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 IKARUS
 Design Catalogue


"Ikarus", is a two-monthly magazine published in German speaking countries and looks like a real mail-order catalogue for interior decoration and furniture products.
This kind of magazine, designed by the German couple Nicole and Volker Hohmann, offers a proper service to those companies which manufacture high level design products, making them available outside their sale points. For example, it will be possible to choose Christmas' presents at home, sitting on the sofa. Then, they will be delivered in a short time from posting the order. Every item purchased is guaranteed for a year and can be refunded in two-week time.
"Ikarus" is composed of several parts and is divided on the basis of the product typology and it offers from a formal point of view a wide range of items, from remake to new tendencies. Consequently, several topics are presented and together with them readers can find useful documents about the market, new trends and authors. These explanatory note are mainly addressed to "non specialist" customers.
The editors seem to introduce the different products as if they were "trophies", purchased in the shops with embarrassment, evidently because they are visited only by a small slice of the potential market. So, we could say that Ikarus addresses to a new market where customers can purchase high-level furniture without even touching or "smelling" it, because they only trust the image of the companies which produce them and the service they're able to provide. These two elements are thought to be enough to replace the quality direct verification.
When we think of "Ikarus", it's obvious that is important to remember German customers' attitude towards mail-order systems. In fact, for decades they've been used to looking furniture up in catalogues issued by important stores. Consequently, they consider the service offered very significant, while in Italy the same aspects have only become crucial since few years, actually since the spreading of Ikea stores.
The fact that after six years "Ikarus" is not trying to introduce a more dynamic and world-like image is rather puzzling. The present web site, for example, is old-fashioned and doesn't graphically respect the quality of the products. Besides, it has only a German version. On the contrary, the CD-ROM available at newsagents' in Germany, Austria and Switzerland looks more up-to-date.

Ikarus vertriebs GmbH
Kleinbahnweg, 2 - 63589 Linsengericht - Germany
Tel. +49/0605171042
Fax. +49/0605171114
Web site: http://www.ikarus.de
Text by:
Martin Haack

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In cooperation with:
M.Angeles Fernández Alvarez




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