Welcome everyone!

And after two years of planning and months of development we are finally launched in our first beta phase, which is an obscure word for “yes you can come in but please forgive the dust while we continue to tweak things and add more features”. As the brain behind a project like this you’re never really ready to launch it before it has reached a degree of perfection, but few days ago, our amazing development team assured me they would send people to bind and gag me so they could launch the first version of Modenus, for the world to see and comment on. And they were right. It’s your site, so comment away. Welcome!

What was I thinking?

A question I hear often, particularly from the general direction of my mother and a question that doesn’t always come with a good answer. But for Modenus I do have a good answer. I wanted to create a community for designers, consumers and manufacturers, that would open new opportunities for them, opportunities to meet new clients,  interact with peers, collaborate remotely on projects, locate unique sources globally and to work more efficiently and profitably.

At a time when design studios were forced to close shop, downsize or return to the home office, I wanted to find a place where some of what had been lost could be re-created,  virtually. Now there are actual benefits in some of us having had to re-think our overhead and business model, something that tends to get  neglected when things are going well, and I trust that having learned some lessons we can all move into the next upturn, which is showing little buds everywhere at the moment, with a better understanding of the options and tools now available to us.

As a result of all this thinking and many long nights spent pontificating with some of the local University’s finest minds in mass communications and digital media, I set forth onto a rather ambitious journey that will continue to challenge and inspire.

So what will Modenus offer you as a designer?

• Personal dashboard with at-a glance project status
• News feed with important information from manufacturers and vendors if you have chosen to follow them
• Public profile that allows you to show a sampling of your work
• Community area with blogs, forums and…more to come soon!
• Curated manufacturer’s catalog of beautiful products from all over the world
• Really, really smart search that learns as you go
• Project manager that was developed by designers not accountants. It is kept purposely simple to not overwhelm whilst being functional. (Coming late September!)

There’s more, much more, but now you’ll have to wait and see.

So how can you get involved now?

We would love to hear from you and get your feedback, your input, your thoughts and would for you to be there with us from the start.

• Share with us which manufacturers you would like to see on Modenus
• Talk to us about concerns you currently have in managing your projects or in dealing with your clients
• Or just talk about your company, send us some images of your work, we really want to get to know you. Really, really!
• Oh and if you like what you see – TELL YOUR FRIENDS – of course.

Most importantly, get in touch, get involved..it’s your design community, make the most of it.

Veronika Miller – Founder and CEO Modenus