Public Survey Tally

This surveyed has been tallied by totally the amount of key words used the public used to describe themselves. The majority of people surveyed where between the ages 14-19. Indie is a music genre and although in the questionnaires it was used to describe a fashion style aswell as a favourite music genre it has been tallied to one category. Comfy was surprisingly a word used often to describe a style. From observing the publics behaviour it was a question people struggled to summerise, often possibly an approach to look modest while others may have been to young to have identified where they felt they fit in with society. The tally varied that the public are majoritly influenced by music and celebrities. These catergories are major influences because people look up to them as they are deemed successful, people use them as safe guards, as something you can't go wrong by inspiring by.

2/3 of the public surveyed were shopping for themselves, in a season when there aren't any public occassions such as christmas or easter coming up this seems understandable.

70% of the public surveyed like alternative music, this has been catergorised by placing the following genres under the alternative music as it hasn't been classified as mainstream yet, these genres are indie, rock, metal, punk, electro, emo, folk, acoustic. While the other genres are classified as popular music.

60% of the public surveyed said they dress alternatively, this has been categorised by placing the following styles under the alternative bracket, they are trash-glam, scene, freestyle, glam-goth, scene.

Definition:	a catch-all term for the newest rock music, which has not been around long enough to acquire a specific name
Example:	Alternative music embodies many sub-genres including: Indie Rock, Alt Folk, Gothic, Brit-Pop, Alt Country, Adult Alternative, Shoegazer, Heavy Metal, Grunge, Post-Punk, New Wave, Post-Rock, and more.

Public Surveys

I went to Manchester on Wednesday and did a public survey to generate a trend report. I visited 4 outlets, Urban Outfitters, Topshop, Paperchase and Afflecks Palace asking a total of 19 people over 15 questionnaires. Some people doubled up. The survey was to compare, contrast and analyse the answers.

2/3 of the public surveyed were shopping for themselves, in a season when there aren't any public occassions such as christmas or easter coming up this seems understandable.

The questionnaires verify that the public are majority influenced by music and celebrities. These categories are major influences because people look up to them as they are deemed successful, people use them as safe guards, as something you can't go wrong by inspiring by.

Indie came up as the most popular genre, being used to describe both music taste and style.

Indie definition:

Adj.

1.

indie - (of pop groups) not affiliated with a major recording company independent - free from external control and constraint; "an independent mind"; "a series of independent judgments"; "fiercely independent individualism"

70% of the public surveyed like alternative music, this has been catergorised by placing the following genres under the alternative music as it hasn't been classified as mainstream yet, these genres are indie, rock, metal, punk, electro, emo, folk, acoustic. While the other genres are classified as popular music.

60% of the public surveyed said they dress alternatively, this has been categorised by placing the following styles under the alternative bracket, they are trash-glam, scene, freestyle, glam-goth, scene.

Definition:	a catch-all term for the newest rock music, which has not been around long enough to acquire a specific name
Example:	Alternative music embodies many sub-genres including: Indie Rock, Alt Folk, Gothic, Brit-Pop, Alt Country, Adult Alternative, Shoegazer, Heavy Metal, Grunge, Post-Punk, New Wave, Post-Rock, and more.

This co-insides with my belief that the alternative market is becoming more popular. It terms of market, I think my cards will have a commercial market to sell into.

Publisher Nineteenseventythree

Nineteenseventythree are a greetings card designers, manufacturer and distributor. On a recent trip to Afflecks

(28/09/10) I counted 10 different nineteenseventythree cards in a display of about 8 other distributors. All their cards had an eye grabbing attraction to them, fresh colours, graphic imagery, humorous designs, ranging from simple one of motifs to complicated patterns. There range really appeals to me and I was also be contacting them as 1 of my portfolio visits.

Natasha Clayton - Rebel Rocks Interview

Rebel Rocks started in July 2010 by Natasha Clayton, she sells handmade jewellery & accessories with some custom orders and gift boxes. She works at home. Natasha currently sells her work through an online shop on Facebook, payments are made via Paypal. This was an emailed interview.

Business Name?
Rebel Rocks (London)

What inspires your product design?Tattoos, Rockabilly, sweets, music.

Where did your business idea come from?
To be honest I came up with the idea because I was so bored with my full time office job, fed up with working for someone else and making them rich! lol, and always being skint! I wanted to make extra money by doing something fun. I still have the boring office job, for now!

Who is your target audience?
Mostly young women around the 18-30 age group. It is a very social age group and I thought that they would be more likely to spend money on fashion jewellery than any other age groupor sex. I have tried not to appeal to one type of person though (eg. just scene kids etc) as figured that would narrow my audience.

What is your actual target audience?
As well as 18-30 year old women, I have also received orders from older people and as well as customised jewellery to fit children, so I am pleased that it is appealing to a wider audience.

Any unexpected expenditures?
Not yet! I pretty much had planned for everything I would need to pay out for, tools, materials, packaging, advertising. No nasty surprises yet! I have purchased my domain names for mywebsite however haven't set the site up yet. I'm currently learning Photoshop then want to go onto Illustrator/Web Design so I'm hoping I can save money by setting it up myself.

Are your profits what you expected?
To be honest I really didn't know what to expect, I hoped to at least break even to start off with, however sales are better than I expected, especially considering how new the business is. I wanted to start selling my items at low prices to start with, so as to attract more customers and make my name known, so although I am making a profit its not huge right now.

Have you received any funding?
Nope. I pay for everything myself.
How do you publise your product?
At the moment I publicise on social networking sites - Facebook and MySpace. These sites are used by such a wide range of people I thought it would be a good place to start advertising. It is also free, so that helps! Also by word of mouth, if people are happy with my product I'm hoping that they will spread the word!
I own my domain names and will be setting up my website in due course.

What do you expect to happen in the next 12 months?
I have no idea what to expect. I have always believed that if you don't expect too much then you will never be disappointed. Of course I'm hoping that my business will become more well known and popular, and make a bigger profit. Within the next 12 months I am hoping tostart designing and printing my own clothing - t-shirts, vests and hoodies for women and women, and t-shirts and vests for babies.

Did/Have you considered an online shop/a retail shop?
When the website is set up customers will be able to buy online. I love the idea of having my own shop. But I don't think that will be happening any time soon!

How have Art & Craft Fairs retributed your product?As my business is so new I have not sold my products at any fairs or markets yet. I am hoping that I will be able to do this next year.

What percentage gets spent on overheads?
I work from home, in my spare time, so no shop or office to pay out for. Pretty much everything I sell at the moment is made my hand so the biggest expenditure at the moment is my time.

Are you an independent seller?
Yes.
Do you sell through commissions/distributors?
No.

What is your price range?
At the moment my cheapest product is £1 and the most expensive is £11.

Crown Earrings £2.50, Cherry Necklace £3.50, Cupcake Necklace £6.00, gift box £1.50

Has your business been involved in fundraising?
Not yet but I would be willing to get involved with this kind of thing once by business is more well known.

How long have you had your own business set up?
I made my first items in June 2010 and set the Facebook and MySpace up in July 2010.

Like you I would like to set up my own business but in Stationary, do you have any advice on setting up your own business?
Make a list of everything you need to get started: materials, tools and equipment, packaging, advertising... and how much it will all cost. Is there anyone that can help you out advertising wise? Do lots of research online to see what other products are out there and try to make yours unique. Also research materials suppliers as there are millions and you can usually find the same items much cheaper if you look around. Think about how much it will cost you to make an item, how much of your time it will take to make it, and what you will sell it for. Go with your own ideas, thats what will make your product 'you'. Good luck! :)

An extract from Rebel Rocks bio on their site -
Inspired by: Kitsch, Tattoos, Graffiti, Junk, Trash, Kids, Punk, Emo, Rock, Kawaii, Pin-up girls, Rockabilly, Cupcakes, Vintage, Disney, Dolly, Hair, Cute, Movies, Art, Sweets, Snowboarding, Motocross, Surfing, Indie, Music, Anime, Scene.

Incognito Publisher

Really keen on this publisher, they are aiming exactly at the niche market I would hope to aim for. I've seen Incognitos designs in Afflecks Palace and in boutiques around the Northern Quarter in Manchester. They are humorous and illustrative, this style appeals to the market drawn to the Northern Quarter. As well as being a publisher for other artists, Incognito sell their own work which is housed in 3 outlets 2 in Manchester and 1 in Slovenia. I'll be making contact with the manchester outlets and contacting these as one of my portfolio visits.

Art Angels Publishers

(l-r) Brie Harrison, Angie Lewin, Andrew Pavitt, Alice Melvin, Frank Kiely, Alice Steveson.

I'm drawn to this publisher, there are artists work that I have looked at before as I've found their work inspiring. They seem like a publishers that is keen to publish current quirky designs, juxtaposition prints, bird, landscape and wildlife motifs. Images look designed in Illustrator. I could see these ranges being sold in WHSmith, commercial middle market.

Andrea Mastrovito Portrait of the artist as a young Batman 2005

This work is quite similar to an artist who I have previously looked at Carlos Amorales - Black Cloud 2007 piece and could be the same for Andreas Kocks - Paperwork piece. They are all black on white so this perceives quite a dramatic look in all their work as well as feeling quite gothic but new.

Andreas Kocks Paperworks 2009

"The contrast between my organic shapes and the orthogonal space is significant. The entire piece is specifically installed as a conscious kind of architecture. I want my work to relate directly to its settings through light and shadows." - Andreas Kocks, Slash 2009.

The symbolic meaning of shadows is something that is quite sinister. I find this influential in relation to the 'symbolic structure' brief.

Carlos Amorales Black Cloud 2007

I saw this as a gothic reflection on my own work. This is a simplistic motif on it's own but when multiplied it becomes dramatic, with the symbolic nature of the insect and the placement indicating they are flying upwards combined with the colour black which represents death, this creates a very powerful and thought provoking piece.

Mark Fox Untitled (we are lost)

Cartoon characters, tree branches, kitchen utensils and vegetables are mixed with random words all formed from the basis of Fox's consciousness with a humorous approach.

I uploaded this to aid me in my drawing, I'm not copying his drawing style this is just here to remind me that a good approach to get imagery from my head to paper is too just pour it out sometimes in a spontaneous way.

Brian Dettmer

Godfather 2006 (above and top)

Influenced by culture film The Godfather, the symbolic black roses could be a reference to the death associated with the mafia.

The New Century 2008

Works with words, language and images sourced from altered books. His work has been compared to a biological dissertation. This is because of the depth of the layering.

Ed Pien Night Gathering 2005

Work ranges from personal images from the myths and stories of his native Taiwan, to political issues this is then synthesised by the visual arts of the West. This summerises to me that his work is about bringing personal issues together with what sells in the current markets, giving his work depth and likability.

Ghosts and Witches are also referred in his work.

I uploaded this piece because it reminded me of the structure of insect wings as well as finding his influences interesting and relatable.

Phoenix Trade advertising

I thought this was a good idea for publicising a product. By introducing a sale as a party and by adding that some profits would go to charity is a good marketing approach.

Phoenix Trade job position

I've uploaded this as it might be a useful contact for anyone reading this.

I've researched Phoenix Trade and decided they weren't the publish house for me. They aren't statement cards which is what I am interested in and don't run along my Dark Nouveau project.

They are a successful business though and have good marketing strategies which I have learnt from, such as including parties with selling the product. I think with the products I am hoping to be selling next year holding parties in ways to sell your product are a great way of doing so. Anne Summers parties are a successful example of this.

They also work along charities. This perceives good working ethnic.

Understanding and paying a bill on Folksy

How do I pay my Folksy bill?

You can see your Folksy fees in Your account > Your Folksy bill. The balance that shows is made up of billed and unbilled fees for listings and 5% commisson on sales.

Whenever you list or sell an item a fee is added to your bill. These fees are 'unbilled' until the end of each month when the total amount owed for that month (if it is over £2) is turned into a bill. Charges under £2 are rolled over to the next month.

While the fees are 'unbilled' you don't need to worry about paying them. When a bill is due you will receive an email from Folksy to let you know. The bill will also show in Your Folksy bill and you can pay by following the steps below. .

What are the charges?

The charges are:

Listing fees £0.20 for each listing. This listing can include a quantity of up to 5 for handmade items, or up to 100 for materials. Whatever the quantity the cost is still 20p. The listing lasts for 180 days (6 months approximately) or until the item is sold out.

Commission fees From 1 May 2010 we charge 5% commission on the list price of each sale (this doesn't include postage).

How do I know what I've been charged for?

If you log in to Folksy, go to Your account and look for the Money heading on the right hand side. This shows your outstanding balance. If you click on Your Folksy bill you will see a list of all your bills for each month. If the status shows as Submitted the bill has been paid. If not it will say Pay Fees. Click on the status for any month and you will see a breakdown of the charges for that month.

How do I pay my bill?

To pay your bill click on Pay Fees. The total amount payable will show with a Pay Using Paypal button beside it. Click this to go to Paypal. Log in to your account as normal and follow the steps until Paypal confirms that the payment has been sent. If the payment is successful you should also receive a conformation email.

Emily Wardman Interview

Emily Wardman's stall is very well presented, her products which are mainly hand printed motifs on a variety of products such bags, kitchen towels and hand stitched decorative replicas of owls, birds and dolls are being hung on string from brown pegs, while the placement of the products doesn't look over crowded and the colours are very fresh. Ideally situated as the second stall in from the front. Emily Wardman is an independent seller but is supported by friends and family who sit with her and knit products for her shop.

Your stall seems to be doing really well today?

Yeah we've had a constant stream of people.

Have you had many sales?

I've not done too bad, but I've not had as many as I'd of liked so far.

How long have you had your own business set up?

It's all relatively new, since I graduated this year from Uni.

Do you have your products on any other outlet?

Yes, I have an online store on folksy.com

Oh right, I've not heard of folksy.com, what is it?

It's the English version of Esty.com, a networking shop outlet. It's really good for showing you how many sales you've made, how many people are following your shops and it also has on the website a 'making' section so you can learn new crafts and a forum, so you can get involved in daily chats and discussions which has been really good for me building contacts.

Do you have to be computer literate to use it?

No it's really easy to use, with a step by step guide on how to set up your own shop with the paying system included. It's really straight forward.

How does the paying system work?

The paying system is Paypal and it runs along side the site. The buyer has a shopping cart and when they come to buy it is through Paypal.

Do you use this business solely as your income now or do you have another job?

Right now it is not possible as the business is new, but I would like it to take off so it is just my sole income.

Like you I would like to set up my own business but in Stationary, do you have any advice on setting up your own business?

My advice would be publisise your product as much as possible, promotions is really good. If you're going to go down the online route it is important to attend as many art & craft fairs as possible because as well as building contacts you are showing your products to the public and generating awareness.

You can find Emily Wardmans shop on www.folksy.com/edify. Looking at her shop I have noticed she has had only 1 sale, which suggests to me the craft fair was probably more successful. Looking at the site you can tell it's a really competitive market of similar products. There seems to be a lot of 'cutesy' designs that include cupcakes, birds and Russian Dolls. On a site of this scale having a similar theme of work through out it you can see why it might be hard for your product to sell when there are too many of the same styles on it.

The forum and 'making' session of the site though would be very useful for building contacts and learning new skills.

With my theme of work I can't see where I would fit in but it might be exciting to see if it develops new trends on the site, it might be what is needed.

Phoenix Trade Interview

Sue Summersgill is holding Phoenix Trade stall at the Vernon Park Art & Crafts Fair. They are situated at the end of the run of stalls as doesn't seem to be holding interest for very long. This could be because its stall is placed near the cafe and as the rain wasn't holding off for very long, people may have be more inclined to take cover for the indoors. The stall has a huge range of cards, but they all look too similar. It also has homemade cupcakes, which you would think would draw attention to the stall but with a cupcake stall being situated just a few stalls down I don't think they were selling too well.

Are you an independent stall holder?

I work as a Trader for Phoenix Trade an independent card publishing house, that sells work from multiple designers.

Do Phoenix Trade sell their work through outlets as well as through independent stalls?

No, Phoenix Trade only sell their cards through direct contact.

How many designers work for Phoenix Trade?

There are roughly 78 designers working for the team.

What are your most popular designs?

At Art & Craft fairs the cards with a more handmade style sell well. In this season (Autumn) our Christmas Card ranges sell well too.

How many designers work are on this stall today?

There are 25 designers work on this stall, ranging from 12-16 cards per collection.

Can anyone submit their work to Phoenix Trade?

Yes as long as they are presented well. We receive samples off designers and they get work through commission.

What is the price range?

£1.20 each or £1 each for 10+ cards.

Has Phoenix Trade ever got involved in fundraising?

Yes we have raised over £500,000 for charities since we have been established (for 14 years) through our exclusive christmas card range, to charities such as Cancer Research and Childrens Hospice UK.

Have you had much interest in your stall today?

Yes we've had a lot of interests and sales have been okay.

Do you have a website?

Yes you can find us on www.phoenix-trading.co.uk

Phoenix Trade are in the Top 10 Publishing Houses in the UK.

Cards are recyclable as they don't use any chlorine chemicals or other adhesives. Although printed on the back of every Phoenix Trade card says "paper from sustainable forest sources" Phoenix Trade say that this isn't entirely true as there isn't a sustainable forest source in either Europe or the States as legalisation is so tight.

Their cards are normally blank inside so that they can suit any occasion.

Interviews

Ideally I would like to interview people within the Stationary industry. I'm keen to talk about numbers, profit margins, overheads, publishers, card production, retailers, material suppliers, market strategies, cliental and tradeshow experiences as this is all very relevant towards developing my understanding in that market and setting up my own business is something I would like to achieve myself in the next year. As I would like to sell other products as well I see it as just as important to interview other businesses as any information is potentially going to help me further my knowledge.

Vernon Park Arts & Crafts Fair 12th Sept 2010

Vernon Park Arts & Crafts Fair in Stockport was held on the 12 Sept 2010, open to the public 10am - 4pm. It was funded by Stockport Council. There were 17 stalls, ranging from cards, cermanics, handmade toys, wooden decorative pieces, jewellery, printed and handmade interior products, paintings, homemade cakes and charity stalls. Some of the stalls had 'Lucky Dip' which cost a £1 to play which kept the children amused.

I worked as a runner from 9am - 4:30pm helping set up the stalls, doing tea runs and making sure the stall holders were happy. There was a good mix of stall holders. I noted the most popular stalls were the cake stall, which had a constant gather of people, and while the handmade toy stall hardly gathered any interest at first it became the most popular stall from around 1pm onwards. I think this was because interest sparks off more interest as people don't like to miss out. The weather wasn't good which didn't help with the turn out, but by 1:30pm it had dried off and there seemed to be a lot more people just in time for the 2pm live band playing in the parks band stand, this helped keep the customers in the park for longer as there was entertainment. Also the cafe provided a sanctuary when it rained and kept the customers well fed. Inside Vernon Park House is an underground museum to the history of Stockport as well as ancient artefacts like a mummy and history behind insect species. On the top floor is an gallery, with work submitted from locals of Stockport, there is a variety of work ranging from £25-£400 as well as beautiful grounds to walk through with its own Lilly Pond and maze providing and excellent location for an Arts & Crafts Fair.

It was a good opportunity working at Vernon Park as this provided an insight as to what is needed in holding a fairs, how they work, what makes it work and how to run one properly.

Working there also gave me the opportunity to talk to stall holders who have set up their own business and are establishing themselves in the industry. I'll upload the individual questions I asked appropriate stall holders on a separate post.

Trend Report

I feel the majority of society are influenced heavily by these three things, which shifts trend patterns.
> Fashion
> Music
> Global Issues

While individual people are influenced by personal issues which can't be summarised to fit a market. I've studied the current climate and have come up with predictions that are going to shift trends in the market.

Fashion suits a persons mood but we are all influenced by each other, as Rock music is becoming a more acceptable genre to listen to it is becoming more popular to dress that way without causing a fashion faux par. Last year high street leading competitor Topshop introduced Glam-Goth and Rockabilly fashions into their store. These looks are due to make a comeback with Winter around the corner and more suppressed moods are set upon us. Cosy sheep fleece are returning.
Leading radio shows such as Radio 1 which play the latest in current popular music cover rock music more and more so every month. They featured new-age 'screamo' band Rolo Tomassi 5 months ago which came as a huge surprise. While leading festival such Glastonbury have invited a large majority of popular rock bands to play at the festival, with their audiences getting bigger every year, giving evidence to the fact that this trend is shifting.



Major celebrities have risen from this style, such as Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, though it would be fair to say Lady Gaga is also influenced by Japanese culture.

Subjects I have been taking photos of and drawing are around this theme and I would like this project to have a nogalistic and provocative theme through out looking at Timorous Beastie as my secondary research.