Itemized

‘Itemized’ exists to counterbalance the inherently broad spectrum of access, skill, and resource in the design industry by providing a relatively tight brief with a key constraint related to cost. An exercise in discursive design thinking and amoral ingenuity, the required transparency of ‘Itemized’ aims to provide a more level playing field. Visitors to ‘Itemized’ will see creativity, critical commentary, humour, and cleverness leveraged to do the heavy lifting that’s often reserved for resolution and scope.

Participating designers from across the country are each constrained by a total budget of $100CAD and a requirement to record all expenses related to their piece to the cent and per the outline below. The following list of expenses and non-expenses has been designed to provide a sound and level stage for the designers to act upon while simultaneously encouraging them to read between the lines, bend the rules, and push the envelope of their individual practices, styles, and creative wits.

What is considered an expense (recorded to the cent):

• Purchased materials used
• Owned materials at current market value used
• Specific tooling, dies, and forms
• Any outsourcing, third party fabrication, or other services rendered

What is not considered an expense (recorded at $0.00):

• Designer’s own labour (record total number of hours)
• Transportation costs
• Shipping costs
• Owned tooling (drill bits, end mills, etc)
• Owned equipment
• Studio rent or shop access fees
• Found objects
• Free items from classifieds or other marketplaces
• Gifts
• Favours
• Value attained through bartering in excess of the cost of the item or service used in the transaction

Organized by Studio Drum.