The rise of the internet has brought fundamental cultural and economic changes to our world. It has generated completely new economic models, digital economy and generation Y and Z (Google generation) whose members were born as digital natives and have a totally different approach to consumption than their parents had. Free information and content available at the press of a button that was exclusive not so recently and came at a price comes as natural for them from their first moment in life. The Download Design initiative that I initiated gives answers to the above phenomena using the sharing economy model. 

Download Design—as the name shows—offers manufacturing drawings and furniture designs as free internet downloads. An approximately HUF 50,000 cap was stipulated for the material costs of furniture, however, there are several objects with much lower costs. The project had a new theme every year, and featured furniture with an increasingly imaginative and, at the same time, mature design approach. Our first theme in 2015 was the first home, so students of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design designed pieces to start their independent lives with. 2016 saw focus on the first child under the title “Download Design Baby” and the portfolio grew with another 11 objects. The needs and preferences of the 6-12 age group were in focus in 2017, and featured children’s furniture for young schoolchildren. Joinery industry consultants and contractors from members of the Association of Hungarian Furniture and Woodworking Industries assisted the realisation of Download Design pieces. Each year, the products were showcased at the annual Construma-OTTHONDesign Spring expo and trade fair. The most popular pieces could be liked on the three-language website, and the number of likes and downloads incontestably indicates the success of each piece of furniture.

The project aimed to utilise local resources and support micro-enterprises.  Students were required to use technology and materials that could be sourced in Hungary within a few kilometres of your home regardless of where you live. In other words, after downloading the manufacturing designs of Download Design furniture for free, you can ask the next door joiner to make it or do it yourself if you have a home workshop. Environmental awareness was another fundamental aspect besides local focus. That is, relying local opportunities and resources reduces your waste output, environmental load and costs. Download Design pieces have no marketing or packaging material costs, design fee or sales margin, and you can also keep your transport costs to a minimum. All this results in a reasonable expenditure as the costs are limited to two items: material cost and the joiner's fee. The cohesive force of the Download Design Project is the spirit of sharing and cooperation. Also, the hope that if knowledge and know-how is democratised and distributed much more efficiently than before, we may create a better-working world, and cooperation is clearly a win-win solution for all. ​

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Website: www.downloaddesign.hu