If you are competing on design, then it is likely you need designers to help you advance your mission. The people I worked for way back when all hired designers even though they themselves were not bad at it. Also, Apple and leading companies all hire outside designers to work on all sorts of aspect of the product and image.
Designers design everything from menus to clothes to scents to lighting to fruit to anything you can think of. In the book I have some ideas on finding designers, and today I would add mechanical Turk and 99designs.com. I have a .pdf of a template designer royalty agreement, and here are some notes on working with a designer. Here are some other notes:
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
Designers design everything from menus to clothes to scents to lighting to fruit to anything you can think of. In the book I have some ideas on finding designers, and today I would add mechanical Turk and 99designs.com. I have a .pdf of a template designer royalty agreement, and here are some notes on working with a designer. Here are some other notes:
So some principals...
The designer does not want to waste his time, nor does he want to get ripped off.
To address these concerns, having a list of customers who said it is a good idea and does not exist is something tangible against which he can judge your perspicacity, if not your prospects for success.
A designer who demands a flat fee ought to be ignored. Serious ones want royalties, so if you make money, they make money. Even with promising names, a designer is likely to demand and advance against those royalties, Agree they deserve it, but plead what money that would be used as an advance is robbed form the money for samples and marketing, meaning a rock and a hard place. The designer needs to agree to no advance, but yes royalties. If they wave the requirement, you'll move faster and they will be earning royalties soon enough.
Below are elements I would include in the "approach" letter to a designer:
1. I found your name....
2. here is the problem I am solving....
3. here are the retailers who said it is a good idea and does not exist...
4. here is the research as to the best place in the world to get it made.
5. I propose to get samples and take them back to the retailers for feedback and possible business initiation.
6. I desire superior design, and I am happy to work up a royalty agreement should this project look promising to you. Any IPR I am happy to let you own. I have not retained legal representation, but I am not offended if you do. Attached is a copy of what I would propose as a royalty agreement as a starting point.
Let me know if this is of interest to you, and we can visit and discuss it further.
Feel free to forward this by email to three of your friends.
0 comments:
Post a Comment