With World Intellectual Property Day set to evoke ‘the value of design’ this year, solicitor Mark Shipley, managing director of ShipleyIP, highlights what designers can hope to take our of the day.

Apple has produced some of the most iconic product designs of the last decade.  This week it began a lawsuit to protect them.  Apple says the Samsung's Galaxy range of mobile phones and tablets "slavishly" copy the iPhone and iPad.  The claim specifies similarities between everything from the look of its screen icons to the curve of the corners.  If you have seen the tablets and phones side by side, you would be hard pressed to argue that Apple hasn’t got a point.  Whether they are successful in court remains to be seen.  However, what the case does illustrate is the massive value the company places on design. 

Design can provide the means to differentiate, drawing us to one product rather than another and making one brand more successful.  It’s an ethos which underpins Apple’s work.  Many commentators credit designer Jonathan Ive with re-juvinating the fortunes of a computer company that, when he joined in the 1990s, was flagging.  He was the principal designer of the iMac, the Mac Book and then the iPhone.  The story goes that at its grand unveiling, the very first call Steve Jobs placed was to Ive offering his congratulations.  He’s now got a golden handcuffs deal with Apple and reportedly has shares in the company worth at least $25 million.

However, not everybody who played a part in the design of the brand, has got the same bite of the success.  Take Rob Janoff for example.  He designed the iconic Apple logo which launched more than a quarter of a billion iPods, 100 million iPhones and 15 million iPads.  Janoff was working as an art director for Regis McKenna in 1976 when they got a gig to produce a logo for a start-up computer business.  So, what did he get for coming up with one of the most recognisable logos of the 20th century?  Nothing, he says – “not even a holiday card”.  His boss was also asked to do some advertising work.   He opted to take a flat fee rather than 20% stake in Apple – a company recently valued at approximately $322 billion.  Unsurprisingly, Regis McKenna describes it as ‘his biggest mistake’. 

Of course hindsight is a wonderful thing and not every job can offer such a return.  However, the point is that if the designer doesn’t know the value of their work, the commissioning company can’t either.  Designers who understand the intellectual property they are creating can take control and educate their clients too.

Take our Liverpool neighbours Milky Tea, for example.   The digital design company has forged long term relationships with some big players because it is aware of the intellectual property it creates and how to protect it.  Managing director, Jon Holmes says they recognise the value in their designs.  “Clients we have worked with really grasp the importance of investing in good creative approaches and solutions. They see how the value and awareness of their business has increased by investing in things like character design to create a new brand mascot or amazing illustrations, CGI or animation to show off their product or service.” 

A basic grasp of things like copyright, design rights and licensing is empowering.  It allows you to see alternative ways of doing business, from dealing with clients through to strategy planning.  It also enables you to judge the worth of your work so it’s not undersold.  They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  When it comes to design, it’s value is too.

World Intellectual Property Day ‘Designing The Future’ takes place on Tuesday 26 April

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