• Guest Column: Designing for Chinese Production
• Q & A: Around the World
• Digital Dilemma
• Exhibitor News
• A Note From SURTEX

Chinese factories have been in the news lately, especially in connection with unsafe toys during the holidays. But doing business in China is a fact of life for artists, since many of the manufacturers they work with—almost all of them in categories such as giftware—outsource production there. Ray Markow, CEO and director of licensing at Santa Barbara Design Studio, offers some tips for artists involved in this brave new world.

Though 95% of giftware is now made in China, very few artists designing for this industry have had any training in the production techniques these factories use. Unless you have a degree in industrial design, the best advice I can give you is to visit the factory or factories that will be producing your designs.

Understanding their manufacturing process lets you know what is producible, so your designs will live to see the light of day. It also will give you realistic expectations about what is attainable in terms of color, detail, size, and structure.

Additionally, visit what is becoming an annual rite for product developers, the Canton Fair (www.cantonfair.org.cn). Thousands of  Chinese factories showcase their products at this biannual show in Guangzhou, China. It is an effective way to learn about a dizzying array of production techniques.



Here is a checklist of questions to ask when dealing with a Chinese factory:

1. Is printing spot, process or a combination? What are digital file specs?
2. How many colors can I use?
3. What are the structural or cost limitations imposed by the 3D tooling process or cost of molds?
4. Are Pantone callouts required?
5. If surface design is applied mechanically, what is the accuracy of application? How does that affect my layout and need for “bleed” around the edges?
6. What is the effect of tooling cost on the number of shapes or images we can afford to do?
7. What limitations does the 3D shape being decorated impart to the 2D design?
8. How will elimination of lead and cadmium from the ink influence the available color gamut?
9. What are the newest techniques available?

Leopold Schein of Leo & Yosshi Atelier tells how things have changed in the 47 years since he opened his surface design studio.

Tell us a little about your studio.
Our studio opened in 1950 as Leo Art Studio. The home furnishings/textile design market was hungry for new ideas, and the “European look” was popular, which suited me well since I was born and educated in Europe. Our studio grew rapidly and, by 1959, our staff consisted of 16 in-house artists and two salespersons, in addition to me.

How has your business changed over the years?
In the early 1960s, large companies started to swallow small family businesses. Companies long forgotten, like Cohn Hall Marx, Riverdale, and Lowenstein, formed studios and caused a drain of talent. Fortunately, a wave of Russian artists immigrated and found their way to our studio, which had become a respected source of documentary and traditional designs. We consider this our “golden era.”

By the early 1980s, international trade shows such as Heimtex, Paritex and Indigo in Europe became important to the global placement of textile artwork and we started to attend regularly. My son Bob joined the studio in 1986 and took over much of the travel and international sales. As costs of doing business rose in the 1990s, we converted our studio to become a representative agent for our nearly two dozen artists. We merged with and eventually took control of Studio Y&Y in New York and DS Cosmo International of Japan.

What are some of the changes you’ve seen in the international design market?
We fondly remember the psychedelic look of the 1960s, the Americana look of the 1970s, and the ethnic designs of the 1980s. We have seen how political and economic changes affect design: the better the economy, the more contemporary the artwork; the worse, the more traditional. The advent of more licensing versus sales has forced many studios to change their course of business. Currently, we are seeing how computer-generated design has both positively and negatively affected our business.

We feel it is important to study and focus on emerging marketplaces, such as China and the countries created by the breakup of the Soviet Union. We exhibit at Intertextile in Shanghai and show our designs in Korea and Taiwan. We also spend time traveling to countries such as Germany and Belgium to better understand our customers’ needs

As they take advantage of the Internet as a tool for global sales and licensing, artists can take steps to minimize piracy and copyright infringement of digital images.



The Internet has made it infinitely easier to sell and license images internationally. But it has also improved the lives of copyright infringers. Jim Giller, vp publishing and licensing, Applejack Art Partners, says he has seen as many as 2,000 illegal art-based products at a single Chinese trade fair, spread over 40 or 50 exhibitors. Sometimes the infringers get the images from someone at an authorized factory; sometimes they simply buy a print and scan a high-res digital image.

These products end up everywhere from Bed, Bath & Beyond to mom and pop stores in Malaysia, making the fight difficult for the average artist. “It’s just a matter of policing, but that’s expensive,” Giller says. “It’s like putting your finger in the dam to stop the flood.”

“The big problem is, as much as the technology makes possible, there are people that will take advantage of it,” says Vedia Jones-Richardson, a partner in the law firm Olive & Olive. Legal steps artists can take to protect themselves include registering their copyrights, including letters of agreement with samples, and making sure contractual grants of rights are clear. But legal remedies come after the fact.

“Nothing beats the technological measures you can take to prevent theft in the first place,” Jones-Richardson says. (These include sending low-res images as samples and watermarking high-res files.) “And be careful of who you do business with. It’s the old phrase, you can’t get blood from a turnip.”

George Medina, president of Intercontinental Licensing, which has represented artists internationally for 43 years, notes that the positive aspects of the Internet far outweigh the dangers. “Without it, we’d be back to 20 years ago, when international licensing was hard—almost impossible.” For the average artist, he says, the amount of illegal merchandise is small. “Artists tend to look at every little ant that runs across the anthill and get all worried and dithery about it. Don’t be afraid. Very few really legitimate companies transgress on purpose. If they do transgress, you get a sample, write a nasty letter and usually that will suffice.” Even if there are 5,000 units of an illegal product spread across the globe, he concludes, “It’s not going to end the world.

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It is true that artists and manufacturers are traveling far and wide to stay competitive in the world’s rapidly changing market. However, you don’t need to dig out your passport to source products from offshore suppliers. The Global Home Textiles® and Global Home Décor® shows, taking place May 6-8 in Las Vegas, is only U.S. marketplace that connects U.S.-based buyers and offshore manufacturers of home products, from high-end to value. Visit www.globalhometextiles.com and www.global-home-decor.com for more information.

A prolific textile designer, Joel Dewberry is thrilled to exhibit for the first time at SURTEX 2008. He will introduce 5 stunning design collections suitable for licensing.

DIMITRIOS: a Design Archive offers the world’s largest private collection of antique textile artwork, wallpapers, and print and woven documents.

Cherry Design Partners is a fresh and innovative resource for all surface design needs for apparel, home furnishings, consumer products, paper goods and lifestyle markets.

Nanc Gordon Designs will return to SURTEX 2008, booth 711 in the River Pavilion on level 4, for a third year to showcase her latest collection, “Naturally Inspired.”

Aileen Casey, the artist behind fifishead, will showcase her fanciful character driven illustrations and bold inspirational designs, all available for licensing.

Gary Walton will show a selection of work at SURTEX in May and is interested developing his unique style into wonderful product.

Image By Design Licensing offers designs from a growing catalogue of over 21,000 designs in all mediums including photography, ranging from the traditional to the contemporary and covering all occasions. Visit them at booth 2110 Hall 1E.

Marcey Saeger debuts her collections of original designs at SURTEX 2008.  Included in her collections is “Tis the Season” a warm, traditional look of vibrantly colored wreaths and trees; which is just right for today’s trends and giftware products.  See her collections at booth 2034 Hall 1E.

First time exhibitor Linda Thiltgen will show her collage pieces, and a fresh new collection of prints and patterns available for paper products and textiles. Visit her at booth 712 in the River Pavilion on level 4.

Jamie Kalvestran shows her collection of designs for the first time at SURTEX booth 507 in the level 4 River Pavilion.

Gardens of Hope