As a designer/artist you can’t have access to all the knowledge you might need. In come cases you will have to look for technical specialists: metal workers, synthetics factories, software developers, programmers, etc. Or maybe you are looking for someone to do production or write text.

Searching
To locate the right specialist you should first know precisely what you expect of him/her. What do you need? For which part of the production process? And for which edition? You should also ask colleagues for tips and for their experiences in similar production processes. You can search via internet, the yellow pages, the Kamer van Koophandel (chamber of commerce) or organizations such as Syntens. There are many organizations that can help.

You should try to compare the specialists you’ve found in regard to price and quality. See if they really can do what you expect of them and if their price fits your budget.

Agreements
Once you have found the right specialist it is important that you establish agreements between yourselves. Put down in writing precisely what he/she is going to do for you, within what time limits and for what price.  Don't forget to come to an agreement on copyrights.

Achieving the result you are aiming for
It’s important that you are compatible for working together to make the communication flows smoothly. Every discipline has its own jargon and might not know very much about eachothers work area. Make sure you explain to each other how you work and keep an eye on the proces.

Try to pick up on some of the expertise of the specialist you’re working with. It gives you a head start for future projects, it makes deliberations between you much easier, and it increases your chances of achieving the result you were aiming for.

Always discuss the collaboration afterwards: how to improve the quality or decrease thet costs in the future for example. These contacts are also part of your network: consider inviting them for exhibitions.

More information
- section doing business
- website Syntens, specialised in bringing together various professional parties, mainly in the area of innovation