SEEK 2B ORIGINALBehind The Bend
As you can probably tell from all of the imagery and marketing materials that we put out into the world, we love all things graphic design. In todays day and age, graphic design has turned into an art form all it's own and become a very viable way for companies of all sizes to build a unique and individual identity.
One of our favorite designer/illustrators on the scene today goes by the name of Tuesday Bassen. Her graphics and the products that she makes with them are so whimsical and creative. They always put a smile on our face. Yesterday it came to our attention from her twitter account that we were not the only fans of her work.
It seems as though Zara, the Spanish clothing retailer, has also taken a liking to her imagery and decided to make it their own. Deciding not to license or purchase the imagery, they instead just lifted it directly from the Los Angeles based maker and have been selling them through their retail channels. These practices by big box stores are the exact inspiration for our Seek2bOriginal movement. This is a prime example of what makers, like us, deal with every single day.
Huffington Post has written a pretty thorough account of the situation. It details how the maker spent $2000 in legal fees to get Zara to stop what they are doing. Zara's response to the allegations are pretty insane and proof that the moral code of many of these big box retailers no longer exists. You can read the full article and see Tuesday's response on her Twitter at the links below. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/zara-copying-artwork_us_578fb4bce4b07c722ebd623d
https://twitter.com/tuesdaybassen