Bruce Mau, Poorly Designed

28/08September

I recently got a message on Flickr from a designer from Bruce Mau Design that proves that, despite using Tumblr to power their awesome blog, they just don’t get it when it comes to the web.

Here’s the message, unedited:

Hello Flickr Fan,
I am a designer at Bruce Mau Design. We are currently re-imagining our website, brucemaudesign.com and our images category is intended to show the breadth and depth of our work. I am tasked with the curation of 100+ images every few months.

As part of the shift from web 1.0 to web 2.0, we realize and want to capture the power of social networks and photostreams. While we often photograph our own work, we know thousands of you probably do even a better job and with a wonderfully, beautiful diversity of perspectives.

We are posting to our website images we have found on flickr containing our exhibitions, books, installations, strategy, communications, studio, and yes, bruce from your set.

If you would like us to remove your image please email me at clark@brucemaudesign.com.

We hope that our website represents a pixelated but audaciously complex view of our work and pushing design not to its greatest power but its greatest service.

Seems harmless, but there are a few massive problems with this message — and I’m not counting the poor grammar, capitalization, and convoluted language. Here’s a short list of some of them:

He didn’t use my name, but instead referred to me as a “Flickr Fan.” My name (and user name) is clearly all over my Flickr pages, so it isn’t hard to address me by name.
I have no photos containing Bruce Mau. I have one photo that references Bruce Mau in the comments, but none of Bruce as the designer seems to imply. Further, he doesn’t tell me what image they plan on using or provide a link to any of my photos that piqued his interest.
He’s using my image for a commercial purpose — to pad Bruce Mau’s portfolio — when my images are clearly marked with a license that prevents commercial use. Instead of asking me to use my image, he has decided to use the image, expecting me to email him if I want it removed.
He doesn’t provide a link to where my image is being used so that I can see the context of its use. In addition, all the images used on the Bruce Mau image gallery don’t include links back to the original photograph or any attribution at all. (A clear violation of my image license.)

I’m a huge fan of Bruce Mau’s work, which is why this blatant disregard for web etiquette, ethics, and appropriateness upsets me so much.

So here’s what I’m going to do.

Bruce Mau Design people, tell your communications directors that I’m willing to come in and run an introductory workshop for everyone in your communications department on web tools and online interaction — for free. I usually charge my clients a whole lot of money for those kinds of workshops; I’m willing to run an introductory workshop for free because I think that you’ve got the drive to do great things on the web, but just need a slight primer on how to do them.

Bruce Mau Design, the ball is in your court. Looking forward to hearing from you by email or in the comments.

(Oh, and for those of you that are reading this post and feeling generous, help me out by leaving a comment on my earlier post ‘Carsonified’ and help me win a trip to an exciting web event.)

UPDATE: I’ve had further contact with BMD, and have posted updates in my comment section. They’ve been really nice about all of this, and show a great willingness to learn.

5 Responses to “Bruce Mau, Poorly Designed”

Sameer Vasta on September 29th, 2008 6:32 am

A reply from the folks at Bruce Mau Design:

Thanks for your clear explanation, and several other flikr members have also conveyed that the email was phrased poorly; which I will take full responsibility. Unfortunately, many of those concerned did not check the website to accurately find out if we had posted (and in case, we haven’t violated any CC license terms and agreements.)

We are always encountering issues of authorship in our work, and we completely understand crediting work and professional behavior. It is implied that we would give full credits to the work and permission; we simply wouldn’t operate otherwise as a business.

We are still collecting, curating, selecting photo; deciding on which make the cut, and sending out permission request. Some photos we still need hi-res versions.

Our main attempt with the email was to gauge the temperature of social, collective enterprises as well as new way to curate our work. That being, “Our work seen by Others”. It is really easy to post photos we take and very conventional, the idea was looking and displaying how others perceive and photograph our work.

Your photo was an Indigo signage project. Thanks for crediting us with the work and sticking up for us on the comments.

Unfortunately, some of the photos don’t even credit BMD as the author of the work, which is similar to the CC license issue you are taking with my email. To that end, we aren’t concerned with policing sites such as flickr.

If anyone would ask us not to use the photo it won’t go up. Best of luck in your professional endeavors. As for our web 2.0, perhaps.

I’m not sure if it’s an issue of language but the reply seems to deflect blame. I have no need to know about other people not crediting BMD. What I need to have is my concerns addressed.

While he does reference the photo in question, he still fails to provide a link to it. He still doesn’t provide any links (or tangible information as) to where or how the photo will be used.

Worst of all — he still maintains that the photos will be removed if people email him. This is still in contravention of the license which prohibit commercial use. He needs to ask before posting the photos rather than giving an opt-out option.
Sameer Vasta on September 29th, 2008 11:22 am

Another update: got a phone call from BMD clearing up the whole situation. Really really really nice. Admitted to the fact that they should provide an opt-in rather than an opt-out and admitted that this was a learning process for them.

Awesome.

That’s the way PR should be handled — in an efficient, personable manner that shows that they’re not just pushing canned responses, but willing to learn.

Thanks BMD.
rushay on October 13th, 2008 12:59 pm

yeah they needed that def alot of people do not know how to apply reality online and they start feeding into what i call Websuperstars.my brother xolile been telling me good stuff about you regards rushay
Sameer Vasta on October 17th, 2008 11:16 pm

Looking forward to connecting you soon Rushay!
Sameer Vasta on November 9th, 2008 11:31 am

Please note that I have removed the name of the Bruce Mau Design employee originally mentioned in this post upon the request of the people at Bruce Mau Design.

i tell stories*

Bruce Mau, Poorly Designed

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