Origin Story

I’d be lying if I were to say that I hadn’t been worrying about this. About the way that Made by Fun finally makes its way into the world. This is not the original first post written for this page. I tried dramatic, too flippant. I tried literary, too self-important (and er, difficult).

So here I am writing it again but now just stating it how it is and how it was in as flat and as matter of fact fashion as possible. This is how Made by Fun began.

Back in January 2016 I enrolled in a course designed to give would be entrepreneurs the tools they need along with advice as to whether their proposed project was achievable.

(Here I am by the way my name is Graham and I am a 44 year old Brit living in Antwerp.)

I was looking to, and still am looking to, make and sell silver jewellery, but that’s a whole other story. My entire business plan for the jewellery was based on keeping overheads down. So, I made my flat my workshop and I knew that I needed to be creative when it comes to branding my jewellery packaging on a budget.

I researched origami. I found that I could print my own branded boxes and fold them within about 30 minutes or so. (Surely it would get quicker, I was only a novice paper folder after all?) But then the fella from Start! pretty much pointed at my financial plan and shook his head. What was I making? Jewellery or packaging? He was of course, absolutely right.

The idea wouldn’t go away though. I was looking to have the branded packaging that I knew my brands messaging required but without the costs or inflexibility linked to printing a batch of 4000 or so boxes, all of the same size. I guess that like any budding entrepreneur I was searching for some kind of advantage.

So I kept on thinking about it, I could print my branding on A4 card, but who could I get to make my boxes? Was there a possibility for a win win situation somewhere? There are a lot of night shops in Antwerp, and at one point I even imagined a shop owner or two making origami boxes inbetween their infrequent customers.

The target was there, it had to be a attainable somehow. A branded box that is quirky and unusual and at roughly the same unit cost that you’d be happy to pay for a small batch of professionally printed and pressed out boxes. (If you ever could find a supplier for a small batch that is.)

(Here is a recent photo of some of those early origami boxes.)

In the summer of 2016 I was using my outside office. If you are not familiar with Antwerp there are some amazing nature spots within a short distance of the town centre. I'd get on my bike and ride to a favourite table or bench and set up outside. This kind of headspace is thought of as invaluable when you are developing a business idea, and it certainly proved itself to be on this occasion.

I cannot remember the exact moment but I remember speaking to my dad from a park somewhere in Merksem. I told him that I had a great idea for the packaging. The branding would be removeable and it would have a story. Brand names (mine to begin with) would be made with artwork that was in some way helpful and supportive of the local community.

That is where the Made by Fun story began. There was a lot of refinement needed but the basis was there. The packaging could be plain and mass produced, meaning that only the branding would need to be made in small batches. Then, on top of that there would be the story. A story about art that is made in the community but that never finds a home on a fridge door or on a wall. Usually this lost art would never have it's true value realised.

Now this lost art could be transformed into beautiful products that have a positive local story. Every item would be a 100% unique bona-fide work of art.

The concept of Made by Fun was born!

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