Aperture Gallery & Bookstore 547 West 27th Street, 4th Floor
Admission: Free
Artist: Richard Ross

“Unsettling and thought-provoking pictures of architectural spaces that exert power over the individuals within them.”

Friday, August 1

The College Group at the Met
www.metmuseum.org/

Time: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Place: The Met Rooftop Garden
Admission: Free with Museum Entry - RSVP required
Description: Cocktails, Dr. Seuss and Jeff Koons

Saturday, August 2

Warm Up
www.ps1.org/

Time: 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Place: PS1
Admission: $10
Schedule: Chuck Treece's McRad, Apollo Heights, CX KiDTRONiK

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Design can only change the world if it leaves the small circle of design-community intellectuals and reaches the people it is meant to help. That abandoned project in your portfolio probably won't change anything. Neither will a lovely rendering, all by itself. If there's one thing that I've learned, it's that change requires hard work, hard deadlines, real objects and the building of complex organizational structures.

A year and a half ago, Liz Kinnmark and Kegan Fisher founded Design Glut, with little experience and lots of guts and idealism. It's been a whirlwind experience. After four years of receiving design education, we could talk about form and and gesture and concept until we were blue in the face. But when it came to putting our own designs into production, and building a business structure, the language was often foreign.

What is a purchase order? How about a Tax ID numbers? What does C.O.D. mean? The list goes on... We quickly realized how ignorant we were about basic business. It would have been great if there were a resource to get us up to speed, we thought. And the more we thought about it, we realized since it wasn't out there, we should make it.

We hope to inspire others to build the architecture necessary to turn their own dreams into actions. Designglut.com is our way of taking a step forward to strengthen the community of design-driven entrepreneurs. We know we are not the only ones trying to figure this stuff out, trying to create a niche in the marketplace and trying to positively influence people through functional, accessible objects.

The site will be updated frequently with interviews and editorials. It will include conversations with innovative design firms and consultancies, owners of design boutiques across the country, and little-known designers starting to make waves. In addition, we are compiling industry events, covering those we attend, and writing about the lessons that we've learned in our experience starting Design Glut.

Our first week of interviews includes discussions about running a successful design consultancy (with Klaus Rosburg of Sonic Design), why Italian furniture manufactures really aren’t that scary (with Brad Ascalon of Brad Ascalon Studio NYC), and insights into the Do's and Don'ts of approaching design boutiques (with Matt Bird of the Curatorium).

Welcome to the newest network of designers contributing their stories, and sharing knowledge of what it takes to thrive, today, in the design economy. In order to best push this resource in a useful direction, we would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on the matter. Don't hesitate to leave a comment or send an email. Designglut.com is now a resource for you.
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Liz and I met Klaus Rosburg of Sonic design when he was unassumingly pacing back and forth in front of his wall of cuckoo clocks during ICFF. Little did we know about Sonic design - the consultancy he built from the ground up; or the wide range of work he’s completed for a series of high profile clients, most notably, the Target ClearRX prescription System included in MoMA’s permanent collection. Read on for insight into the man behind the medicine bottle, the green ketchup packaging, and a whole lot of other mass market, but you never though to ask who did it, designs.



Sonic Design
181 North 11 Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 387-7927
www.sonicny.com

How did you get into design?

Growing up, my dad had a shop at home. He built anything and everything in that house, which meant that we always had all these tools around. Eventually I started to build things too – a bicycle, a trailer, a tandem, tree houses, another tandem. One day I saw a report on TV for a guy that designed a chainsaw, I thought – I could do that too, so I went to school for it.



What prompted you to make the switch from employee to self-employed?

In Germany I worked for Interform- it was a small studio with eight people. Actually, they we’re pretty big until Frog came around. Interform hired me because the boss wanted someone fresh and unspoiled, who wasn’t already a part of the machine. It was good money and a lot of responsibility. I was writing proposals, doing business development, presentations – not a lot of design. After five years with them I couldn’t handle the stress, I needed to get out, so I took six months and came here. I joined another commercial office, did five more years, and then started Sonic. I wanted to run a firm that was young, fresh, dynamic, and creative, with no one telling me what to wear.



And your first clients were…

My first client was one I took over form the company I left. That’s how most people start. Though it was harder having come from Germany – I didn’t have any connections to start with. The client was this noise cancellation company – they’d liked my work, but things had gotten messy with them and my previous employer, and they’d bailed. When I called them up and said I’d started my own company, they started giving me work. After that I freelanced. I had my own company but no clients, so I did subcontracting for the big brand agencies- a lot of structural packaging. Frog, Ideo, Smart – worked for all of them.



Who would you consider your biggest – breakthrough client?

I would say its probably Target. The prescription drug bottle I did made it into MoMA's permanent collection while I'm still alive. I had already quite a few awards on my belt including IDEA Silver for Heavy Equipment and Medial Design, but the bottle was all over the press. If you want to know the story…

We want to know.

"Well this is the original design," Klaus says pointing to a D-shaped bottle. Deborah Adler, a student at the time, had a grandma who'd miss medicated. She took the wrong pill because she couldn't see the label clearly. Deborah then had the idea to come up with a flat and color-coded label system, making the bottle easier to read.

She pitched her idea to Target – but people didn't like the look, nor was the bottle closure child-resistant, so I got brought in and proposed to design a new bottle from scratch.

I worked with three people for six weeks developing a new medication and labeling system for Target. The biggest innovation was the label that went over the top. It streamlines the pharmacy operation so they're just dealing with one sticker – not six. I met Deborah only after we presented our revolutionary up-side-down bottle to the project team. Target called me up one day and told me she was coming over to see the design, and that she was going to be involved in the graphics. Things moved forward, we dealt with manufacturing – and the bottle went into production.


After it came out, I saw a Target advertisement in Vanity Fair with photos of my bottle and Deborah, describing the entire design and shape as her invention. Target pushed the story of the sick grandma and student inventor hard and the bottle was all over the press. She was on national TV and public radio and if I was mentioned at all, I was credited for turning her bottle up side down. I start calling people, the magazine, Target, telling them that I was the designer of the bottle – it was really just a mess. I can't even tell you how many letters I've written to various publications trying to get credit for my work – some of them listen.

Eventually, after I made enough noise, Target called and told me, in fewer words, that I'd get fired if I kept talking to the press. They wanted me to be the ghostwriter for the product, and for the girl with the story to be the hero.

Of course now that I'm looking back at my career, this is just one of many projects, awards and patents. And I am quite pleased that the MOMA gave me full credit for designing the bottle.



What has been your favorite object you designed?

I did a home security system. It was for this start up company – four guys. They really respected me, and what I did. Once they even bought a key chain remote control from Taiwan, to be sold with the system I was working on. When I saw it, I told them it was ugly, so we redid it. When your working with start-ups your design has much more influence over the company, over their future branding, then with larger companies. It can be really exciting.

Do you have any advice for design grads looking to find work at a consultancy?

If you're an in house designer – you're going to have a more standard workday. That's just how it is. Consultancy can be brutal, but it also means exposure to different projects. How boring would it be to become the guy that just sits around and designs toasters. Here we have a never-ending variety, and when I'm interviewing, I usually know in the first five minutes it someone can do that. You can tell if someone is born to be a designer or not.
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I was introduced to The Curatorium by a good friend who had Matt Bird, its owner, as a professor at RISD. Matt was one of the very first to stock Egg Pants. When I was recently in Providence, I thought I’d stop in and ask him a few questions. During our conversation I learned a TON. Check out the interview below for great tips about wholesaling and approaching stores.



The Curatorium
197 Wickenden St.
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 453-4080
www.thecuratorium.com

When did you open the store, and how did it start?

I was working as a wholesaler and manufacturer, when RISD approached me about a project they were developing, RISD Works. It was going to be a retail store which sold artwork and designs by RISD alumni. I worked on developing a business plan, designing the fixtures, pretty much everything to get the store up and running. I was there about 5 years.

After leaving RISD Works, I was freelancing and teaching part time.
I saw a “FOR RENT” sign go up on Wickenden St., in a location that I knew would be great for a gift shop. So I jumped right in, and used everything I’d learned from my previous experience to get this store going. We’ve been here about 2 years. Although, 1 out of 5 people who comes in here still asks, “Is this store new?”



What do you look for in new products?

My filter is things that are well done. An object has to justify its existence. I shy away from pure novelty items. Novelty is great, but there have to be other supporting characteristics.

What’s your favorite object in the store right now, and why?

I love the Moose Head by Cardboard Safari. (Pictured above, $52) It comes flat-packed and you assemble it yourself. It’s a great piece for a very reasonable price. I used to have a carved wood moose head in the shop, which was goregeous, and made somebody very happy. But that piece was $400, while this one is a lot more accessible.

Who is your typical customer?

I don’t have one. This store has become known as a place to find a gift for any type of person.



Have you noticed any recent trends in terms of what people are buying?

People are buying low-cost items, but with the desire to make it seem like it’s worth more. Customers really go for idea-driven designs, which are outside of value. And objects which are unusual, which they don’t see everywhere. It’s also a lot about presentation. People are overwhelmed with options. I see my job as curating for them, going through everything and filtering out only the best stuff.

How do you do your buying?

Mostly at trade shows. I put on my “buying” hat for a week and look at everything all in one place. It’s much easier than looking through catalogues and websites. However, I also find some weird stuff online, and sometimes deal with independent designers like you. I have a pile of great stuff I’ve found that I don’t know how to locate...



Do you have any advice for designers trying to wholesale a new product they have developed? What are the Do’s and Don’ts of approaching you?

Oh, I have a lot to say on that. During my time at RISD Works I saw lots of submissions from artists who just didn’t know how to present themselves.

1)Do your homework! Call and ask for the preferred way to submit. And then follow instructions, otherwise you automatically cross yourself off the list.

2) Honor other people’s schedules. Don’t send incomplete information. Tell me what it costs. Give me every tool I need, because if something’s missing, I’m not going to take the time to track you down and get it from you.

3) Don’t harrass.

4) Don’t say, “My product is perfect for your store.” I’ll be the judge of that, and now I don’t even want to consider it.

5) Make sure that your design is saleable. Think about shelf appeal, liability, whether floor samples will get destroyed or stolen. And again, do your homework - don’t present me with something which already exists in a million forms.

6) Provide a loose floor sample. It makes it a LOT easier for the retailer.

You mentioned shelf appeal. What is helpful for you in that department?

The customer is going to ask, “What is it? What does it do? How much is it?” Packaging needs to answer those questions, and not be confusing. Packaging also needs to consider whether people need to touch this object. I’ll often take the object out of its packaging for the display. Some companies provide displays, but I don’t usually use them because they don’t fit the store. DIsplays should make your product easier to sell, rather than being a billboard for your company’s logo.

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Brad Ascalon is one of those people who I’ve known for quite a bit of time, but I have no idea how we actually met. He’s always been rather demure about his successes, and had I not asked, would never have told me about his most recent work for some of the larger European furniture manufacturers.



Brad Ascalon Studio NYC
www.bradascalon.com

For designers fresh out of school, is it better to dive right, or take a job for a while?

There's definitely benefit in getting all the experience you can in any way you can, and its different for each person. Personally, going out on my own immediately was the type of experience that I wanted to get. You learn how to do things because you have no other choice. Companies are paying you and relying on you to do things you may not have done in the past, and there's enormous pressure, but there's also greater reward. But you do need to have the clients to do it and that is the hardest part.

Where did you go to school, for what, and when did you graduate?

I got my Masters' from Pratt Institute's department of Industrial Design in December of 2005.

Brad Ascalon Studio NYC - is that just you, or are there others?

It's just me at the moment, but on occasion I bring in freelancers on projects.



Looking back on your transition from school to the design world, what do you feel was the hardest part?

It was a rather easy transition for me, actually. First of all, I had worked in the corporate world for a few years prior to going back to school for my Masters', so I had some experience that proved to be beneficial after I finished school. And when I did finish school, I was extremely fortunate that my first professional client, Maybelline, contacted me after seeing some of my work that appeared on design blogs. I ended up spending my first year as a professional designer consulting for Maybelline, Redken and Shu Uemura, and a number of other companies. The experience I gained and the feedback I received gave me the confidence to know I was doing the right thing, even though historically it is the harder route.

As a designer, where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years, I see myself continuing to work with a number of high quality, high profile manufacturers the furniture world. I'd also like to focus on smaller, high quality manufacturers who are trying to grow their companies. I imagine its quite a rush as a designer to have the vision and ability to help transform a company into something bigger and more successful. That would be great.

And of course, I'd like to continue to work in other areas like beauty and cosmetics, housewares and anything else that falls into my lap. I'd like to design one of everything eventually, but maybe that's in my forty year plan!



The furniture industry is particularly hard to break into, due to both cost and scale. How did you start doing work for the larger furniture companies, and what advice do you have for new designers looking for a manufacturer?

First of all, I would say that a lot of young designers coming out of school feel the need to prototype everything they do. Of course there's enormous value in that, but there's also enormous cost, which most young designers can't afford. The truth is, if a manufacturer picks up a design, they're going to do their own prototyping and development anyway. They're the experts at that.

I've always worked on furniture by developing concepts in sketches and renderings. Then I find manufacturers who, given what I know about those companies, might be interested in my concepts. When I do grab the attention of a manufacturer, only then do I invest the time and energy in really developing the designs, and always together with the manufacturer.

I started working with companies like Sintesi (Italy) and Ligne Roset (France) that same way. I presented the types of concepts that I thought each company might be interested in, either materially, stylistically, conceptually, etc. Once they were interested in specific concepts, I began developing the designs along with the companies to make the concepts a reality.

The absolute best advice is to network like it's your job, because it is your job. In any creative field, you can be the best at what you do, but if you don't know how to get the right people interested in you and your work, its an uphill battle within an uphill battle.
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