So I thought I had a great idea...

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So I thought I had a great idea...

In designing my kit, I had what I thought to be a great idea with fonts that would suit. It turns out it has been done before, of course ... however, my question is, are we allowed to use an idea we have, even if you find out it's been done?

I would say so as long as you are not directly taking someone else's item and claiming it as your own. If you think of something but it's already been done, I don't see why you can't run with it anyway. Just make it yours--your style, your flavor, etc. For example, if I decide to put a kraft paper alpha into my kit because it matches my kit, I don't think it's any type of infringement upon another designer who has also made a kraft paper alpha. I would just make it to fit what my style/design is for that particular kit. smiley

Yes I agree. Most designers have lots of the same "ideas" they just add their own style or flavor to it. Go for it!!

I think its great you want to add fonts!

A sizable percentage of my designing starts with some form of scraplifting (getting inspired by other people's designs). That's just how my creative brain works, it sparks off other things I see (or read - that's the same way I do a lot of my copywriting). It may not make me the most original designer, but I enjoy the process and people seem to enjoy the results, and that's what is important to me in this situation. In your case, you weren't even inspired by someone else, just had an idea that someone else also had independently. So I say, go for it!

I know how you feel Sarah. My first full kit was with a black and red color palette and music theme. I thought I was being purely original and creative. Since then I found that at least other four designers have a kit with the same theme and almost the same color palette. Being one of the "other" kits a colab between two designers more or less well known released one week after mine was released. So we probably had the same idea around the same time! I know that in psycology it is called syncronicity and can happens with everybody, but at first I felt so disappointed.

Then I realised that if we had the same idea it only meant that it was a great one, lol. And, as Kiana and Amanda said, the kits were somehow similar, but totally different. They definitelly could have similar guitars, but they couldn´t have my guitars, since I made the templates myself. They didn´t have chalkboard papers and ellies as I made, my hubby´s guitar pick that I scanned... And my kit was about love songs, and their a rock kit.

So, I guess if you´re making from scratch, or even using several designers resources, it´s impossible to be the same. It´s just a matter of add a bit of yourself in it.

Thanks, guys! I always get nervous about people thinking I've taken an idea, but as someone said to me about writing, 'There's no such thing as an original idea anymore!' Lol, you're right, we just need to put our spin on it.

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Well, some say that there are only four or five really original books in the Literature, and all the others derive from them.

@Lorien: That's my exact thoughts on movies and Scrapbooking templates. smiley

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Well, some say that there are only four or five really original books in the Literature, and all the others derive from them.

I work in the graphic design industries, for over twenty years now, and I can tell you from experience, there is no such thing as an original idea.... There does seem to be "something in the air" creativity hotspots though, with the same ideas popping up around the same time. Don't let it bother you, but use it as an inspiration source. I know I do!

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In designing my kit, I had what I thought to be a great idea with fonts that would suit. It turns out it has been done before, of course ... however, my question is, are we allowed to use an idea we have, even if you find out it's been done?

Since ideas can not be copyrighted, you can use any idea you came up with, even if it has been used before.

I'm not a designer but I just wanted to say that all the hard work you designers put in to the kits are amazing. I can not imagine how hard it is to come up with ideas for not only the kit itself but all the things you put in it, colors, buttons, papers, designs. etc. You all rock!

There is so much product on the Internet that even though something may look the same, there isenough variance from one designer to another so I wouldn't worry about it.