For us all to be here in 10 years, to see this area continue to grow, we need a high level of responsibility. This world is so new, and you get a lot of people learning on the job very quickly. Whether you’re talking about pricing or designers, there are a lot of mistakes being made. We need to take a collective responsibility toward design and, in particular, the editions market, much like Galerie Kreo has done. It worries me when young designers out of college approach me saying they want to do editions. That’s the wrong [attitude]. I think they just want to make money quickly by getting their work in the auctions. As a designer, you have to find yourself. It takes time.

What would your advice be to someone who is just starting to collect edition pieces?

Make sure that the designer has his or her own signature. Do research around the piece. Are their peers doing similar things? Are they speaking in a similar language? Look for clarity as to what that designer is about. Look at what he or she has done previously. . . . Get to know the designers you are interested in. Why are they working in the editions field? Most designers are very willing to sit down and discuss all this with collectors—which is vital. I think doing that level of research into design is something new. Most important, you must always buy something you feel something for.

"Alasdhair Willis" originally appeared in the December 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's December 2008 Table of Contents.