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How to get your furniture design produced (and earn royalties)
There are two ways to get a design produced at Blacksand. Join the Blacksand Collective: you design a collection, we take care of production, images, the store, shipping and payment at no cost to you, and you earn a royalty on every sale. Or use Production: send your own file, we produce it in black quartz sand at €158 per kg, and you sell it however you like.
Most independent designers know the problem. A piece works on screen, maybe as a prototype, and then stalls: moulds and tooling cost more than one collection can earn, manufacturers want volume, and galleries want a finished body of work. Sand 3D printing removes the first two problems. There are no moulds, no tooling and no minimum order, so a collection of six pieces can be made one at a time, as people order them.
At Blacksand there are two ways in.
Route 1: join the Blacksand Collective
The collective is a group of designers from cities across Europe and beyond whose work is produced in black quartz sand and sold in the Sand Store. Designers join for the quality of their work. It is a collective, not an agency.
What you bring: a collection of 3 to 8 new pieces in one typology, such as side tables, lighting or vessels. Your drawings, your design language, your name.
What Blacksand takes care of:
- Production. Every piece is made to order in black quartz sand, finished, checked and shipped from Valencia.
- Images and video. Studio and interior images and a video for each piece, and a profile page of your own.
- The store. Your pieces are listed in the Sand Store, each with its own page, priced by weight at the same rate as every other designer.
- Sales, shipping and payment. Quotes, invoices, crating and delivery worldwide.
You carry no production cost and hold no stock.
What you earn: a royalty on every sale of your pieces, at a percentage fixed in your agreement.
What you keep: ownership of your designs and the credit for every piece. Your name is on every product page and in the product's details.
How joining works
- Get in touch. Send a short portfolio and the kind of pieces you'd like to see in sand to info@blacksandlab.com.
- A conversation. We talk through your work, the material and what a collection could be.
- The collection. Together we agree the pieces, their names and the collection name.
- Weights and prices. We weigh each piece from your 3D files and set its price by weight.
- The agreement. A plain-language Designer Agreement sets out your royalty and the terms.
- Images and launch. We produce the images, videos and your profile page, and the collection goes live in the Sand Store.
Meet some of the designers already in the collective: Camila Simona, Erica Sellers, Tomas Kral, Cole Slater, Vincent Decat, or all the designers.
Route 2: have your own design produced
If you'd rather sell under your own name, use Production. You send a file, we check it for sand printing and produce it, from a single piece to a full series.
- Files: STEP, OBJ, STL or 3DM, or a sketch with dimensions.
- Size: up to 1800 × 1000 × 700 mm in one print. Larger pieces print in parts and are bonded.
- Price: by weight, €158 per kilogram including VAT, with no setup fees and no minimum order. Studios buying for a project can apply for a trade rate.
- Time: most pieces take 4-6 weeks, file to front door.
Read the design rules before you send: Designing for sand 3D printing.
Which route is right for you?
| Collective | Production | |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays for production | Blacksand | You, by weight |
| Who sells the piece | Blacksand, in the Sand Store | You, however you like |
| What you earn | A royalty on every sale | Your own margin |
| Images, store, shipping | Done for you | Your own |
| Credit | Your name on every piece | Your brand |
Questions
Do I need a 3D file to join?
A print-ready 3D file is best. Drawings with dimensions can work too, and we model from them where needed.
Does it cost anything to join the collective?
No. Production, images, the store and shipping are paid by Blacksand. You earn a royalty on every sale.
Do I keep the rights to my designs?
Yes. You keep ownership of your designs and the credit for every piece.
Can you produce a design I will sell myself?
Yes, through Production. You pay by weight and sell the pieces under your own name.
How long does it take to launch a collection?
It depends on the collection and your files. Weights, prices, the agreement, images and your profile page are all prepared before launch.
Next steps
