ACID member Arun Kirwin-Singh is the sole designer for Kirwin Continental. His products are about good-looking, sleek designs and functional tools to make your life simpler and free of complications. Arun believes that having good quality tools for your life processes will free up your time, making you capable of enjoying life easier and to the fullest.

Kirwin Continental was shortlisted for The prestigious Conran Shop New Designers 2021 Award, for his InsulTech Bottle. Arun’s design process is carefully considered, going from initial drawing board designs to materials investigation, meticulously engineered in CAD, and finally, extensively refined prototypes using state-of-the-art 3D printing with precision. The key to Arun’s execution is having a signature style and attention to detail.

Arun also knows how important it is to back his business up with the right intellectual property (IP) protocols. He uses a wide range of ACID benefits such as stamping his product images with the ACID logo for deterrence. He has an IP statement on his website to let anyone know he is aware of his intellectual property rights. Before a product is publicly launched, he lodges it on the ACID IP Databank. Arun has also used ACID legal affiliates for that all-important free initial specialist IP advice.

Arun has also set up a Kickstarter to support his design business which you can view here and support. Let’s invest in designers of the future and support innovative design to invigorate our society and economy.

Below Arun Kirwin-Singh discusses his designs, goals, and thoughts on IP.

When and why did you first start creating your designs?

I started Kirwin Continental on May 24 2020 because I was spending too much time trying to find the products I wanted in my life. Products that were of high quality, worked as they should, and were value for money. Good products are really few and far between, so I had to make them myself.

You were shortlisted for the Conran Shop Award, for great designs, what inspires you?

I’m inspired to create products, not for the sake of the product, but for how products can improve lives. If a product can save our precious time and energy, make our days run smoother, and be a valuable addition to our life, that makes them worth creating.

Aesthetically and functionally, I’m inspired by eastern craft, the forms and colours of stone, and precision engineering. I believe that the products we invest in should stand up to daily damage, be enjoyable to own, and function to the highest standards.

What steps do you take to protect your IP rights?

Before a design is released, it is uploaded to the ACID IP Databank. We’re then safe in the knowledge that our designs are protected and ready to go to market.

Your Kickstarter campaign is a great idea. What can people gain by supporting you?

My genuine hope for the Kirwin Life Tools campaign is to supply products that improve the daily lives of people. Maybe they can save someone 5 minutes at work, so they can spend it at home with their family. Or maybe they can save someone the bit of mental energy they needed to have an idea about how to make the world a better place, which may not have crossed their mind, had they been exhausted from using badly designed products.

Did you have any knowledge of intellectual property when you started your business?

Before I started my business I was very aware that designs are valuable assets that can be stolen if you don’t take measures to protect them. That’s why we are thankful that ACID makes it so easy for us to be diligent with our IP protection.

Which ACID Membership services have you used and how have you benefited from being a Member?

I have made use of the free period of legal advice system on multiple occasions. It has been very beneficial when I have required a professional opinion on design.

Have you brought anything new to the marketplace recently that you would like to share?

In addition to our Life Tools, We’ll soon be releasing a brand new range of premium heavyweight T-shirts (ones that fit properly) and a very exciting new product called the Kirwin Lightning bridge guitar pick.

What is the best aspect of ACID Membership for your business?

The IP Databank is the most valuable aspect of our ACID membership for Kirwin Continental. The ability to know we have all important 3^rd party dated evidence of our designs allows us to rest safe in the knowledge we can promote our designs freely, and that we have support from ACID should we need it.

What advice would you offer to a new designer?

Learn how to sell. You could have the best product ever made, but nobody will buy it If you don’t know how to market it.

ACID values the support of its members to enable it to campaign for design law reform. Do you have any messages for Government/Policy Makers on IP issues? Do you think that copying of designs is deliberate and blatant?

It would be good if it didn’t cost so much to do simple things like register a trademark. Cost issues such as these are obstacles to new businesses and negatively impact economic growth in the UK.

You can support Kirwin’s Kickstarter here.

Kirwin Continental

www.kirwincontinental.com