Europeans have a long tradition of valuing the work of industrial designers. In Denmark, for example, it is not unusual at a dinner party to be familiar with the name of the individual who designed the chair you’re sitting on, the fork in your hand, the plate in front of you and the lamp that is illuminating your meal. 

America is finally starting to recognize the contributions of the artists whose work enriches our daily lives, and inviting talented individuals to get involved in designing for the gift industry. At the recent New York Gift Fair, “driven by design” was the theme of the show, and the market featured design awards, demonstrations, and a 100 Days of Design blog on the show’s web site.

Recent catalogues in the gift field now feature biographies of designers who used to be anonymous.  The thick tome we recently received from Creative Co-op, for example, starts out with 8 pages of artist and artists’ studio bios.  While many lines have long carried a selection of items by nationally-known artists licensing their work, such as Mary Engelbreit, this is a new trend towards giving artist’s credit for the design of so many different items.

The movement towards designer recognition gives the independent gift retailer an important tool in making the shopping experience more personal. Not only are you providing the benefits of supporting a locally-owned business by giving great customer service, but you also are making a personal connection between the designer/artist and the consumer. 

How do you do this? By telling the story of the designer behind the product.  In-store signage, hang-tags and a well-trained staff are all key to this effort.  You can easily adapt information from catalogue’s such as the one from Creative Co-op to your in-store displays.  Ask your sales reps and vendors for more materials if you need them.

Many of the products designed by American artists are, of course, still manufactured in China. Recognizing the designers as being local is at least a step towards reclaiming our pride in the creation of these products. It’s not quite “Made in America” — but it’s a start.

One other advantage of crediting designers for their work is that there is motivation to create better products for us to carry in our stores.  Although the term “design” is often applied to contemporary products, the emphasis on quality that comes with having a professional artist or industrial designer involved in the creative process naturally results in innovation and originality, no matter what the style. And this is just what our industry needs: new products to keep our customers coming back time and again.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder