kip kotzen of neo-utility - week 14
our last guest speaker of the year! last week we got to hear from kip kotzen, founder of neo-utility. he’s not a designer but he’s always worked in the design world and i would argue that creating and curating a brand that relies on finding other peoples’ good design is totally design management. like when we visited Unison, it was interesting to hear more from a business-oriented figure in the design world.
kip provided a lot of insight into the financial aspect of the designer-retailer relationship. main takeaway: put some real thought into your margins, because that’s all you’re getting. also, you gotta sell direct, even if you’ve got retailers.
he also spoke about the role of tradeshows in advancing designers’ careers. you have to do shows strategically depending on what your goals and business needs are. some shows tend to be more for networking and advertising, others tend to be more about making sales and getting retailers. i personally have to do more research on this - i always sensed it but it makes sense when someone like kip says it. i would imagine that its tempting to want to show at every show but that’s an expensive habit and can contribute to a negative view of tradeshows (i’ve seen it with some of the people i’ve interned for). so yeah, lots to learn about that piece of the design world!
thanks for meeting with us kip! :-)