Throughout the course of this module I feel that I have learnt a lot about enterprise and the basic principles of how to set up and run a successful business. Before the module I had very limited knowledge on how to go about structuring a functioning business. I think that having the information from the lectures and the tasks will allow me to go on and potentially set up a business if I so wished as before hand I wouldn't have thought about doing so.
For the group presentation we planned to each take a specific area and bring the information that we had gathered and communicate at the group meetings how that was going. As a collective we found this difficult due to fact that each one of the area relied on the other areas to be researched equally as they often overlapped. I feel that I did my share of the work within the group and extra along with others to make up for others that were lacking in quality and quantity of work.
The presentation was ok and we had run through it a few times. I thought that I presented to the best of my ability for what information that I had along with the others in my group. I think that it could have been more in depth which would have bolstered the content and would have given other members more to talk about and elaborate on.
In the process of the lectures and collaborating in a group to create a design studio it has made me realise how much time and effort goes into starting up any business from scratch and what is needed in order to succeed.
Showing posts with label OUCE255. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OUCE255. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Marketing Plan
Our marketing plan as a studio:
Our aim is to become a well established creative studio with a large customer base which is profitable within three years or less.
A good way to break down how our studios marketing strategy is set out is the four p's, product, promotion, price and place.
Product:
Our product is the work we do, we are branding other businesses, creating what they need in order for them to succeed. Digital and print based promotional materials as well as the brand and logo itself.
Promotion:
We aim to keep the cost of self promotion down to as little as possible due to trying to make the most profit as possible to keep on track with our marketing plan. Essentials such as business cards, website, letterheads and mail-outs.
Price:
To be as competitive as possible we want to match or come close to what our competition offers for there services bearing in mind our overheads and other costings in order to make a profit at the end of the day.
Place:
We are based within Leeds as we felt that it was the most suitable for all of us, we are familiar with the area and there is a wide range of creative opportunities. After looking at multiple places within Leeds we have decided to go with Umbrella creative studios as it is cheap and has more than adequate facilities to suit our needs as a studio.
Our aim is to become a well established creative studio with a large customer base which is profitable within three years or less.
A good way to break down how our studios marketing strategy is set out is the four p's, product, promotion, price and place.
Product:
Our product is the work we do, we are branding other businesses, creating what they need in order for them to succeed. Digital and print based promotional materials as well as the brand and logo itself.
Promotion:
We aim to keep the cost of self promotion down to as little as possible due to trying to make the most profit as possible to keep on track with our marketing plan. Essentials such as business cards, website, letterheads and mail-outs.
Price:
To be as competitive as possible we want to match or come close to what our competition offers for there services bearing in mind our overheads and other costings in order to make a profit at the end of the day.
Place:
We are based within Leeds as we felt that it was the most suitable for all of us, we are familiar with the area and there is a wide range of creative opportunities. After looking at multiple places within Leeds we have decided to go with Umbrella creative studios as it is cheap and has more than adequate facilities to suit our needs as a studio.
Friday, 29 April 2011
What we do?
Describe your product and or service?
We are a design company that focuses on branding and innovative design. We are comprised of four designers. We are a small but versatile group of designers looking to improve the future for others. We have a wide range of skills between us these being:
Sam: Type, layout/editorial, concept and ideas
Ben: Typeface design, information graphics and logo design
Sean: Screen printing, interactive, hand rendered, layout
Josh: Illustration, logo and branding
From these skills our main focus as a design studio is:
Strengths:
Wide range of skills for a small design team.
- Flexible and versatile group.
- Fresh creative outlook.
Weaknesses:
- Limited digital technical knowledge.
- Limited print facilities (although digital prints will be sourced from local printers that we will want to build up and establish contact with.)
Opportunities: (target audience)
- Local community such as up and coming business as well as existing businesses
- Other creatives within and around Umbrella Studios, with potential to satellite for other companies around the local areas.
Threats:
- Local companies such as elmwood who are a global branding agency that have years of experience and a vast range of big clients.
We are a design company that focuses on branding and innovative design. We are comprised of four designers. We are a small but versatile group of designers looking to improve the future for others. We have a wide range of skills between us these being:
Sam: Type, layout/editorial, concept and ideas
Ben: Typeface design, information graphics and logo design
Sean: Screen printing, interactive, hand rendered, layout
Josh: Illustration, logo and branding
From these skills our main focus as a design studio is:
- Logo and branding
- Interactive and informational design
- Type driven
- Primarily for both print and digital media
Strengths:
Wide range of skills for a small design team.
- Flexible and versatile group.
- Fresh creative outlook.
Weaknesses:
- Limited digital technical knowledge.
- Limited print facilities (although digital prints will be sourced from local printers that we will want to build up and establish contact with.)
Opportunities: (target audience)
- Local community such as up and coming business as well as existing businesses
- Other creatives within and around Umbrella Studios, with potential to satellite for other companies around the local areas.
Threats:
- Local companies such as elmwood who are a global branding agency that have years of experience and a vast range of big clients.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Costings
This is the final costings sheet.
This spreadsheet is what we used to work out the hourly work based on the overheads. The start up costs aren't accounted for as they are covered by the bank loan which is payed over the course of a couple of years which is included in the overheads cost.
This spreadsheet is what we used to work out the hourly work based on the overheads. The start up costs aren't accounted for as they are covered by the bank loan which is payed over the course of a couple of years which is included in the overheads cost.
Monday, 14 March 2011
Monday, 7 March 2011
Second Group Meeting
After narrowing down what our group was focusing on we set about clarifying what we needed to look at in order to create a business.
From this meeting we each had a specific area to research into, from this we can create a business plan and costing etc.
Wednesday, 2 March 2011
Enterprise Group
My group as follows:
Ben McKean
Josh Dazeley
Sean Perkins
Me
We have planned out a timetable to pinpoint when we are meeting as a group throughout the week. Our plan is to meet at least 3 times a week to discuss and pool together our ideas. The group meetings are marked in green.
Ben McKean
Josh Dazeley
Sean Perkins
Me
We have planned out a timetable to pinpoint when we are meeting as a group throughout the week. Our plan is to meet at least 3 times a week to discuss and pool together our ideas. The group meetings are marked in green.
Monday, 24 January 2011
Task 4- Who else is out there
Who am I competing against?
I have chosen four companies that I could potentially be competing against when I graduate. For each of the companies I am going to access them hypothetically suggesting what areas I have the upper hand in and how I can benefit from this in the world of design. I am looking at two different local design agencies of different sizes, Rabbit Hole designs and Elmwood.
SWOT- (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and treats)
Rabit hole design
S:
W:
O:
T:
A well established international brand consultancy agency.
S:
W:
O:
T:
I have chosen four companies that I could potentially be competing against when I graduate. For each of the companies I am going to access them hypothetically suggesting what areas I have the upper hand in and how I can benefit from this in the world of design. I am looking at two different local design agencies of different sizes, Rabbit Hole designs and Elmwood.
SWOT- (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and treats)
Rabit hole design
S:
- Knowledge and experience of using web design.
- Knowledge in coding, HTML and other web platforms.
W:
- Lacks creative work.
- No print based work.
O:
- Able to offer print based solutions on multimedia briefs.
T:
- As they are predominantly web based they would excel in briefs that are web design heavy as I lack the knowledge in coding to create certain things.
A well established international brand consultancy agency.
S:
- International cliental.
- Well established all around the world.
- Redesigning and rebranding existing products, packaging with a contemporary lift.
W:
- Not as many small local clients.
O:
- Taking on more local clients doing similar jobs to elmwood on a more local and regional scale.
- Able to take on the smaller clients that they might not have time to take on.
T:
- Vastly superior and known name, with a large client history and years worth of experience.
Friday, 21 January 2011
Task 3- How will I promote myself?
There are all sorts of ways that I can promote myself, here is a list of what I think are suitable ways:
Portfolio
Business cards
Creative CV
Website
Blog
Mailshot
To promote myself I first need to find out what potential clients want to hear from me. Ideally the client would want to know if I had complete confidence in myself as a designer, that I am the right person for the job and have me on their team will help them.
As well as having a clear understanding of what a client wants to hear from me I should know what to say to them. I will need to be able to show clients what I have to offer, showcasing my skills and specialities. One of my main aims will have to be, grabbing their attention and maintaining it, this could be done with a memorable business card which could then include web addresses to my website and blog. Both the website and blog would be easily accessible, easy to navigate, so that the potential client can obtain all the relevant information needed to get into contact with me.
Potential clients can often need convincing a good way of doing this is gaining recommendations and testimonials from people that you have previously worked with/for. Showing any awards that you have won can be another asset to include to support your sales pitch. Another useful thing to include is an artist statement, this is something that shows potential clients what your short and long term aims are and with this they can more easily identify if you are right for them and vice versa.
Ideally I would like to have contact with a client(s) with a face to face chat so that I can get a clear understanding of what they want from me on a particular job. Building a constant dialogue is important between client and designer as the more informed either side is the more productive and the easier, more flexible each party can be. If this constant dialogue is there then this will reinforce the relationship with the client which can lead them to recommending you to other companies, opening up more business opportunities.
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Task 2- Where are they and Where will they find me?
My clients can be located anywhere, potentially the clients will be situated around the studio that I would like to be working for. Ideally meeting clients face to face would be the best option possible as you can sit down and really talk about what they want from you and what you have to offer. If this isn't possible phone and then email are two other possible and necessary forms of communicating with the client.
Local:
Yorkshire Evening Post is a local news publication which is distributed within Leeds and surrounding areas.
P- More so than other publications the Yorkshire Evening Post will focus on the local politics in and around Leeds, emphasising on the positive and negative aspects of local government.
E- Leeds is a up and coming business city with new opportunities opening up all the time. Due to it being local and there is a limited expenditure the budget for the production will be less and the units produced and turnover time is the main focus.
S- The supplement has to be relevant to the local community which varies depending on the time of year, during term time it is mainly students while in the summer the main target audience would be the locals.
T- As technology is constantly changing and evolving, often this technology is expensive which will limit whether local businesses such as the Yorkshire Evening Post can afford such technologies.
National:
The Guardian is a national newspaper
P- The Guardian is a central-left newspaper which supported the political views of the Liberal Democrats during the recent elections.
E+T- The newspaper is a wide selling national newspaper that has 290,000 papers in circulation every day. The paper has a high revenue, which allows it to spend on the design and production. As the newspaper can be produced in a low turn around producing high revenue, The Guardian has the money also to develop technologies in digital such as mobile platforms for the iphone and the ipad, designed to increase user interaction. With the evolution of the internet it has become easier for people to have access to the news, the Guardian is still able to sacrifice some of the content that could be in the newspaper for the website as there is not necessarily the best articles online as there is within the newspaper.
S- The Guardian takes into account who buys there newspaper, throughout the country and offers a respectable price for the content and quality of there newspaper.
Transnational:
Esquire Magazine is transnational as it has different branches throughout the world which are under the esquire banner but operate independently.
P- For the first time ever the magazine publicly endorsed the presidential candidate.
E- Esquire has over 720,000 magazines in circulation, this allows them to focus on there printing and design of the magazine.
S- The magazine focuses massively on the social culture of the young business individuals and there lifestyles. Esquire focus most of there direction towards the constant changing trends in fashion and society.
T- As the magazine has been established since 1933, as technology has progressed so has the magazine to fit in with the new technologies. In 2009 esquire launched an online blog which is constantly updated by each of the editors from the magazine.
International:
Hunt studio, based in Melborne Australia specialising in many aspects of design that I am interested in. In particular they produce a magazine, The Process Journal which gives the latest insight into design all over the world.
P- The journal has to cater for various political views of people, abiding by the international laws for printed publications.
E- Hunt studios produce the publication Process Journal, which is a full colour CMYK print, they have the money to produce this publication like this as the clients are from all over the world.
S- As magazines are very socially driven the publication is a showcase of different work from all over the world. They have to be aware of the constant changing trends of there specific target audience.
T- As there clients are situated all over the world keeping on top of new technologies such as mobile technologies and the various networking sites to keep there ideas fresh and current.
Local:
Yorkshire Evening Post is a local news publication which is distributed within Leeds and surrounding areas.
P- More so than other publications the Yorkshire Evening Post will focus on the local politics in and around Leeds, emphasising on the positive and negative aspects of local government.
E- Leeds is a up and coming business city with new opportunities opening up all the time. Due to it being local and there is a limited expenditure the budget for the production will be less and the units produced and turnover time is the main focus.
S- The supplement has to be relevant to the local community which varies depending on the time of year, during term time it is mainly students while in the summer the main target audience would be the locals.
T- As technology is constantly changing and evolving, often this technology is expensive which will limit whether local businesses such as the Yorkshire Evening Post can afford such technologies.
National:
The Guardian is a national newspaper
P- The Guardian is a central-left newspaper which supported the political views of the Liberal Democrats during the recent elections.
E+T- The newspaper is a wide selling national newspaper that has 290,000 papers in circulation every day. The paper has a high revenue, which allows it to spend on the design and production. As the newspaper can be produced in a low turn around producing high revenue, The Guardian has the money also to develop technologies in digital such as mobile platforms for the iphone and the ipad, designed to increase user interaction. With the evolution of the internet it has become easier for people to have access to the news, the Guardian is still able to sacrifice some of the content that could be in the newspaper for the website as there is not necessarily the best articles online as there is within the newspaper.
S- The Guardian takes into account who buys there newspaper, throughout the country and offers a respectable price for the content and quality of there newspaper.
Transnational:
Esquire Magazine is transnational as it has different branches throughout the world which are under the esquire banner but operate independently.
P- For the first time ever the magazine publicly endorsed the presidential candidate.
E- Esquire has over 720,000 magazines in circulation, this allows them to focus on there printing and design of the magazine.
S- The magazine focuses massively on the social culture of the young business individuals and there lifestyles. Esquire focus most of there direction towards the constant changing trends in fashion and society.
T- As the magazine has been established since 1933, as technology has progressed so has the magazine to fit in with the new technologies. In 2009 esquire launched an online blog which is constantly updated by each of the editors from the magazine.
International:
Hunt studio, based in Melborne Australia specialising in many aspects of design that I am interested in. In particular they produce a magazine, The Process Journal which gives the latest insight into design all over the world.
P- The journal has to cater for various political views of people, abiding by the international laws for printed publications.
E- Hunt studios produce the publication Process Journal, which is a full colour CMYK print, they have the money to produce this publication like this as the clients are from all over the world.
S- As magazines are very socially driven the publication is a showcase of different work from all over the world. They have to be aware of the constant changing trends of there specific target audience.
T- As there clients are situated all over the world keeping on top of new technologies such as mobile technologies and the various networking sites to keep there ideas fresh and current.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Task 1- Who am I and Who are they?
Possible Client groups that use graphic design in development, production, distribution, promotion and/or communication of the products or services:
Publishing
Music
TV/Film
Retail
Web/Interface
Private Businesses (Branding)
Areas in graphic design which fit in with these client groups:
Branding/ Identity
Type design
Editorial/ layout
Packaging
To identify my aims and ambitions clearer I am looking at editorial and layout design as I feel it is one area that I have a particular interest in.
What skills you have and how they relate to the needs of your client group, including professional and creative aims:
I feel that I have a range of skills that relate to the needs of the client groups. As a designer I am constantly learning new techniques, skills such as software (Illustrator, Indesign ect) and ways of solving problems to get the best possible solution. I think that it is key to have the ability to solve problems set by the client in order to be successful in my chosen field of design. Concepts, ideas are nothing without someone that can develop these into something that is digestible for the specific target audience, that some is me.
What is also important is being able to sell myself (product) and my work, if you are a good designer but cant sell yourself you are at a loss to the industry. Being competent, clear and concise to potential clients is a necessity in order to succeed. I want to build on how I approach and project myself to clients in order to sell myself well. A strong and selective portfolio will be important, to help get myself out there, I would want it to emulate who I am as a designer showcasing my skill and ability as a designer.
I feel that I have a clear understanding of typography and layout with the aim to develop this understanding further. As the industry gains new technologies such as new software and better hardware I think that I will need to adapt quickly for this in order to stay at the head of my competitors.
It is important to understand from this exercise how I fit into within the industry, what they are looking for within me that I can provide there businesses. I will need to take into consideration how my creative input into the product will affect the target audience so that they will come back for more. I would like to identify over the next year and a half whether I am cut out for being a freelance or if I want to work within a design studio. How will I determine this? Go out and visit various agencies and studios to get a feel for what they are like, also talking to freelance graphic designers to see what they have to say.
Monday, 27 September 2010
The Cost of Living
In this session I had to calculate my potential living expenses in a single year for three years time. All of the sections are approximations, generally most of the sections I have been quite generous. One thing I aim to do is to keep the cost of my travel down, trying to cycle and walk to everywhere possible and only using public transport when absolutely necessary.
Below is a scan of the Cost of Living sheet, although I have totalled my expected expenditure that is before tax which I don't know as I didn't write down the calculation for it.
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