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| DR • Using the same reference is not stealing |
| This is from the blog series Designer Rant that I wrote on a site that shall not be named and has been re-edited to fit VP (because why not post it here as well, it's not like designing is something this universal). Please keep in mind, that this is no invitation to talk about the primary source of this posts (I don't want the mods to delete this blog) and that while some of the topics or specific examples might not be completely true or fitting for VP, they certainly can be found on pixel based dress-up games and thus I think them important to get mentioned in the context of VP as well. So, basically, this is designer content but make it commentary from my angry and frustrated mind. (Also thinking about publishing my tutorials I made because some of them just look fucking amazing.) I hope you are ready for a hot take about designing, because this will be spicy. If you read the title before diving into my blogs, you already know what this is going to be about. Let me defend the idea of designing the same item as another designer and why that isn't copying or something to feel bad about. Let me contextualise this before we start. When I say designing the same thing as another designer, I mean designing from the same reference as they did. Copying a complete set idea or redoing some personal art of someone else is not ok. This blog is purely about two designers seeing the same picture online and thinking "this is neat, I'll design this". I've actually had this discussion a few times in the past with both people who design and those who don't. There are a few designers out there, who are oddly protective about images that are publicly available online and don't want others to design them as well. Which considering they don't own the image or idea of the item isn't really something they can legally claim to. Plus, from experience I can tell that most of these people don't have any moral qualms about making the same design as someone else if they think the item looks great, so there definitely is a bit of a double standard going on there. Now you might wonder why designing the same item as someone else isn't as bad despite what some people say. You see, art is something very personal. Everyone has a different approach to it, has a different style and technique, has different preferences. Just look at those drawing workshop pictures where everyone has to draw the same thing and while most of the pictures share some general resemblances, you can see differences in all of them. No two art pieces look the same. Despite people having the same reference, the result will never be the same. And just as we designers have our preferences when it comes to how and what we design, so do the users. There are some designers whose style you just like a bit more, because you're more into the clean feel of traditional comic-styles, because you like the colourful chaos that the artsy vibe gives you or because you are a fan of the harsh contrast in photorealistic designing. Maybe you like a muted colour palette without having to compromise on contrast and you find a designer who manages soft designs that don't look washed out. You decide what you want to buy and wear and curate your wardrobe according to that style. Maybe you buy stuff from certain creators purely to support them. Maybe you only buy things you'll really wear. However you do, it's the right way. And having two people design the same item will not mean one of them will thus suffer from the sales. Since the designs will end up looking vastly different, there will be different people who will buy it. To show you that this does happen to VP and is not an isolated case, I went out and searched for the most obvious examples I could find. You can clearly see how the same inspiration went into two different directions for all of them. (I explicitly chose designs where one of them is mine. I can't tell for sure for many of those who did it first, but I do want to stress that at least I don't really care if anyone designs the same thing as I do. Also, from a purely logistical standpoint: It's way easier finding designs and their reference if I know them really well since I designed it as well and have the reference saved somewhere. This isn't to bash a designer or make someone look bad, this is to prove the point that while two people make the same item using the same reference, the designs end up looking differently enough that they do cater to different styles and thus different people.)         (lost the inspo link, am still looking)          Just because we designed the "same" item, doesn't mean we made the "same" item. We didn't copy from each other, we used the same reference. And we both incorporated the items in a set that gives off very different vibes. To say our designs are copies of each other past the fact that it's the same item is not giving any of us credit for our actual work. It's reducing our designs purely on their general shape and not thinking about what makes each of us a unique designer with their own style, feel and look. It also prevents you from seing what makes either of the two items so special. So, to sum it all up: No, designing the same item as someone else doesn't make you a cheap copy. You can bring something special to the table, you can make every item your own. People will look at your design and see you in it and not the other person. And if someone designs the same thing as you did, don't hesitate to see what makes their design beautiful, what gives it life and a feeling. Don't feel protective over something you don't own; it's way better to take pride on your ability to make things special because of who you are instead of focussing if someone else might have more success than you and why. |
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