Project Proposal & Evaluation

The Flat Process Book

The current flat state of my process book - a book that will be adjusted to suit potential suppliers as a printed publication of self promotion to encourage the notion of wholesaling in the future....the final booklet will predominantly be focused on product photography next semester and less information such as my trip to Etsy, sales statistics, brand decisions and contact list. 

The final book will be printed by Solopress, a perfect bound booklet using bond paper and in a slightly smaller scale than A4. The presentation shall be considered further into the semester and adapted through experiments and charges. 

 

START IT YOURSELF.

Coming to the conclusion of the Concept module of my Masters Degree and bringing together all of the research, experiments and contacts that I've accumulated over the last few months I am now beginning to focus on how to push Darwin & Gray forward into an established small business. After being contacted regularly regarding 'how to' start up as an indie crafter I've decided to conclude this segment of my blog with a post regarding how others can kickstart something for themselves. 

You've had a genius idea, you just can't take your dead end job any longer or you're just after a bit of extra cash - all reasons that seem to support small business start ups and after reading endless business books, I've found that everything points you in the direction to sit and spend hours constructing a detailed business plan but for what reason? 

Yes they're kind of a must if you're after a loan or maybe you're just a bit of a number-crunching fanatic but for indie crafters like myself are they really worth it? My answer is no, don't waste your time.....business plans focusing on the next 5+ years of something you're just starting out with seems obnoxious and vain, the harsh reality of small businesses is that the majority of them don't work out, they crash and burn so why focus on getting it down in writing how you want to sustain your business and encourage its growth when in reality you should be putting it into practice with that time instead. 

Small indie craft businesses such as Darwin & Gray aren't written in the rule books to be gold mines, financially they can be created incredibly cheap and slowly grow as you develop as a designer. 

'Cash is king so swear your unwavering allegiance' 

- James Watt Co-Founder of Brewdog

 Ultimately your business can be whatever you want it to be but at the end of the day if you're already into drawing and design then surely you've got a step ahead in the game as you can create everything from your logo to your products and eventually your very own website without paying out large sums of money to external parties because at the end of the day external associates won't care about your brand or know it as well as you do. 

Concept Panel | 7.12.15

Dispatch & Delivery

CURRENT

Countless long winded trips to the post office, hours of printing and filling in proof of postage forms, accounts and sleeves full of receipts, more complicated process to locate lost parcels. 

FUTURE

Purchasing a franking machine enables the opportunity to print Royal Mail stickers in the comfort of your own studio and arrange pick up times for parcels, eliminating the lengthly procedure needed to go back and fourth from the post office and causing long queues. 

The start up is expensive with new machines costing £600+ and only worthwhile when the product demand requires a consistent service. The individual prices per packages reduces when doing your own franking but that saving needs to be positively measured up against the outlays and maintenance charges of doing it for yourself. 

Franking | The Royal Mail

The Process Book Presentation

After stumbling across the guidelines for brand Aesop, I couldn't help but feel incredibly drawn towards it's simplistic exterior that protects the informative and somewhat hectic interior. Instantly i found it reflective of the packaging that I have been developing for Darwin & Gray and figured that it might make sense to transfer this process of development across into my process book. 

In an attempt to recreate this boxed book format for Darwin & Gray, I recall the shop Paperchase (www.paperchase.com) selling a variety of 'eco kraft' products - the closest I could find to the Aesop box was the box file below. 

 The alternative would be to create a stylised book as first thought then construct a protective sleeve or box to contain it.

Dennis Fuentes

The Process Book

The process book is a chronicle of your work flow and completed work during the course of the semester. It is a vehicle to gather scraps of notes, ideas, mock-ups, working files and final outcomes with regards to assignments and projects. 

Dan Ogren

1 Hotels | Jules Tardy & Christian Cervantes

Crisp & detailed Photography VS simplistic typefaces.

Interesting that I picked out this two page spread from a variety of inspirational sources as it is taken from a brochure designed to promote the hotel that I actually stayed in on my recent trip to New York. 

GD Loft Process Book. 

NEW FORMATS. 
I've never worked well to the restrictions of a sketchbook solely, having to work at a constant scale and not being able to easily remove each page if there was a piece you wanted to rework or add to. Although the idea of a process book is to bring together all of your scraps of paper and ideas I couldn't help but question whether there would be a way of presenting all of my work in an alternative format to just a straight forward book.

Keith Lowe - Crystal Cave Park Brochure. 

Emma Hedlund

Stylised Instagram Account

It is becoming increasingly important to have a stylised theme throughout your Instagram, if you have an appealing, well maintained and constructed page then your followers with reflect that. Step away from the generic product shots and invite viewers into the production, development and even at times stresses of running a small business. I believe that something that is important to remember when you're a creative entrepreneur is that you are a tiny fish in a gigantic retail pond, you can't (more than likely) afford expensive advertisements so social media is your secret weapon to success. 

DARWIN & GRAY

The whole branding, product range and general output of Darwin & Gray is simplistic and my Social Media profiles are reflective of that theme. I am forever taking photos of 'works in progress' and so whether I am mid painting, stamping or sewing i have drilled into my head that I must remember to capture it to use at a later date to promote the product I'm working on. 

www.instagram.com/darwinandgray

Creating content for your page is only half the battle, knowing how and when to use it is the other half. Depending on your target audience your peak times will differ, thanks to a recent influx in the 'mummy online community' becoming obsessed with Darwin & Gray I have taken on board that my posts receive a lot more attention later in the evening or in the world of a good majority of my current consumers - it is way past bedtime for their kids meaning they can browse the internet. This being said I have learnt to post later in the day to ensure I get an increased level of engagement. 

Etsy | Direct Payments

Illustration from www.etsy.com/payments

More payment options attract more buyers

Sellers who offer multiple payment options see their sales increase by 49% on average, when compared to sellers who continue offering just one payment option.*

With Direct Payments, your shop will accept 10 different payment methods instantly.

And, Direct Payments now supports PayPal, so you can manage all of your payments from one place. We’ll put the funds from all of your payment methods into your Shop Payment Account at the same time.

Benefits of Direct Payments

Get paid in one place

When buyers pay with PayPal, we’ll put the funds in your Shop Payment Account, along with your credit card sales.

Pay one consistent fee

With our integrated PayPal system, you’ll pay the same processing fee every time, regardless of how a buyer pays.

Stay protected

Etsy Support can help resolve PayPal-related issues for you. We can’t offer this help when you use a personal, standalone PayPal account.

See all the benefits of Direct Payments at etsy.com/payments.

After reading the small print......prior to this system all of my payments were processed through Etsy & Paypal so both parties would take a cut, now alongside Etsy taking their fee as a result of using direct payments I have to pay a further 4% +20 GBP as a flat rate for payment processing reducing my profit margins further.  

*According to an Etsy analysis of year-over-year sales of active US and Canadian sellers over the same 4-month period over two years (20th January to 20th May in 2014 and 2015).

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media is invaluable to the success of a small business but why is it so important and what are the particularly useful elements of Social Media? 

LIMITED WORDS.
Shopping is incredibly visual and usually the label doesn't tend to make a detrimental difference to a consumer. Online marketing is no different, everything still needs to be incredibly visual for it to have appeal. A caption, tweet or Facebook post needs to be short, snappy and to the point, you can't swamp your viewer with a tonne of information because ultimately if you've given them everything they need to know why would they go through to your website? Give them a taste and let them delve deeper for more information if they like what they see. 

STYLISED PHOTOGRAPHY. 
If you're predominantly online then what's going to make or break your products? The product shots! Photographs are the only form of engagement your customer will have with the physical aspect of your product. When dealing with Social Media step away from the generic style of e-commerce photos on a clean white background to rather much more stylised photos, shots that are taken in your studio, a suitable environment or even just being used. All in all this will enhance the customer experience, allowing them to imagine using the product or where it would take pride of place in their home. 

CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT. 
Instant feedback, opinions and general attention - it is easy through Social Media to connect with your consumers 1-on-1. Thinking about launching a new product but not sure which one to pick, utilise your following to help with decision making. The digital word of mouth - an area that I've been looking into for my dissertation. Through the use of reviews, Social Media and the ease of being able to use a camera phone it is incredibly easy for customers to give feedback.

INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES.
It's no secret that Social Media can impact small businesses incredibly but seeing as there are 101 different companies all fighting for the attention of consumers it is also a platform to find an endless stream of inspiration. Personally, I don't look to other creatives within the same discipline for inspiration but I'm rather taken with travel photography and typographical accounts. At the moment the work I am showcasing through Darwin & Gray is made up of monochrome pieces but a lot of the subtle colour palettes that I am wanting to bring to the forefront next semester are made up from photographs that I have come across on the likes of Instagram & Pinterest.