I think what Made is doing is cool but the mission statements, in all their varied forms, seem a little weak. Aren't jobs created when we buy products made elsewhere too? Aren't other countries producing awesome products, like the countries that lead the world in engineering and design? Aren't there plenty of examples of companies that have gone outside the US to manufacture and it has helped them succeed and create more high quality jobs here? Sometimes this concept sounds a little libertarian to me. The team looks great and I hope they succeed but some of the U-S-A stuff sounds more like bumper sticker politics than a real unifying principle that can inspire great work.
Not to be that guy but... (not verified)
August 16th, 2012, 1:47pm
I don't think they are suggesting that we bring 100% of manufacturing back to America - just a portion. We DO in fact need those jobs here.
Lets keep outsourcing design and ad work to India while were at it - trying to bring it back here would be too "libertarian".
American (not verified)
August 17th, 2012, 8:21am
I didn't mean libertarian as a putdown, I meant more along the lines of their isolationist leanings. Do I want design outsourced to india? No, but I do realize that, as a designer, I'm sometimes in a market with lower priced options from India and I need to compete with that intelligently or my clients probably should go to 99Designs.com for their design needs. Similarly, if I was to come up with an idea for a better iPad, having the manufacturing done somewhere else is probably my only chance of competing and ultimately creating more jobs domestically. If I acted as a responsible company and created more "Boom" here by manufacturing there, would Made still consider working with me? I understand how the agency works at the Etsy level of clients but I just wonder how it works in the real world with other brands. And, like I said, it seems like they have a lot of great people and I hope they succeed either way.
Comments
I think what Made is doing is cool but the mission statements, in all their varied forms, seem a little weak. Aren't jobs created when we buy products made elsewhere too? Aren't other countries producing awesome products, like the countries that lead the world in engineering and design? Aren't there plenty of examples of companies that have gone outside the US to manufacture and it has helped them succeed and create more high quality jobs here? Sometimes this concept sounds a little libertarian to me. The team looks great and I hope they succeed but some of the U-S-A stuff sounds more like bumper sticker politics than a real unifying principle that can inspire great work.
I don't think they are suggesting that we bring 100% of manufacturing back to America - just a portion. We DO in fact need those jobs here.
Lets keep outsourcing design and ad work to India while were at it - trying to bring it back here would be too "libertarian".
I didn't mean libertarian as a putdown, I meant more along the lines of their isolationist leanings. Do I want design outsourced to india? No, but I do realize that, as a designer, I'm sometimes in a market with lower priced options from India and I need to compete with that intelligently or my clients probably should go to 99Designs.com for their design needs. Similarly, if I was to come up with an idea for a better iPad, having the manufacturing done somewhere else is probably my only chance of competing and ultimately creating more jobs domestically. If I acted as a responsible company and created more "Boom" here by manufacturing there, would Made still consider working with me? I understand how the agency works at the Etsy level of clients but I just wonder how it works in the real world with other brands. And, like I said, it seems like they have a lot of great people and I hope they succeed either way.
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