Do we need Design Commercialisation Houses ? As I look around the internet for sociall relevant designs (a great starting place is Inhabitat), I come across all kinds of innovative and brilliant products for problems people face in many parts of the world. Take this washing machine for example. Or look at Open Source Architecture. Or even the National Innovation Foundation. Yet I meet a lot of designers trying to create new solutions to the same issues, when existing radical improvements are available but not widespread.
My sense is that there is a big business niche for people to take existing design and adapt it for a particular client or market situation, with the clear intent of making it successful (large market, profitable). There are a few firms that do this. Swiss firm Vestergaard Frandsen is one such firm. Surely the market needs many more firm of these firms. Maybe NID and IIMA should join hands to incubate these firms to help design and innovation get firmer commercial roots.
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