Welcome to design connections

About Design Connections

www.Design-Connections.com is a website dedicated to connecting graduates, start-up artists and designer-makers with buyers and employers nationwide.

Who are Design Connections?

www.Design-Connections.com is a website dedicated to connecting graduates, start-up artists and designer-makers with buyers and employers nationwide.

Our primary objective is to offer talented young artists and designers a professional and credible platform to show and sell their work to a national audience in the difficult period following university and in the first 5 years of trading. The service enables participants to gain confidence that their work is sellable and to test their ideas on the market.

Design Connections is registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee and is classed as a Social Enterprise. We operate on a not-for-profit basis. We actually aim to operate as profitably as possible, however all profits are reinvested in the company in order to achieve our social aims and objectives by helping to establish young careers in the art and design industry. No share capital is allocated so we are under no obligation to shareholders and no dividends are paid to our members. Our obligations are to the graduates and start-up artists and designers that we have been set up to serve and to offer our customers the best quality of service.

The website is the brainchild of Alexandra Sherlock: founder and Creative Director. After graduating from Nottingham Trent University in 2001 with a BA in Textile Design Alex realised how difficult it was to actually start making money from her work. She recognised there needed to be a service that could offer graduate work to the general public straight from the point of graduation. Alex realised that this service could also benefit talented Artists and Designers who do not have formal qualifications or those who have been drawn away to unrelated professions for financial reasons.

Why buy from Design Connections?

The fact that we are a Social Enterprise not only benefits our Exhibitors, it also benefits you the Customer. Our fees are low, we charge only 25% commission on any sales made through the website and all Exhibitors can use the website free of charge for their first year. This means that when you buy an item from us you will not be paying expensive Agent or Gallery fees which can amount to as much as 50% commission.

All exhibitors on the website have been nominated to be here. Not by a selection committee that have never seen or heard of them before but by their own course or year leaders - the people that know them and their work the best. Course leaders are encouraged to nominate their best and most promising students; individuals who are committed to pursuing a career in the visual arts industry.

Design Connections gives you the chance to spot new talent and buy original work at very reasonable prices. But most importantly, Design Connections allows you to support and nurture talented young artists and designers throughout the UK.

As a nation we are world renowned for our talented artists and designers. By supporting and encouraging new talent you can help sustain and improve the British Visual Arts Industry - something to be truly proud of.

Become an Exhibitor

Exhibiting on Design-Connections.com is by nomination only and this ensures the high quality of the work exhibited with us. Exhibitors are nominated by university level institutions or organisations that pre-select their members. Unfortunately you cannot nominate yourself to appear on this website. If we are not currently working with your university, institution or organisation please contact us at exhibitors@design-connections.com for advice on how to be nominated.

Exhibitors on the website consist of the following:

• 3 graduates or postgraduates per course per academic year of each university affiliated with Design Connections. Exhibitors are nominated by course or year leaders who choose the most promising and talented individuals.
• Pre-selected members of organisations that are affiliated with Design Connections. The number of nominees from each organisation is negotiable.

Exhibitors on the website must fit the following criteria:

• They are within their first 5 years of trading (this need not necessarily be within 5 years of graduation).
• They produce and solely exhibit their own work.
• They have a permanent UK address.

Become a Member

Becoming a member is easy, takes just a few minutes and is free of charge! By becoming a member you will receive the following benefits:

• A monthly email newsletter updating you on new exhibitors, news, events and much more.
• Create your own password protected favourites page where you can save all your favourite pieces of work or exhibitors for future reference. This is a handy tool if you would like to get a second opinion before committing to buying an item or if you would like to keep an eye out for new work by a favourite exhibitor.

If you buy an item from www.design-connections.com you will automatically become a member and you will be allocated an orders page which will allow you to keep a record of your order history.

We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and will never pass your details to any third party unless authorised by you (by clicking the relevant box). Full versions of our privacy policy and terms and conditions are provided during the membership procedure. It is important that you agree to our terms of use before we can authorise your membership.

Click here to become a member

Buying from Design-Connections

Buying original works of art or design from Design Connections couldn't be easier. While browsing the website you will see that many pieces of work have prices next to them, this means that they are available for immediate online purchase.

Items or exhibitors may also be added to your favourites page for your own reference (you will need to register to create a personal favourites page). This is a handy facility if you feel you would like some time to consider a purchase or get a second opinion before committing yourself to the transaction.

How to buy:

• Once you have found the item you would like to purchase click 'Purchase Now', this will prompt you to either login or register with us. This is a quick and easy process that shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes. You will be emailed a username and password for future visits to the website.
• Once logged on you will be taken to a purchase summary screen. The details of your item will be summarised for you including the price of the item, postage and packing costs, VAT and maximum delivery time (items may often be delivered well in advance of the maximum delivery time stated).
• The payment summary page will give you the chance to opt out of the postage and packing fees and arrange for personal collection of the item. Obviously this will only apply if you are in the same area as the exhibitor - the exhibitor's geographical location can be found on their portfolio page. The courier costs will be deducted from the total price. Exhibitor details will not be given out until the transaction is complete and you receive an order confirmation email. Unfortunately neither Design Connections nor our exhibitors can guarantee a delivery date or time.
• The payment summary page will ask you to agree with the purchase details. You will be taken to a secure payment page to add your payment details. All orders require prepayment prior to dispatch. We accept all major debit and credit cards, Alternative methods of payment can be arranged by contacting us directly at: info@design-connections.com. Please bear in mind that if you wish to arrange an alternative payment we can reserve the item in question but cannot dispatch it until the payment has cleared.
• You will receive email confirmation that we have received your order and are liaising with the Exhibitor to arrange for the dispatch of your item. If you have arranged for personal collection we will provide the contact details of the Exhibitor in the confirmation email. Times and dates for collection can then be arranged directly with the Exhibitor.
• You will then receive an emailed dispatch confirmation once the item has been dispatched.

Can I cancel my order?

You can cancel your order for whatever reason within 7 days from the day after you placed your order.

Will I have to pay anything if I cancel my order?

If you cancel your order before it has been dispatched you will receive a full refund. If you cancel your order after dispatch you will be obliged to pay for the return of the item before you can expect to receive a refund (using the delivering courier including appropriate insurance). The refund will be for the item only and postage/packing costs (as stated at the time of order) will be deducted. To clarify: if you cancel an order after the item has been dispatched you will be obliged to pay 2 sets of courier fees (delivery and return). This should be considered when buying an item you are not sure about.

Can I return the item after it has been delivered?

You have 7 days (starting the day after delivery) to decide whether or not you want to keep the item. If you decide you would like to return it you must notify us by email to returns@Design-Connections.com within the time limit. You will find a return address label with your customer receipt (enclosed with the item). The item must be returned to the Exhibitor safely packaged using the method in which it was delivered (ie. Royal Mail, DHL etc.) The item must be insured and safely received by the Exhibitor before we can issue a refund. Once again the delivery costs will be deducted from your refund. To clarify: if you return an item you will be obliged to pay 2 sets of courier fees (delivery and return).

What if the item is not what I ordered?

If the item you receive is not what you ordered or you feel it has been misrepresented in some way please contact us immediately. We will notify the Exhibitor who will arrange for collection of the item. They will then send you the correct item. If the item is incorrect or misrepresented and you would not like a replacement we can offer a full refund and the Exhibitor will arrange for collection of the item. We cannot however issue a refund until the item has been reunited with the Exhibitor and the query has been settled. We will require an explanation and in some cases evidence of why the item is incorrect or misrepresented.

What happens if the item I receive is damaged?

We strongly urge you to inspect the item at the time of delivery, while the courier is present. If the item looks like it has been damaged in transit notify the courier at the time of delivery. If the courier is no longer available please contact us immediately and we will settle the query with the courier company. You will be notified by us if you are to receive a replacement or a refund. Once again we may require proof that the item was damaged in transit, this is why it is so important to check the item while the courier is present.

FAQ's

Can I order items directly from the exhibitor?

We do not supply Exhibitors personal contact details on the website because we must take a small commission from each sale made through the website in order to make the service possible. Once you receive an item from an Exhibitor their personal contact details will be included with your customer receipt. We encourage you to continue using our service to buy more work, however there is nothing to stop you contacting the exhibitor directly if you would like to commission or buy work in the future. We would be delighted to hear that an initial contact through our website has enabled you to develop an ongoing relationship with an exhibitor. We simply ask all Exhibitors to notify us of any additional sales made as a result of the service we provide and in each instance we ask for a 10% commission fee from the total sale price of the item (excluding delivery costs).

We are a non-profit organisation set up to encourage young careers in the art & design industry. We rely heavily on sale commission to continue offering this valuable service and we kindly ask all Customers and Exhibitors to help us by notifying and including us in any subsequent sales for at least 1 year following initial contact.

How do I contact an exhibitor?

You can contact an Exhibitor by clicking the email link on their portfolio page. All emails made through the website are filtered by Design Connections. Only genuine enquiries will be forwarded to the Exhibitor. Unfortunately we are unable to let you know if your email has been successful however the guidelines below should give you an idea of what is considered to be a genuine enquiry:

• Possible employment opportunities
• Requests to see more work
• Enquiries about a piece of work
• Commission enquiries
• Invitations to apply for forthcoming opportunities (e.g. competitions, exhibitions, commissions etc.)
• Constructive feedback

If you wish to advertise to our exhibitors please email ads@design-connections.com to find out about advertising opportunities.

Partner Organisations

Design Connections is a Company Limited by Guarantee which means we have no share holders. Our company falls between a private ltd. company and a charity. This means that we are committed to helping the graduates and start-up artists and designers that we have been set up to serve and not to paying money into shareholders pockets. The disadvantage of this is that there is no opportunity for us to gain investment capital.

As a result we currently rely on sponsor donations from companies and charities that recognise the importance of the service we provide to young artists and designers.

If you would like to help us continue to provide this valued service and to be credited as a partner we would be delighted to hear from you. Please email info@design-connections.com.

Work for Design Connections

We do not currently have any permanent positions available however we are always interested to hear from creative graduates, postgraduates or students that may be looking for experience in the following fields:

• Marketing
• PR
• Sales
• Editorial

Please contact info@design-connections.com with a current CV and details or examples of previous experience or relevant project work. Applicants should be aware that we are currently based near Southampton.

Contact Us

Design Connections Ltd.
Woodside, Embley Lane, East Wellow
Romsey
Hampshire
SO51 6DN

Email: info@design-connections.com Tel: 01794 830012
Fax: 01794 830012
Mobile: 07703 282418