Proposed Position Statements

10 statements about my distinctive positioning as a graphic designer.

1) Keeping up to date with new global and local technologies and knowledge so that i can inform my wide range of clients and know what is available to them, and showing that i understand what 'specialist technologies' are in which ares.

2) I want to experience more work within typography and editorial layout before i set up a business, so this is what i will be looking for when i graduate, working with a small business if i can that will help me develop.

3) Although i think of myself as quite diverse in my skilled ares i feel i would need to collaborate with illustrators, idea generators and printers to have a professional finish, depending on the clients needs for the project.

4) The aim in all this is to one day own my own business, i would like full control of my businesses values and procedures so that the identity of my company is one of ethical values and economically friendly.

5) I will experience working within a large corporate business and as a freelancer as i think its important to experience each side of business to make an informed decision on what i want by business to be like, and the skill will be invaluable.

6) I will work all over the world, i want to experience all cultures, i especially want to experience working in Canada as they seem to be very up to date with technologies and have acknowledged the problem of sustainability, which some stubborn countries are ignoring.

7) I would like a mixture of small local business to more global corporate business as my clientele, these both have their advantages to working with them.

8) At the moment most of my skills are based in hand crafted design and typography but i am also skilled in digital designs on programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign. I am already learning new programs as After Effects and will keep up to date with these updated programs.

9) As a base of contact for my clients i will use email and the Internet (websites) as my main for of communication, however i think its important to have a personal touch and so will keep a face to face approach for clients as much as i can. This will be invaluable to them as a client and me as a designer.

10) Initial promotion for myself will be thought the Internet as this i most cost effective but i would like to have a face to face quality if i have time and money later in my career, also word of mouth is a very strong technique for promotions around businesses.

Task 3 - promotion

As a business promotions yourself in the right way is very important to contact the right clients.

Hi Rebecca

We use various method to promote our business, which has evolved over time. I will divide it into part A ant part B, part A being methods used when we first started our business 2 years ago, and Part B being methods that we have evolved to use or are currently working on. 

Part A

Word of Mouth

Initially, this was the only way we promoted our business. We picked up most of our contracts through existing relationships Heather and I had made in our previous employment or through freinds. Currently the majority of our business is through word of mouth.

Referrals 

After being in business for about a year, we began getting business through referrals. These always came from clients that we had done work for, who were happy with our work and recommended us. 

Website

Through our website, we promote ourselves using free downloads, like icons, and plan to add more free downloads to attract new visitors. 

Business to Business

Another portion of our business comes from tracking and identifying businesses in our region that may need our services. Typically we will contact them directly and go and meet with them to show them waht our capabilities are. 

Part B

Email Newsletter

We are currently working on an email newsletter to show off recent projects, but to also help our existing clients network their products or services. 

Blog

We have been talking about implementing a blog element to our website to post interviews, tips, other artwork, etc. THis is still on the back burner. 

Printed post cards / flyers / leave behinds. 

This is printed material that goes beyond a business card in explaining what our business is about. It is important to have these for any situation where you are meeting a new group of people. Also great for posting in local business, and to share with our client base to help encourage referrals.  

Printed ads

We have started to identify a few local publications that we can put printed advertising in. We are focusing on very specific publications that we think will speak to our client base. It can also become very expensive to pay for advertising space.

In regards to your question about business processes, you are correct that we are involved in all aspects of our business, as it is only Heather and I. We will work as part of a larger team depending on the size of a project, but we normally have a good understanding of what all needs to be done to take a project from beginning to end. 

Hope that helps  -

James

Task 2

There is one major factor that is affecting the world, and as a designer I want to contribute to solving this problem, Sustainability.

"Design is a very powerful tool. It elevates the likelihood of certain kinds of choices and shapes certain kinds of behaviours. Most designers balk at the idea that design is a form of social engineering, but Hilary Cottam, director of RED at the UK Design Council, maintains that 'if you don't look at what any design is governing, then you are being governed by it.' (Winhall, Jennie, Is Design Political. www.worldchaning.com)

Politically companies are not wanting to admit a problem with sustainability as this in the long run is going to loose them money, more energy efficient design business are going to pay less towards electrical companies and therefore less profit. As a designer i solve problems in a successful way for the client so my business would inform clients of these factors and how both me as the designer and them as the client can contribute to solving the problem.
In the UK, business that run more eco friendly, more energy efficient and use more sustainable materials are eligible to pay a reduced tax fee, so not only are the clients getting reduced prices but so am I as the designer.

Running a more sustainable business will be expensive to set up and probably for a few years after that but in the long run the price to run efficiently ill reduce and both client and designer will pay less from then on.

Business that offer a more sustainable service will appeal to clients more, even if they are offering the same prices, the fact that it’s a ethical procedure will make then client feel that they are helping to save the world for no extra price, and I think this is the factor that will sway a lot of clients when they are looking into design businesses.

The client will get into the pattern of buying of my business and could potential bring in new business by word of mouth, this can then be rewarded by a discount, or more service for their money. This also creates a deeper relationship between client and designer as there is a coomon interest that they can both relate to the genuine interest. In the Uk alone the ethical spending has risen 9% is the last year, This is the highest persent Globaly along with France and Spain, however some of the lowest spending on ethical services are the US, this would suggest that my market lie within Europe where their values are obviously more with ethics than price.

To become a more ethical business, I would need to get the technology that is now available e.g. for hand print based work I could purchase chemical free paints and inks. Also working with print companies that use non-toxic toners, oil based inks and new technologies such as waterless printers. Another very simple way is using recycled materials. Using these technologies are not only give the customer peace of mind but where every they go in the world, they will not be polluting the earth even when put into land fills (if not recycled) will not produced any harmful chemicals.

Task 1

I have now started my 2nd year of the Graphic Design course where my interests in design have started to be more specific. my areas of interest so far are in:
photography
craft
typography
some soft wear skills
we have also started looking into print production which I'm becoming more and more interested in.

During my Foundation year we were able to visit Estudio Mariscal in Barcelona, It was an amazing experience for all of us but it really opened my eyes to a working environment. it was a very big team and everyone had their job, there were illustrators, photographers, digital media and loads more. To me though it was a great environment, there were two very long rooms where they all worked and so much going on, there were things all over the walls and colours flying around, i can see why the team would all love working there, there was such a mix of people as well.

When i start thinking about working in a big business i normally think of offices and desks and lots of digital design working with only a Mac, but Mariscal studios had a very hands on sort of approach which is the kind of business that i would like to start of in.

I have also had a look at some job vacancies within design company's, not that I'm applying but i was curious about what people are looking for and what skills and experience they look for. i found a few that were willing to take younger designers with 2/3 years expereince but who had a mixed set of skills in softwear skills, photography and organisation.
most of the others that i look at needed at least 10 years experience and more skills in managment skills and leadership of a team as well as pratical design skills.

looking though all this i think it would be more benificial to join a company after i graducate before starting up a buisness, learning first hand how to run a buisness is where i think could show how to succeed. when im looking for a job i will be looking for something more hands on rather than digital as my strangths are in my 'making' abilitys.