The evolution of business....

I know the heading may sound really dull and boring but please do read on as my point actually is quite interesting! And all will be come clear with regards to the boulangerie picture!

Every so often, ENSCI invites practising designers to the school to give evening talks, seminars or debates. On Monday a round table evening was hosted by Parsons School of Design in New York and a number of individual European product designers were invited. The evening revolved around the debate of the pros and cons of setting up your own small business after graduating as opposed to working for a larger company. Can a small practise really exist in a global world?

An argument was put forward that working for yourself makes you more pro-active and stimulates you to present yourself. One designer from Belgium made the comparison of himself with a 'local bakery'. His company sits within the community, services the neighbours and this connection allows it to be better acquainted with the people and their material needs. This is a comparison that has definitely stuck in my head!

Despite the advantages, others argued that small companies do not attract investments from large clients, e.g. BMW who do not feel reassured to put work to a company with less than 11 employees.

It was interesting how the conversation then turned to how companies have evolved in our modern day. Nowadays many companies rely on public input in generating ideas. The Apple App Store is a fine example. Despite being such a global company, apparently it actually only employs around 14 people as new ideas and product initiatives are submitted online from the public. There are several other companies such as Quirky, an American company. Ideas are posted online and the public contribute advice and alterations which determine the final product. I think Etsy is kind of similar in the textile world! I suppose one could argue that this is a step in the right way of reaching the utopian ideal of the community designing ONLY the products needed. However most would say it is actually a clever and perverse way of global companies taking advantage from free ideas. Hmmm what an interesting debate!