3 ms·
Revive unique ornate embellished design. Centuries ago, every product in the home of the wealthy was its own miniature work of art; almost necessarily, because
by colanderman 10y ago
Revive unique ornate embellished design. Centuries ago, every product in the home of the wealthy was its own miniature work of art; almost necessarily, because it was all hand-made. Certainly kept artisans busy.
Today, flat design is considered desirable – by definition, devoid of embellishment. Embellishment is considered tacky. This trend is no doubt encouraged by mass industry, which benefits from more uniform design: it is easier to produce, and easier to mass-market.
A market for unique embellishment could provide employment for many. By definition, unique embellishment cannot be scaled, else it would not be unique. So-called "hipster" culture has already started going this route, with hand-made "artisanal" goods and services (food) becoming trendy and employing many producing what would otherwise be a fraction of a large factory's output.
Of course, the problem is maintaining the key trait – uniqueness – as desirable. Ornate embellishment can be mass-produced. The trick is convincing people to spend more to buy something that was inefficiently produced, as opposed to something that looks like it was inefficiently produced.
- RUG3Y 10y agoThis is a cool idea, but isn't it a chicken or egg scenario? I need lots of disposable income to buy unique, handmade things. If not enough people have money to buy these things, then the market won't be able to support many artisans. I'm not sure if I'm missing something here.
- colanderman 10y agoYou are right. It is a practice that has to start from the wealthiest. Of course, this is why artist communities thrive near centers of wealth. I'm not sure how to kickstart such a larger trend.
- putsteadywere 10y agoInteresting idea! A hipster rococo renaissance.