Self promotion - Branding

The other day, we had a pin up of our business card and selected promotional material. I hadn't sorted anything out beforehand so when this task was announced, I decided to look into what I could do in more depth. I am currently doing a design a day challenge and in my studio placement and during my studio visit to Future, this was pointed out on both occasions as it showcased how engaged I was with design and expressed my creative interests.

I thought I could create a mini-mailer with various prints of my design a day designs - also outlining what number in the series it was. I also included an info sheet of who I am, how the challenge came about and my contact details.

The sticker would feature each of the studios / designers / recipients addresses and fold over the back to ensure the package was secure. I used a grey(ish) thin stock to create contrast against the white label.

I wanted a sticker of my logo to apply onto the mailer but as the vinyl cutter wasn't working, I had to make do without. I remembered from my studio at Wash design that they used a hand embossing tool to apply a clients logo through blind embossing onto a letterhead / stationery so I'm gonna do the same - its subtle but creates a nice, tangible aesthetic.

PPD Workshop

List 5 (or more) things you know now that you didn’t before the break:

• Every studio differs; it is about finding my place within the industry
• Researching and contextual referencing is essential & needs to be from a diverse range of sources
• I'd ideally want to work within a small independent studio 
• Invoice a client - potentially request half of the payment upfront & don't get ripped off
• Detail (in terms of design) is key. 

List 5 (or more) things you would address differently than you did this Summer:

• Be more pro-active and prioritise my time more effectively
• To be more conceptual — I tend to stick with what I am most comfortable or familiar with
• Be more engaged with networking (online and offline)
• Ring design studios and devise a mailer as opposed to e-mailing studios
• Be more confident & communicate more

List 5 (or more) specific things you will address this Semester, that should be useful:

• Try and improve my pitching & presenting skills - to be confident about my ideas and in general
• Blog all the time and be consistent
• Not leave things (tasks) to the last minute - when given, do them straight away so its still fresh
• Go outside - to galleries, events, talks etc
• Take full advantage of everything that is available to me - utilise it!

List 5 (or more) things you feel we could address as a group?

• Approaching a live project - legalities, things we need to look out for
• Costing - what's fair? (To us and client)
• Copyrighting work