Question for product designers.

[dianebeckman]

Hello,

I am currently working for a company that sells scrapbooking books and paper blanks that you decorate.

I recently had a couple of ideas that I made and showed by boss. She really liked them and is adding them to the company product line. They are a paper blank item that you would decorate with designer paper, ribbon and other embellishments. My friends have told me that I should get paid some kind of bonus for the idea as the company is going to making money selling the blanks. So far I haven't been offered any reward, just thanks for the idea.

I would like to know from anyone that has provided a company with a idea that the company now sells how much would be a fair market value to be paid?? Do you get any of the finished project from them or do you buy them from them?

Yes I am totally new to this and my friends tell me I am not being rewarded for my talent and ideas.

Also, If you work creating designs for magazines and books what would be a fair market hourly wage??

You can e-mail me personally at [email protected]

Thanks for any advice you have provide. It is really appreciated.

Blessings,

Diane Beckman

[Charmed]

I would think it would depend on any conditions set out in your employment contract. My DH is a software engineer, and part of the contract when he was offered a new job was a clause stating that anything created, invented, developed while in the employ of said company was the intellectual property of that company. Even if he did it outside of work hours and did not use any company resources (think company computer ect...)

I would imagine that if there is no such clause in your employment contract with this company, that you are free to patten/copyright the idea, and then talk to your employer about some kind of payment. Perhaps a percentage of profit, or an exclusivity license type thing.

The big thing is if it is your intellectual property (new product, not new way to use an already existing product, even if not previously related to papercrafting) then you deserve to be rewarded for that.

Cheers,
Karin.

[JulieHRR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dianebeckman

Hello,

I am currently working for a company that sells scrapbooking books and paper blanks that you decorate.

I recently had a couple of ideas that I made and showed by boss. She really liked them and is adding them to the company product line. They are a paper blank item that you would decorate with designer paper, ribbon and other embellishments. My friends have told me that I should get paid some kind of bonus for the idea as the company is going to making money selling the blanks. So far I haven't been offered any reward, just thanks for the idea.

#1. You should be copyrighting your designs for your protection. Are they in "tangible" form? "Verbally" sharing an idea doesn't grant you any copyright protection whatsoever; if you said it out loud, and the company then made it tangible and ran with it and copyrighted it, you have nothing to prove in a court of law that this was your intellectual property to begin with.

NEVER share ANY of your ideas, with ANYONE, not even verbally, until you can turn them into a tangible form, get 'em copyrighted, AND, have a lawyer draw up a non-disclosure agreement or other legal document that they *must* sign PRIOR to viewing your ideas, and prohibits them from taking the idea for their own profit/gain.

If you don't, you are leaving yourself wide open to intellectual property theft and no legal recourse. Sadly, this type of theft happens all the time. :(

People often forget: This is a BILLION dollar industry.

Espionage, idea/intellectual property theft, and cut-throat tactics are as rampant in this one, as any other.

Quote:

I would like to know from anyone that has provided a company with a idea that the company now sells how much would be a fair market value to be paid?? Do you get any of the finished project from them or do you buy them from them?

I imagine that much depends on the idea itself, and what any given company is willing to pay.

Quote:

Yes I am totally new to this and my friends tell me I am not being rewarded for my talent and ideas.

*chuckle* Welcome to "creative side" of the paper crafting industry. ;) I say that a bit TIC, but, in all honesty, my colleagues and I have been in the trenches long enough to say that that's a pretty accurate statement across the board within this field.

Quote:

Also, If you work creating designs for magazines and books what would be a fair market hourly wage??

Frankly, I've never earned an hourly wage for this type of work; I've always been compensated by piece. And, the per piece rate usually doesn't pan out even to minimum hourly wage, when computed by the hours spent creating each piece.

Quote:

You can e-mail me personally at [email protected]

Thanks for any advice you have provide. It is really appreciated.

Blessings,

Diane Beckman

Good luck and best wishes in your endeavors!

[nancystamps]

I just have a question.......Diane, you said you work for this scrapbooking company......what exactly is your function? Is product design part of your job? If so, then I think as Karin stated, what you come up with on company time belongs to the company (check your company policy), then there isn't any "theft" involved. When annual review and bonus time comes around though, make sure you bring it up!

[dianebeckman]

Hello,

Thanks so far for your comments.
I do not have a contract with whom I work. It was never discussed about making designs as I hadn't ever done any and it didn't cross my mind that I ever would.
I get paid hourly to help in the office and other tasks as asked to do. Lately I have been making projects to be published in the current book they are working on. If I make a project at home on my own time and it get published I get paid for that piece seperate.
She does have me working on a entire book to be published and and is paying me my hourly salary for my time.
For my idea that I had, I made a proto type up and showed my boss. She then had me make some completed samples to see how they would look. She then had me make up a final proto type to be made into a product that could be mass produced for them to sell.
After my friends had made comments to me that I should get some type of bonus it got me thinking maybe I should inquire about it with my boss. I wanted to find out from other designers what the standard is so I could approach her with some basis for my asking.

Thanks for any further assistance.

Blessings,

Diane