When and why did you first start creating your products/designs?
I first started designing the character led products which I now create in 2012 after a brief foray into ceramic jewellery. I quickly found that I was not great at making or selling serious style work but that I loved creating items and designs that make people smile and that these were really well received. I started with sculptures and hand cast porcelain pots and have slowly expanded my portfolio to include things like homeware, surface pattern and greetings cards as my interests and skills have shifted and developed. Following a 3-Dimensional Design degree (too many years ago to mention), I worked in economic and business development which I really loved but as I got a bit older, and started a family, the creative itch returned with a bang and so Helen Russell Creations was born.
Did you have any knowledge of intellectual property when you started your business?
I had some knowledge because I’d worked predominantly in arts, heritage and tourism roles but what you advise and apply to other people’s businesses doesn’t always transfer to your own activities! I’m still learning, especially as the goal posts seem to be changing constantly at the moment, but I have always documented my work and have been using the ACID IP Databank for a long time. I have also registered my brand motif and my business name as a trade mark. I think the biggest challenges for a one person business like mine is time availability and cost when it comes to protecting your work. I always tell other people to make the time and find the money though as it suddenly doesn’t seem so much of a chore when you need that evidence or paper trail behind you to protect the theft of your ideas.
Which ACID Membership services have you used and how have you benefited from being a Member?
As I mentioned I use the IP Databank for my designs a lot and, unfortunately, I’ve also had to use the free legal advice that comes with membership. On a positive note my free hour was all I needed to rectify a very stressful and scary situation and that was because of the ACID IP Databank and my trademark application – so money and time well spent! I use the logo on my website and my membership certificate at events. It’s tricky nowadays as a lot of my sales come through social media but that’s also where a lot of the potential threat to your intellectual property comes from. There are still things I could do better but on the whole I embrace as many of the ACID services as I can.
Have you brought anything new to the marketplace recently that you would like to share?
I bring at least two new collections a year out but I need to get my act together and start using the ACID Marketplace, this is one service I’ve not made a dent in at all yet!
What is the best aspect of ACID Membership for your business?
Peace of mind without a shadow of a doubt. I know that you can’t always stop people copying what you do or as it’s usually presented ‘taking inspiration’ from your work but with my ACID membership I know I have somewhere to turn to for help and support if that does happen.
What advice would you offer to a new designer?
Join ACID! Take time to save your designs to the IP Databank so you have an independent third party record of your work. Make friends with as many people as possible in the industry you work in, especially in the independent realm, as we all tend to look out for one another and enjoy what we do. If you have fun and love what you do the hard work and long hours don’t feel so much like work.
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?
We seem to stand to lose a lot of the intellectual property rights that came about through European law as we head for Brexit, and they were by no means perfect! For a sole trader like me registering each design through government is not practical or affordable. I want to be able to design a pattern or complete an illustration and put my name on it and know that it is automatically seen and recognised as my work. If I can prove the date I created that work through something like the ACID IP Databank then that should be legally binding enough to put an end to a copying issue.
I cannot imagine that government representatives or policy makers on IP would be happy if they spent weeks writing a report or campaigning successfully for change for someone else to come along and take all the credit. At least they would still get paid. If someone copies a self-employed designer or artist or any business then it’s not just idea theft, it’s theft of time and immediate and long term income from that idea.
The sector has proven time and again the economic and social benefits it brings to the UK. We need the policy makers to recognise this and to support an industry that is made up of lots of individuals who have brilliant ideas and lots of passion for what they do. We shouldn’t have to fight to prove what is ours, we should be using that time to make the UK creative industries sector even stronger and better to achieve sustained growth!
https://www.helenrussellcreations.com
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