I’ve never used this space to share an opinionated article before. But today I want to bring up an important topic that’s been on my mind for a while. This is an issue that I can speak to on many levels, because I’m in a unique position that puts me on both sides of the equation. It’s a problem I’ve experienced first hand through my work as a designer, as well as a problem I myself have unfortunately propelled through my work as an interiors content creator and blogger.
The issue I want to talk about is something I see happening so often by my fellow design enthusiasts on social media, and it’s a mistake I’ve for sure made too! So let’s get into it. I’ve noticed that there seems to be a reoccurring habit in our online design-focused universe:
We celebrate brands and products without mentioning the designers.
I myself am guilty of this, without a doubt. Every time I share an image that features one of my favorite design pieces, I’m always diligent to mention the brand. This is something I see many people in my network doing, and I think we should keep it up because it helps those companies grow. But what about the designers behind those pieces who all-to-often go unmentioned?
Relationships between designers and brands are symbiotic. Designers depend on brands to bring their ideas to life, making them accessible in the consumer market. In the same way, brands depend on the imaginative minds and three-dimensional understanding of the designers they collaborate with. Both play an equally important role in the creation and development of the beautiful objects we fill our homes with. Yet many times, the designer’s name is blurred out of the story… especially when they are new on the scene. So, I’m making a request on behalf of all designers. The next time you highlight your favorite product or latest design obsession on social media, try to give recognition to the designer, as well as the brand. Maybe you already know the designer’s name off the top of your head, or perhaps you’ll need to do a quick search online to find out who was the creative individual or studio behind the piece you love — be it a lamp, table, vase, or coffee-cup.
By doing so, you’re likely to learn something interesting about the product and the person who conceptualized it. Knowing the story and the hand behind a design helps you better understand the context of the piece while expanding your appreciation too. And of course, acknowledging the designer will help them grow. Believe it or not, working as an independent designer is in no way a fast route to financial stability. It’s a journey that starts slow, picking up speed over time as you build your name in the industry — treading down this career path takes patience, resilience, dedication, and a whole lot of passion. In the worst situations, designers are completely cut out of the product story and left unpaid for their work by brands with low morals. I’d like to think this doesn’t happen often, but I’m sure it happens more often than we’re aware of. The recent, incredibly frustrating and unacceptable, situation between designer Simone Brewster and Swoon Editions is a prime example of this. As design enthusiasts, we must not only celebrate the work of designers, but we also must be willing to hold brands accountable when we see creatives being exploited for their intellectual property, especially when their work is unpaid or copied.
It might seem a bit self-serving for me to be publishing this letter, since I myself work as a designer — one who’s still quite green in my independent career. But let me be quick to say that this is not about clout — it’s simply about creating more acknowledgment that cultivates opportunity for hardworking creatives.
So, the next time you find yourself taking to social media to celebrate a design, please remember to celebrate the designer as well, not just the brand. Tag them in your posts, mention them in your captions, and celebrate their work and their name. It will help them be able to continue doing what they do — creating beautiful products that make your life and surroundings function better and feel nicer.
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Image Above: Featuring the Iittala Aalto Vase Savoy, designed by Alvar Aalto in 1936
