Redbubble
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Online, on demand marketplace for artists |
Founded | 2006 |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Co-founders Martin Hosking, Peter Styles, Paul Vanzella |
Products | Customized products with original art work |
Revenue | $2.5 million (2007) |
Number of employees | 14 (2007) |
Website | RedBubble official site |
RedBubble is an Australian company, founded in 2006,[1] that creates customized products using original artwork.
Description
RedBubble operates primarily on the Internet and allows its members to sell their art work as decoration on a variety of products including T-shirts, cards, prints, stickers, iPhone and iPod cases, photographs and calendars.[1] An executive described the company as "a community of artists who upload their artwork in digital form. If someone wants to buy something they browse online, find the print they want, choose the size, framing options and we handle the orders."[2] RedBubble is more of a store for artists rather than an Internet portfolio and calendars are amongst the company's biggest selling products.[3] It provides artists with an online marketplace in which to promote and sell their work.[4] The company offers free membership that artists maintain their copyright, regulate their own prices, and decide which products they will allow their artwork to be displayed upon.[5]
History
The company was founded in 2006 by Martin Hosking, Peter Styles and Paul Vanzella after raising $2 million in investor capital.[1][2] The company was "launched" in 2007 [5][6] and established its international headquarters in Melbourne, Australia[1] and is reported to have had $2.5 million in sales in its second year in business.[3] According to co-founder Hosking, the company had 14 employees and became "one of the fastest growing websites in Australia" in 2007.[2][5]
In 2010, the company was a Red Herring award finalist.[7] RedBubble opened its first U.S. office in Palo Alto, California in September 2011 and company executives for marketing and operations now have their offices there.[1] In October, a company press release that appeared in Reuters said the company's web site "draws over 4 million unique visitors monthly, ships to over 140 countries and plays host to more than 150,000 contributing artists who have uploaded over 6.5 million inspired items of original work".[8]
Leading IT online news source The Register reported on 3 June 2011 that Redbubble's lawyers Arnold Bloch Liebler quit over Redbubble's promotion over its promotion of "Hipster Hitler" T-shirts with slogans T-shirts including slogans like “Three Reichs And You’re Out,” “Back To The Fuhrer”, “Catcher in the Rhine”, “You Make Me Feel Like Danzig”, “I Heart Juice” and “Whose Rhine is it Anyway.” [9] On 5 June 2011 article in TheAge.com, criticized RedBubble for facilitating the sale of T-shirts with slogans from Hipster Hitler and the T-shirts were were removed. [10] The next day, the Simon Wiesenthal Center praised RedBubble's decision to stop offering the products on its website.[11] The Center's director of government relations stated: "By being responsive to the concerns raised by artists, the Jewish community and others, they [RedBubble] have modeled how conscience and commerce can intersect."[11]
On 12 and 15 June 2011 articles in 9News and Stuff.co.nz reported that RedBubble was selling baby clothes "featuring pictures of Hitler, Osama bin Laden and serial killers Ivan Milat, Ted Bundy and Charles Manson".[12][13]
On 16 June 2011 co-founder, Hoskings left his postion at Aconex to focus on his job as CEO of RedBubble.[5][14]
Three months later, Hosking and Redbubble again came under fire again in the media for still selling pornograhic and other inappropriate images on children's and baby clothing [15] [16]
In 2012 the LA Times reported that due to a spirit of entrepreneurship and outrage for the controversial death of Trayvon Martin, RedBubble was offering "a hoodie with a version of a 'Neighborhood Watch' sign, which warns, darkly, 'We immediately murder all suspicious persons'." [17]
References
- ^ a b c d e (September 15, 2011) RedBubble profile BusinessWeek, retrieved April 14, 2012
- ^ a b c "MBS entrepreneurs launch Australia's biggest online art gallery". Melbourne Business School. June 2007. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
- ^ a b Editors of Photopreneur (2009) New Media Entertainment [1] 99 Ways TO Make Money From Your Photos, retrieved April 14, 2012
- ^ Williams, Sonia (2010) Exile Publishing Limited, Start Me Up!: Over 100 Great Ideas for Starting a Successful Business
- ^ a b c d Ryan, Paul (October 1, 2007)Building Online Marketplaces, Anthill Magazine, retrieved April 4, 2012
- ^ (2006) Business Review Weekly, Volume 28, Issues 40-49 "In April, Hosking started Redbubble.com, with graphic designer Paul Vanzella and ex-army officer Peter Styles..."
- ^ 2010 Red Herring Finalist Red Herring, retrieved April 14, 2012
- ^ (October 13, 2011) Uncommon Partners with Artist Community RedBubble, Enabling Members to Personalize iPhone Cases with Their Designs Press Release on Reuters, retrieved April 14, 2012
- ^ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/06/03/lawyers_dump_redbubble_over_hitlerhipsters/
- ^ Munro, Peter (5 June 2011). "Don't mention the war: artists reminded that Hitler's no joke". The Age. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ a b "Wiesenthal Center Praises Online Retailer for Dropping "Hipster Hitler" Products". Simon Wiesenthal Center. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
- ^ Cairns, Lois (12 June 2011). "Serial killers feature on baby clothes". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ "'Serial killer' baby clothes spark outrage". 9News. 11 June 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ "Aconex appoints Simon Yencken as Chairman". aconex.com. 16 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/practical-parenting/baby/development/article/-/10
- ^ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/anger-at-porn-images-on-baby-clothes/story-fn7x8me2-1226132571643
- ^ Fausett, Richard (April 2, 2012)Trayvon T-Shirt Roundup LA Times, retrieved April 14, 2012
External links
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