Product Development

Photographs that became products

Stephen Cutts has been creating commercial images for most of his working life. With the family’s Rose Stereograph Company, he and the business took photographs of places around Australia and turned them into products that visitors buy and take home:

• Postcards
• Tea towels
• Mugs
• Stubby holders
• Magnets
• Prints

The products were designed, developed together and distributed by Stephen and the Rose Stereograph Company, from the photograph through to the finished product on a shop shelf. That tradition goes back to the Rose Series photographs and postcards of 1880. Read the Rose Stereograph story for the history.

Knowing both ends of the job

Product development for tourism retail is about more than a good design. Stephen has worked on every part of it:

• The image: taking or choosing a photograph that captures a place the way visitors remember it
• The product: matching the image to the right medium, whether a postcard, tea towel, mug, stubby holder, magnet or print
• Making it: working with suppliers, including China sourcing of more than 100 different souvenirs for Rose Stereograph
• Selling it: distributing to retailers around Australia, and knowing what stores in tourist towns will actually buy

He still photographs Australia on his travels today, and his personal archive of Australian locations goes back to 1979. See examples on the souvenir photography page.

Developing your own products

Stephen is available to help companies source and develop their own products in China. He has ample experience, and it has helped previous clients get the best outcomes.

What to prepare

If you have a product idea, or want a souvenir range built around your town, attraction or brand, tell Stephen:

• The product idea and who will buy it
• The place or images you have in mind, and any reference products or sketches
• Your target retail price and quantity
• Your timing: the season, event or launch you are aiming for

Discuss a product idea

Buying for a store instead? Book a store visit or see the products Stephen can bring you.