04 Jun Sara Guntiñas: Fet ací
I looked up the definition of design in the DRAE (Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy) and found something that would make you smile if you were thinking about furniture: “Del it. disegno” (From the Italian: disegno).
The concept of “Italian design” has become a particularly catchy attribute in the field of furniture, and one has to admit that they did an excellent job.
The investment in research, development and technological innovation has succeeded in keeping in check the furniture sector crisis that afflicted other countries, like Spain and Valencia in particular. They have managed to create an image for the country, whereby the brand name of the producer does not matter as much as the origin of the product.
I have been thinking for a while that we ought to do the same in the Community of Valencia, but my aim is more ambitious than that. I think that saying “Valencian design” should become a trademark comprehending all the great professionals at work in our region.
I was happy to read that Xavier Giner, Director of the Escuela Superior de Arte y Diseño of Valencia, stated that the only hope for Valencian firms was to invest in design.
This may be the ideal moment to push this notion. Now that businesses are undergoing restructuring and analysing what needs to change to adjust to the new times, we must emphasise harder than ever that “there is strength in union.”
Exploiting the synergies that exist among companies that pursue similar objectives is the key to come out of this crisis fortified. How many redundant jobs are being produced simultaneously at the moment? Why let go of the services of great professionals just because an individual company cannot afford their wages? How many projects would come up if two creative minds were set in the same direction? What if there were three of them? One hundred?
I think the only thing we have in spades in our community is talent, because Valencians have always been known for their creative potential, although unfortunately we are also infamous for slacking when it comes to team work. It may be time to change.
Paraphrasing a good friend and colleague of mine, let us bid farewell to the “Made in” and welcome the “Fet ací”.
Architects, interior designers, graphic designers, fashion designers, chefs, journalists… all of us creative Valencians ought to fight for our brand, our “FET ACÍ” guarantee.
More: www.articulado.org · www.sanserif.es