Ping-pong Design Introduces Seal of Authenticity

Starting today, ping-pong Design introduces a seal of authenticity on all services rendered by their studios in Rotterdam or Copenhagen. The reason for the measure is a drastic increase in plagiarism over the last two years.

Previously only ping-pong’s work for clients was copied, at one point making the studio among the most plagiarized in the world. But recently an increasing number of foreign knock-off design studios have left disappointed clients in their wake.
According to studies by the International Chamber of Commerce counterfeit goods make up 5 to 7% of world trade, and the same tendency is now appearing in the service sector. Currently you’ll easily find ping-pong design studios on 5 continents. Unfortunately, most are fakes.

Over the past months ping-pong has invested in a system that provides clients with a higher degree of security when dealing with design studios named ping-pong. Barry de Bruin explains “ping-pong can never be copied, but imitation can confuse clients”.



How to spot a knock-off
So if you are in the market for that famous Dutch quality, how will you know that you are getting the authentic service?

Grammar:
Beware of capital P’s. Ping Pong is a registered trademark of the International Table Tennis Association. In the design context, ping-pong is a verb, and written ‘ping-pong’ (also, notice the hyphen). The exception to this rule is at the beginning of a sentence, where capitals will always be used.

Certificate:
Ask the studio to present their certificate of authenticity. This diploma is signed by the founders, M. Jurriaanse and B. de Bruin. A detailed description of what to look for on the certificate can be found in the ping-pong Manual.

Watermark:
All documents sent from ping-pong now contain a watermark that is only visible under blacklight. When filmed through your computer or mobile device the watermark uses augmented reality to display an ‘authenticity animation’.

Tone of voice:
If the head of design speaks Chineese, or greets you with a “g’day mate” be aware that you may be involved with a knock-off studio.

Ping-pong Design has asked all major design authorities to deny receipt of work submitted for awards if not accompanied by the ping-pong seal of authenticity. For more information contact Mr. Barry de Bruin, tlf. +31 (0)629 36 99 32