Meet OuterEdit: the startup all about online collaborative art

The internet has impacted our lives in a number of different ways, but its function as a collaborative space is one of the most exciting, bringing together great minds over great distances. This advancement has touched the art community as well. And one young startup out of Singapore, OuterEdit, is a good example of what kind of amazing things can happen when artists meet online to work on projects together.

We spoke to OuterEdit’s Ryan Tan to find out more about how this collaborative design process works, and how it all got started.

What exactly is OuterEdit?

Ryan: OuterEdit is a new online graphic apparel company, but one with an approach to graphic design that is fundamentally different. We essentially work with the world’s top budding creative people to make killer artwork for T-shirts through the world’s only live and online, five-way graphic art/design collaboration format we call the ‘O/E Collab’.

Through the way we curate the O/E Collabs, make t-shirts, manage the store and connect with our audiences, we aim to grant them a sneak peek into the inner-dynamics of the creative black box and truly celebrate the creative faces and the craft behind the names in graphic design. OuterEdit values the essence of individual creativity and craft within the O/E Collab and treats it as an integral element within the final product offering.

Within the last 2.5 months, we are pushing close to 1000 registered users on OuterEdit.com. And we’ve just past 6,500 fans on our Facebook page which is huge for us.

Who are the founders?

Ryan: The founders of OuterEdit are the odd sort of guys who are constantly curious over how and why things work, where they were derived from, and by whom. We believe that through this, people gain a higher level of understanding and appreciation, tend to ascribe greater value to things, and hopefully inspire creators to make more meaningful products.

When applying these thoughts to T-shirts, Clive and I felt they were only getting a mere fraction of the story and with the combined pennies in our pockets, decided to rebuild the idea of an online T-shirt store by focusing on the notion of collaborations, and properly celebrating the creative faces and processes behind the names of graphic design.

What inspired you guys to create OuterEdit?

Ryan: The OuterEdit concept was actually derived from an idea to connect some of the best creative minds around the world through collaborations to create exciting things together.

We were fascinated by the notion of global creative interconnectedness – how technology these days makes this even more achievable – and the value it can drive when harnessed and applied to a specific challenge or brief. We work with five designers at a time. Some say too many cooks spoil the broth, but we say synergy in graphic art and design through collaborations keeps things fresh, unpredictable and unique.

We started out with the desire to make a real positive impact on the local creative scene – but we later figured that one of the best ways to showcase local creatives was to have them collaborate with internationals (and vice versa) on a platform thats online, well-designed and truly accessible to the world. Profiling is big on our agenda – we make sure this trickles down to the way we apply winning collaborative artwork to our T-shirts, and how all collab creatives are profiled as part of the end product to our consumers.

So how does the collaborative process work exactly?

Ryan: Top notch creatives from around the globe are invited to take part in their very own O/E Collab alongside four others. The O/E Collab typically goes on for seven days and the participants are given a themed challenge, which they cant refuse. Before the O/E Collab begins, all participants create one solo work of art based on the collab theme which may later be built on by other participants. Once the O/E Collab is officially underway, everyone may create evolved versions of any one else’s artwork that catches his or her eye.

This process can be repeated multiple times over the span of seven days. As the collab progresses, near real-time updates covering the creatives and design processes are made. OuterEditors get to experience the wonder of art unfolding before their very eyes and are empowered to vote, comment and share. The collab will conclude by having the top five voted artworks produced on premium OuterEdit apparel and made available for (pre)order on the OuterEdit store.

At the end of the day, visitors to our online store are met with a selection of limited edition OuterEdit T-shirts. The O/E Tees are constructed with 100 percent combed cotton (making them ultra-soft and light to wear around), are designed to fit well, not go out of shape easily – and utilize printing methods that are soft, long lasting and help you express your new point of view.

Can you tell me a little about your team?

Ryan: Being a start-up we work with as many friends and family who are able and willing to chip in any way possible. But we also roll with a fine selection of young people on a full/part time basis. Some of these guys have been true enablers for us – and its often very surprising how bold and resourceful they can be.

Also, having agreed to be a part of OuterEdit and the things we do, we make it a point to build the relationships we have with our global network of creatives and make them feel welcome as part of the OuterEdit crew.

We run a mini studio office and retail showcase from a shophouse on Niven Road, Singapore.

What’s the revenue model? Do you have any investors?

Ryan: Upon completion of each O/E Collab, the top five most-hearted artwork get applied to the O/E Tee. We run them in pretty limited quantities, and the sale of these helps us continue to do the things we do.

We are privileged to be supported by both Spring Singapore and the Design Singapore Council through their respective Y.E.S and DBIG grant schemes.

Do you have any exciting future plans coming up?

Ryan: These days, we’re continuing to do what we can to stay relevant and fresh to our target audiences. We’ve got exciting O/E Collab themes and creatives lined-up every month until the end of next year – and we’re in the midst of looking for new creative talent from other parts of the world – which can only mean more awesome OuterEdit T-shirts!

OuterEdit – Together We Make Awesome from OuterEdit on Vimeo.

This article by Rick Martin originally appeared on Tech in Asia and was published with permission.