DIY design and manufacture (sort of)
The explosion in the past few years of the craft and DIY space has been amazing to watch. People can craft in their spare time and then use the internet to reach a broad audience of like minded people. Consumers want unique items that really meet their needs in a way that mass produced things can not.
The problem I sometimes have is that everyone is using the same pool of materials. The internet makes the world a smaller place and I can acquire fabrics or papers or whatever from anywhere… and so can everyone else. What you come up with out of this mass pool of materials is still unique and creative and one of a kind. Still though! I want to see MORE uniqueness and creativity in the form of materials as well.
Two (newish) online sites are providing help for that form of start from scratch creativity, Ponoko and (still in beta) Spoonflower.
Ponoko is a service that lets you design 3d items from a variety of materials. You can design a wooden table and they will manufacture it for you and then, free of charge, you can set up a shop on their site to sell it to other people as well. It’s a wonderful ‘green’ approach to manufacturing as each one made is going off to a good home right away!
Spoonflower is a husband and wife team fabric printing company. You create your own fabric design and they are reasonably priced and offer swatches, fat quarters and fabric by the yard.
Jessica Rosenkrantz of nervous system design has created this lovely fan using Ponoko. You can buy it on Ponoko as well!
Kim Fraser from Spoonflower upkeeps the Spoonflower blog.
Shopworthy has blogged about making a backpack for her son out of fabric that he designed and was printed by Spoonflower. So cute!
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September 25, 2008 at 3:36 am
Hello,
Your search for more uniqueness could also bring you to Fluid Forms. Among others, I think the idea behind our EARTH bowl could grab your attention. We invite you to have a look on our newsroom (http://newsroom.fluid-forms.com) to find possibly interesting stuff…
kind regards
Andy
September 25, 2008 at 10:40 pm
I am hyperventilating with excitement- omg spoonflower- my own fabrics…..
wheeeeeeeeee!
March 12, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Is there a way to try out a trial?