An open source of inspiration

The concept of ‘open source’ is extending to new industries, which should ignite the interest of budding entrepreneurs in Australia.

There is already an open source restaurant in Amsterdam, where patrons design and prepare everything on the premise, from food to furniture. There is also a German fashion label that allows any designer to submit work and have it created.

Now the idea has been applied to the magazine industry. HIP2B is a South African magazine for teens that features entirely open source content.

Aimed at inspiring interest in maths and science, the title is distributed free to high schools across South Africa. Using the Creative Commons license, the content can be freely copied, shared and reused as long as the magazine is credited.

Also, by allowing anyone to contribute content to the title, HIP2B has been able to widen the amount of images it uses, rather than rely on stock pictures.

With consumers increasingly involved in the brands they love, why not explore other opportunities for the open source model? Entertainment, fashion and publishing sectors could be fertile ground for an Australian start-up with the right idea.