*Design Competition* Your Best Dozen Roses - Discussion

[CHR]

I can see it now...

A Bare Knuckles Bouquet Throw-Down

Two florists design-it-out and duke-it-out to the bitter end.

Live commentary by Tim Gunn and Micheal Kors

Blood, guts and flowers. lol

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

well I can honestly say I did not vote the way I did based on who submitted it.

I will be totally honest. For example... Goldfish and I haven't been exactly "buds".
But I tell you what, I loved the design he submitted. Loved it! And I told him so. His was bar far my favorite, next to mine of course.

I loved RC's design as well.
And I liked the novelty of BJ's design. It's not what I would buy for myself but I could appreciate the DESIGN.

For me Pretty is different than design. It took me a long time to figure that out
And I'm not saying BJ's design was ugly either!! Don't take it that way

Another example of what I mean:
Sometimes we will be looking at arrangements in magazines.. I will Ohh and Ahh over them. The girls will look at me like I lost my mind. Then I have to explain the mechanics behind it. Then they get it..Why it's a good arrangement.

The bottom line is most people don't get what makes a good design a good design.

But they do get what they think is pretty. AKA saleable.

The challenge is being able to do both.

You could make 2 arrangements using the same flowers, same container, same everything. One well designed one poorly designed. Put them side by side and I would bet my life that nine out of 10 times the well designed one will be sold first. And the person who bought it wouldn't even be able to tell you why, just that it is
"prettier".

This was a design competition. Not a "will it sell" competition.

I would love to see the next competition be a "will it sell" competition.

All the arrangements where nice BTW, more than that the people who entered have guts. I like people with guts.

 

[Tracy D'Amico]

This was a design competition. Not a "will it sell" competition.

Funny point, the most common word in the comments on my traditional twist with these roses was "saleable/sellable". My entry still sits on my front counter, unsold.

 

[bloomz]

Another example of what I mean:
Sometimes we will be looking at arrangements in magazines.. I will Ohh and Ahh over them. The girls will look at me like I lost my mind. Then I have to explain the mechanics behind it. Then they get it..Why it's a good arrangement.

The bottom line is most people don't get what makes a good design a good design.

But they do get what they think is pretty. AKA saleable.

Of course mechanics are necessary for several reasons including satisfaction in the long run, but what do they have to do with appeal?

I know a bit about mechanics - I held Twila's hand thru the AIFD process.

Also - how can you judge mechanics from a picture?

 

[thebloomcloset]

Well

A lot of good points about design and sellibility have been brought up, lets have another contest that is judged on sellibility alone. Set a price limit, give a certain selection of flowers and greenery, and see what happens, that would certainly help us all out with great ideas and inspiration, and if the public judged, it would help us out with what our clients want to see...Just a thought....

 

[lori042499]

well I can honestly say I did not vote the way I did based on who submitted it.

I will be totally honest. For example... Goldfish and I haven't been exactly "buds".
But I tell you what, I loved the design he submitted. Loved it! And I told him so. His was bar far my favorite, next to mine of course.

I loved RC's design as well.
And I liked the novelty of BJ's design. It's not what I would buy for myself but I could appreciate the DESIGN.

For me Pretty is different than design. It took me a long time to figure that out
And I'm not saying BJ's design was ugly either!! Don't take it that way

Another example of what I mean:
Sometimes we will be looking at arrangements in magazines.. I will Ohh and Ahh over them. The girls will look at me like I lost my mind. Then I have to explain the mechanics behind it. Then they get it..Why it's a good arrangement.

The bottom line is most people don't get what makes a good design a good design.

But they do get what they think is pretty. AKA saleable.

The challenge is being able to do both.

You could make 2 arrangements using the same flowers, same container, same everything. One well designed one poorly designed. Put them side by side and I would bet my life that nine out of 10 times the well designed one will be sold first. And the person who bought it wouldn't even be able to tell you why, just that it is
"prettier".

This was a design competition. Not a "will it sell" competition.

I would love to see the next competition be a "will it sell" competition.

All the arrangements where nice BTW, more than that the people who entered have guts. I like people with guts.

Me neither Shannon. I voted for the designs I liked, I did not vote for all, some I missed, some I just didn't feel compelled to vote, either the design just didn't strike me, or I didn't know what to comment in a constructive manner or I just missed them...I found that it was easy to miss an arrangement as the pictures jumped around a bit...I did help out some people that asked before posting what arrangement they should post as did some people help me with that...I had two designs and only one made it...I am glad I posted the one I did because the other was too similar to others posted...I did like how it came out though...

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

Of course mechanics are necessary for several reasons including satisfaction in the long run, but what do they have to do with appeal?

I know a bit about mechanics - I held Twila's hand thru the AIFD process.

Also - how can you judge mechanics from a picture?

I guess I'm a good designer Bloomz...
I can figure out how a design was done...Most of the time..

For example Hitomis Sprial bouquets.. Most people don't get how those are done.
They are not my favorite designs she's ever done, but I get the mechanics, because I was educated about those paticular mechanics. It makes it easier for me to understand a lot of the mechanics she does.
Until I learned about her mechanics I didn't get it. And what I learn I teach to my staff.

 

[bloomz]

I follow that but what does it have to do with appeal, and if appeal isn't part of the criteria - what is the point?

Not really being argumentative (I think) just curious.

I mean, you could make a "design" from 2 rocks, a stick, a garbage bag and a condom with good mechanics.

Is it just art for art's sake?

 

[Palms]

Bloomzie i actually pictured all those items in my head, you nutter!!

Might make it a November special lol

 

[Victoria]

Bloomzie i actually pictured all those items in my head, you nutter!!

Might make it a November special lol

:rofl: I love the expression Nutter... it suits him I think.


V

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

In this paticular competition Yes.. It was a design competition...

But Lucky for us we got to use flowers rather than sticks, rock, trash bags and condoms.

The appeal SHOULD be the flowers.

If I see a well DESIGNED arrangment made out of carns, it doesn't do much for me...

Give me a well designed arrangement with cyms, I'm a happy girl

 

[bloomz]

I think I already tried....

I'm silly that way - I'm only interested in what will sell and not what other florists or high-falutin designers (is that a word?) think of it.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

Not high falutin Bloomz... Just artists...

 

[SpringCity]

I love the word highfalutin.
I also feel like the poor horse is dead already. Design, sellable, etc.

 

[Palms]

i feel sorry for the horse....

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

i would feel sorry for the horse except for this reason....

I didn't get it either until recently, now I understand and I just try really hard to get others to understand as well..

 

[bloomz]

well I don't understand - but what's new?


Like Darrel's signature - if it don't make money it don't make sense.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

That's ok Bloomz it took me 24 years!

 

[Palms]

I think the key here is a horse is unncessarily being beaten and flogged. Poor horse

We all have different ways of thinking, some think like a designer, some like a business person and some have a mix of both.

If someone doesnt agree with you it doesnt mean they dont understand you, it just means they dont hold the same opinion. That does not make their opinion or yours wrong, just different. There is a difference in having an opinion and being opinionated.

 

[Knife's Wife]

I'm am curious if anyone else here had the same thinking I had when deciding what to do for this design competition.

While I am well aware of what is important in a typical design competition, this competition threw off my thinking from the typical competition. This is why, when you enter a design competition you are competiting for a Cup, a Ribbon, Money etc. But this struck me as different the prize was to be your arrangement featured in a online article with a link to your website so that you could sell it. It heavily influenced what I chose to do as business, saleability and the ability for any one of my designers to be able to duplicate the design in my absence play a huge part in my design.

I am not trying to argue or disbute anyone or any rules or any anything here so don't get carried away with thinking to deep. I really truely am wondering if I am the only one who took these things into consideration when deciding?

So can we have a casket spray competition??


Joan