Eleanor Hosegood started her print artwork business in 2020 after becoming enthralled with the blue spaces of the UK. Her artwork creates a special relationship between personal memories, appreciation and love of the healing properties of our coastlines and waterways. Her art encapsulates the calming effect water can have on your mentality and allows you to bask in the feeling at home or in the office through her elegant artwork.

Eleanor became an ACID member by becoming the lucky winner for a year of free membership for entering our survey for IP and Business Growth, which supports the IPO’s own survey.

Already off to a great start with membership, Eleanor is using the ACID logo on her website for deterrence against would be copyists, she has signed the ACID IP Charter to add her voice to the growing list of people who stand up for respect, ethics and compliance in design. Plus she is uploading designs to the ACID IP Databank for 3^rd party dated evidence.

Even at this early stage in her creative business, she has suffered from the experience of infringement. Read on to gain insight on Eleanor’s creative beginning, her infringement issue and why she thinks intellectual property (IP) needs further change for small independent designers.

When and why did you first start creating your designs?

I created my first river map in 2020 after jumping off the Landscape Architect career ladder to follow my passion for blue health, making it my mission to celebrate the UK’s waterways.  I have always been drawn to water and became fascinated by the science behind why water makes us happier and healthier after going through my own health struggles. I started Plenty Blue as a way of celebrating my local blue spaces through art.

I first experimented with the idea of a ‘blue portrait’ of my local River Crouch in Essex and it grew from there, I now have around 350 prints of rivers, lakes and coastlines listed on my website. I hope my blue maps inspire people to visit and engage more in their local blue spaces, as water really does hold the power to heal and inspire us.

You are the winner of our survey for IP and Business Growth. What compelled you to share your views and voice?

I came across ACID after my work had been copied and felt passionate about sharing my views after experiencing the awful feeling of seeing your design on someone else’s product. I am so grateful to have won as I now have the support I need to tackle my IP issues.

Do you think there is room for IP improvement and why?

Yes, the process of enforcing the law once your work has been copied needs to be simpler and more affordable for small businesses. I also think there needs to be greater awareness and education around the impact of IP issues on designers both financially and emotionally as it is too commonly accepted and ignored.

Did you have any knowledge of IP when you started your business?

I had very limited knowledge of IP when I started my business and was unfortunately quite naive. I did not realise how common place it is to have your work outrightly copied – particularly in the art print space.

Have you ever had any IP issues or infringements? How did you deal with it? Also what was the effect on yourself and your business?

Yes, unfortunately I recently came across my exact Lymington art design being sold on the high-street by another small business – a real punch to the stomach feeling.

I came across a photo of the product coincidentally on a Facebook post on a Lymington community page. Someone who had recently visited the town on holiday wished they had bought it from the shop on the high-street and could not find it on their website – didn’t want me to find it perhaps? I got in touch with the Facebook poster to thank them for making me aware and explained that it is my work that has been copied and they kindly bought my original art instead.

Despite reaching out to the company multiple times, I have unfortunately not received a response and am now getting legal advice to proceed. It is so upsetting to know that another small business, one that I ironically thought would be a good future stockist, continue to profit from my work without seeming to care.

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

I recently launched a new collection featuring unique minimalist city maps that highlight only the waterways flowing through each city. Additionally, I have expanded my range to include homewares, now offering glass worktop savers featuring my designs.

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

The reduced legal fees and initial period of free legal advice as it would not be affordable or viable to go forward with any legal action without this being such a small business.

What advice would you offer to a new designer?

Join ACID and store your designs in the IP databank to make sure your designs are protected before releasing to the public or social media.

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?

Listen and communicate closely with ACID and work towards making unregistered design infringement a crime.

Have you signed the ACID IP Charter?

Yes.It’s free to sign and helps us to have a wide variety of names to add to our campaigns for IP law reform. You also get a free logo which you can use to demonstrate you stand strong for respect, ethics and compliance in design.

Plenty Blue