Boomer's PPD Blog

So this is taken from my Enterprise blog but it directly affects my PPD work I think

How will I promote myself – what do they want to hear?

These tasks are proving ever more difficult without knowing exactly what kind of designer I am/would like to be. I understand now is not the time to be pigeon-holing myself, but maybe I should be more focused? Maybe its good to be ambiguous for now? I guess time will tell. However I think I can adequately fulfill this task without such a focus, though some important factors such as whether I promote for print or screen might be important later on.


Marketing Communication Mix

Using the 6 methodologies in the marketing communication mix, here are the ones that I feel I would apply to my personal professional practice. As a new designer and not a brand or business I would be looking for, as my potential clients, design agencies or companies looking for freelance work or new employees.

Personal Selling

For any new and aspiring designer it is important to not only get your name out there, but your face as well. While a website of work examples may be useful, more importantly would be for me to physically meet/track/find potential clients, so they can meet me and view my portfolio personally. Whether successful or not in terms of paid work, hopefully I would impress/pursue them enough to be considered in future or recommended to others, and build a personal relationship with the client.

Advertising

As a designer this would be more relevant for previous work used in advertising, which potential clients would see and then contact me through past employers. It is rarely, if ever, used for personal designer promotion.

Direct Marketing

This is a very important aspect of a graphic designers personal promotion, especially freelancers/unemployed and searching. If used successfully it can be used as a fantastic first point of contact with potential clients where first impressions last. Innovative and interesting greetings cards/business cards/personalised packages well designed can stick in the mind. Personally I would, especially starting out in the business, focus on making use of this kind of promotion.

The Internet

Obviously a massively useful tool in todays society there are many ways in which it can be used efficiently and effectively, starting with web design. A well structured, easy to navigate and good looking website can be invaluable to any business, and for a new designer trying to attract potential clients. Another bonus is it is a 24 hour tool with a portfolio that can be viewed at any time, where a personal meeting for example, would last a short amount of time.

So I guess this would be the best place to start a PPD blog...I have a friend who has recently contacted me asking if I wanted to be involved in a new clothing line business he was starting, coming in as Chief Designer (sounds good doesn't it). Obviously I said yes. We met, discussed ideas and direction and this is the half-finished business plan he sent me. The plan is to get the name out by Christmas, do some promotional work with a view to being ready to sell by summer. Now, he's a bit of a flake, so I'm not pinning all my hopes on it but it sounds exciting to me.



There's a website too, though its just one page so far:

Something I have found difficult in projects past was the decision of what I should base my project on. This has caused e a great deal of hassle and usually ended up in my choosing a subject I was not fully interested in, or really had the desire to study and research it. So this time, I decided to stop faffing around and just pick a subject that was simple and that I already had a strong opinion of. In choosing slippers, I had something that was simple, unique and close to my heart, being a serial slipper wearer, indoors and out. It also meant, when it came to the ‘package and…’ section of the brief, I had something practical to base my work on, and a topic that will hold my interest for a full 4 weeks. Already a big step on from my previous work. So my title became slippers are good because they are comfortable, warm and inexpensive.

Initial research was simple. The idea of packaging a product throws up straight away the impulse to see what is already being done, which with slippers was a simple task – look in shops and see what’s there. In this I found a problem and solution. In 99% of stores there really is no discernable packaging for slippers, just shoe hooks which then hang on racks. The solution then is to simply package slippers. At this point my reason for choosing slippers began to evolve. As a wearer of slippers at various functions including university, work and to play sports, my focus shifted to promoting the idea of wearing slippers anytime, anywhere, which sat well with re-packaging as I was effectively trying to pass off slippers as general footwear, which obviously come in boxes.

Through a research questionnaire, I ascertained that over 90% of people wouldn’t wear slippers in the same way I do, but should there be an opportunity, such as a wear slippers to uni/work/school/play sports day, the majority would. So my target was to package them in a way that would encourage change in the way slippers are worn.
So I started to try and come up with different ways of packaging and promoting my product. For me, this is where I tend to have a problem, and this project was no different. What usually happens is I spend so much time on deciding the form of the object I’m designing, when it comes to the actual design stage including text, colours and font development, I have very little time in which to do it. Another problem I have is to have these grandiose multi-faceted ideas that begin to overrun the project as a whole; basically I bite off more than I can chew. With this ‘what is good’ brief, I managed to stop myself before it hindered the progression of my project. So I had ideas for standees for the slippers, promotional posters and other promotional material, and spent still probably too much time on the form of the box, but in the end I decided it was best to concentrate on the one item – the box – and to just pick a form and go with it so I had more time at the design stage.

As per usual my main weakness is recording and documenting my work. I still haven’t got into the habit of regular blogging, and I tend to process ideas in my head rather than in physical form. Now I have the facilites at home, regular blogging will be far easier to get into, but I still feel I could’ve done better in this project.

I didn’t really try and new processes, and didn’t have opportunity (because of my own scheduling) to work on some of the processes i am already comfortable with, though for certain parts of this project I would have liked to, for example, with the final box I would’ve liked to have screen printed it. I have been able to work more on my software skills as so far I’ve only occasionally worked on Photoshop and Illustrator.

I feel like my final product has fulfilled the terms of the brief rather well. I would’ve like to have continued looking into the various other ideas I had, to produce a range of related products, but on its own my shoe box works well. With regards to promotion of the slippers I fell that the wrap around I designed could’ve been more informative, but aside from that I think it disguises slippers as general footwear in an interesting way, while clearly promoting the particular activity.

Overall, through this brief I’ve managed to rectify many of the mistakes and issues I’ve found in my earlier work, and learned to enjoy my subject and my work far more.

5 things I would do differently next time

record and document my work more efficiently, especially on my blog

show my idea paths and constant evaluation of my work physically

don’t get distracted by outside influences

be more influenced by outside design ideas

continuously research throughout the project and not just at the start

1

the connexions website says that “work experience will help you to understand what it might be like to work in a particular job. This will help you decide what you want to do for a career and also develop skills and attitudes essential for the world of work.

from my point of view, as a design student, professional/industrial experience is anything that exposes me to the workings of the design industry.

For example…
work placements in a design agency
live briefs or competitions with deadlines
tracking/following a design team or indivdual
viewing another designers portfolio for insight into working practice
similarly interviewing another working designer
observing output processes such as in a print factory

2

I think the more pertinent question, and more importantly answer, would be “why Is professional / industrial experience important TO ME as a part of ppd”

Well for one it gives an insight into what would be expected of me in the professional workplace; in a classroom environment it is hard to understand the practice and pressures of a professional working practice

In order to understand processes such as printing/dealing with printers you need to have first hand experience in working with them


When in work experience with professional designers I would build a relationship with them and contacts for future employment/work collaborations, or even just for advice and help

Professional experience would help me to understand my place in a very versatile and varied industry, which is especially important for someone like me who doesn’t yet know exactly what area I want to go into

It would help me to define my weaknesses and strengths and to keep focus on them and how to improve in those areas

3

I’d gain professional / industrial experience from:

Working internships or work experience placements at design studios
Live briefs and competitions for companies, agencies or charities
Interviews and conversations with professional designers, or looking through their portfolios and design work
Visits to not only design studios but to print factories and other output manufacturers

4

what I would aim to get from this type of professional experience? Well firstly the experience itself. The best way to learn anything is just to do it – books and lectures can only teach so much, its all about the graft.

Secondly, similarly to our design context brief, the exposure to not only designers in their professional context but to the work they produce would be a massive inspiration and I would aim to get ideas that would inform my projects and also my working practice

Third, contacts and friendships with designers and clientele, that would help me in my future professional practice, for collabrations, clients, inspiration and advice.

I would strengthen my own personal portfolio with the work I produce

Gain knowledge of the professional design world and what will be expected of me once I enter that world, and help me make plans for my future practice