Copycat Crimes...

I’ve been inspired to blog today about the “Copycat Crimes” following a discussion that evolved with some of my twitter buddies. It appears that quite a few of us have suffered similar issues with other “design” companies and the like copying our work!

Designers, no matter what industry they are in, regularly fall victim to unauthorised copies of their work being created. Every idea and concept they publish or exhibit is open to this... yes, there is the element of “it’s a compliment that your designs are being copied”, but at the same time it’s hard to swallow... it’s a kick in the teeth that your hard work has become someone else’s product!

At A Bespoke Design Ltd, our name speaks for itself... ALL of our creations are bespoke projects, therefore uniquely designed to fulfil the needs and requirements of each individual client. We pride ourselves on gathering our own inspiration and ideas which lead to us creating items in our own particular style. This is the same concept that is applied by so many other leading designers (whether it is bespoke work or Off-the-shelf designs)... is it therefore an inferiority complex that leads the “lesser” designers to copy?

There has been the odd occasion when we have been presented with a sample of another stationery designer’s work and asked if we can recreate it but at a cheaper price! The simple answer to that is... NO! I don’t like my concepts, ideas and designs being copied, so why would I subject someone else to that, even if they are a competitor?

Probably one of my worst experiences of this was last year... I met a “Bride-to-Be” at a Wedding Fayre, we arranged a consultation at which I spent a good hour or so discussing ideas, possibilities and showing her and her “Fiancée” a wide range of my portfolio of past work. We set a budget for me to work to for her Wedding Invitations (which were to be the first of a set of matching items leading up to the stationery required on the day)... I started work on these and sent her a few emails to discuss progress, her thoughts on the concepts I was working on and a variety of other fine detail aspects. Shortly after this I received an email from her explaining that she had found an alternative supplier that had “exactly what she was after” and no longer required my help... A kick in the teeth yes, but at the end of the day “you win some, you lose some” and my costs to that point had been covered by the deposit she had paid... a few weeks and months later it’s out of my mind until... I arrive at a venue ready to set-up my stand at a Wedding Fayre. I spot the same “Bride-to-Be” unloading her car and making her way into the venue... then the same “Bride-to-Be” setting up her own stand... A Stationery Stand!!!!! I’m literally gob-smacked... I begin to feel like a fool... but, she’s on MY patch, in MY area treading on MY toes and worst of all blatantly copying a lot of MY ideas! The rest of my day I’m not on the ball... I absolutely hate confrontation and can’t bring myself to walk anywhere near where her stand is (she was probably unaware that I was even there, she was so wrapped up in herself). My other half and several other supplier friends had a wander past and good look at everything, they were as gob smacked as me! I finally had the courage to email her a while later... funnily enough I never had a response... I often wonder if I will “bump” into her again... I hope not! She acted in an underhand manner... I’m quite happy to openly discuss ideas and possibilities with “my competitors”, we feed each other with tips for suppliers and other ideas, but these are people that are open and honest... if she had initially approached me explaining that she wanted to set-up a business like mine I would have helped, I would have given advice... A Copycat that is obviously unable to come up with anything on her own (I wonder if she’ll put a similar post to this ion her website?!?!)

Can we set an industry standard on this topic? Can we sign up for the “unofficial copy write” of work? Or do we simply leave it to our own standards and expectations?

True “brides-to-be”... if you are planning on making your own wedding stationery, but feel the need to copy work of the professionals, think twice... You may come across hurdles in trying to achieve the same look, feel and quality. If you are open and honest and ask for the help you require, you may be surprised, they may offer you assistance or even design something for you to build yourself (probably at a fee... but you want the best for the biggest day of your life don’t you?!?!?).

Enough of my ramblings... sincerest wishes to all designers who suffer in the same way... victims of copycat crime, let’s unite (LOL)!