I don't regard this as a successful Portfolio Visit but I went to Rockers situated on Oldham Street on the off chance I might catch the owner (which I did) for some feedback.
Rockers is an outlet who's market is aimed at Rockabillys, Metalheads and Rockers so I already had an incline not all my cards were going to be appealing.
Cath the owner said that she thought the cards were cool but weren't for her market. I asked what it was about them that seperated themselves from their market and she said it was because they were too bold and bright and too anime. She also like Dodo suggested Thunder Egg.
This portfolio visit helped in a way that it made me see that there was a clear cut for where my cards are aimed at.
Saturday, 8 January 2011
Portfolio Visit with Dodo (Affleck Palace)
I had a portfolio visit with Lynn owner of Dodo in Affleck Palace. She has been selling Japanese anime inspired gifts and trinkets on the top floor of Afflecks for 6 months and she had some interesting and helpful advice.
She gave feedback on my portfolio saying it definitely had a place in the market and suggested I take my cards to Thunder Egg who predominately sell cards. I found it interesting she would mention them as they have been one of my focuses but I was unable to re-book a portfolio visit with them due to December being a busy month for them. She found them humorous and liked the Disney cards and Playing Card cards the most saying they were the strongest designs.
Lynn told me she only sells her own work in her shop but the space is small already and work of other designers takes up space and she doesn't make a bigger profit return than if she were to sell her own work, which made sense. She said although she thought buying in Afflecks Palace would be ideal for what she sells, she said she has been struggling to make money as the top floor is very quiet due to a recent refurbishment but that the middle floor of Afflecks always sells well as stores like Thunder Egg and Cafe Pop which also have outlets on Oldham Road are situated there and have had a long established network.
She added though that most stores in Afflecks would work commission based around January as it is a quiet month.
I found Lynns feedback really helpful on a more marketable side and helped me to piece together thoughts for future marketing strategies. I find it really interesting to hear the shops around establish outlets such as Thunder Egg and Cafe Pop do well, and it is something to consider for promotion purposes.
She gave feedback on my portfolio saying it definitely had a place in the market and suggested I take my cards to Thunder Egg who predominately sell cards. I found it interesting she would mention them as they have been one of my focuses but I was unable to re-book a portfolio visit with them due to December being a busy month for them. She found them humorous and liked the Disney cards and Playing Card cards the most saying they were the strongest designs.
Lynn told me she only sells her own work in her shop but the space is small already and work of other designers takes up space and she doesn't make a bigger profit return than if she were to sell her own work, which made sense. She said although she thought buying in Afflecks Palace would be ideal for what she sells, she said she has been struggling to make money as the top floor is very quiet due to a recent refurbishment but that the middle floor of Afflecks always sells well as stores like Thunder Egg and Cafe Pop which also have outlets on Oldham Road are situated there and have had a long established network.
She added though that most stores in Afflecks would work commission based around January as it is a quiet month.
I found Lynns feedback really helpful on a more marketable side and helped me to piece together thoughts for future marketing strategies. I find it really interesting to hear the shops around establish outlets such as Thunder Egg and Cafe Pop do well, and it is something to consider for promotion purposes.
Portfolio Visit with Abacus (Afflecks Palace)
Abacus is predominately a jewellers located in Afflecks and I wasn't going to stop to show my portfolio to them at first until I saw a small selection of cards, roughly about 6, from the same designer. I asked Daniel the co-owner if they were interested in viewing my portfolio as I had a selection of cards aimed at the Affleck Palace market and he booked me in for a portfolio viewing for half an hour later.
He seemed keen on the cards and gave an overview saying they were cool, that he was interested in buying and that they were suitable for their market but would need to speak to his co-owner. We swapped contacts and he said he would contact me after speaking to his co-owner, but I think I might chase it up and email him the costs etc.
I feel that as they don't prodominately sell cards they will probably be sold by commission which is risky or I would have extras printed for outlets that would only want to buy a small selection as this will lower production fees and the added bonus of having my cards in as many outlets big or small is good for promotion purposes.
This portfolio visit was helpful in that I got feedback from someone who is selling in my market and that they were interested, it gave me another contact and also experience in showcasing my designs and initiating sales.
He seemed keen on the cards and gave an overview saying they were cool, that he was interested in buying and that they were suitable for their market but would need to speak to his co-owner. We swapped contacts and he said he would contact me after speaking to his co-owner, but I think I might chase it up and email him the costs etc.
I feel that as they don't prodominately sell cards they will probably be sold by commission which is risky or I would have extras printed for outlets that would only want to buy a small selection as this will lower production fees and the added bonus of having my cards in as many outlets big or small is good for promotion purposes.
This portfolio visit was helpful in that I got feedback from someone who is selling in my market and that they were interested, it gave me another contact and also experience in showcasing my designs and initiating sales.
Portfolio Visit with Jensen Chadwick (American Graffiti)
I took my portfolio into American Graffiti in Affleck Palace and the off chance they might be interested in looking, and boy was Jensen!
She's setting up a shop in 2 weeks, after being a sales assistant for American Graffiti for 6 months and was looking for some stock.
I showed her my cards and she was really enthusiastic about all of them and was eager to exchange contacts.
She asked my how the rates would work and I told her I would sell the cards at £1.50 each with a minimum buy of 25 cards per design which would total in at £37.50, she said that she would take every card if it was commissioned based meaning I would only make a profit if a card sold. Commission rates of around 70%-30%. I told her I wouldn't possibly be able to take the risk of producing every single card based on commission, so I hope to sell about 12 designs to her at a fixed sell price of £450. (300 cards x £1.50) = (12 designs x 25 card). If she sold each card at £2.50 she would make a turnover of £750, totalling in £300 in profit.
She wasn't able to negotiate a price there and then because her business partner wasn't available, but she was eager to swap contact details so I will be contacting her Monday morning so discuss our options.
Overall it was a great portfolio visit and even if nothing materialises from it it's given me experience selling my work and given me an extra contact.
She's setting up a shop in 2 weeks, after being a sales assistant for American Graffiti for 6 months and was looking for some stock.
I showed her my cards and she was really enthusiastic about all of them and was eager to exchange contacts.
She asked my how the rates would work and I told her I would sell the cards at £1.50 each with a minimum buy of 25 cards per design which would total in at £37.50, she said that she would take every card if it was commissioned based meaning I would only make a profit if a card sold. Commission rates of around 70%-30%. I told her I wouldn't possibly be able to take the risk of producing every single card based on commission, so I hope to sell about 12 designs to her at a fixed sell price of £450. (300 cards x £1.50) = (12 designs x 25 card). If she sold each card at £2.50 she would make a turnover of £750, totalling in £300 in profit.
She wasn't able to negotiate a price there and then because her business partner wasn't available, but she was eager to swap contact details so I will be contacting her Monday morning so discuss our options.
Overall it was a great portfolio visit and even if nothing materialises from it it's given me experience selling my work and given me an extra contact.
Portfolio Visit with Paper Salad
I visited Paper Salad for a Portfolio Visit as they are in a similar industry to me and have also studied at Stockport College so we have similar backgrounds. I presented my Negotiated Project to them via Powerpoint and my Portfolio separate with card mock ups made to show the size and colour. There studio space was interesting to visit, they are based in Romily, Stockport in an industional estate set up with small buildings for businesses. Their building had lots of character located in a picturesque part of Romily, which I thought would be ideal for my own studio space as it had nice surroundings. At the front of their studio they had set up a shop, displaying all their products, while in the back they had 4 computers and a huge shelf ordering their many card designs.
I showed my Winged Creatures collection first via Powerpoint and they seemed a bit disappointed by them, they said that birds don't sell well in the card industry particularly Magpies as they are scary and if they were to send them to their agent they would have to do something completely different. I understand now after further backup of this opinion (from Karen Little) that Magpies don't sell well, but I don't agree that birds don't sell well in cards, I just think they shouldn't be the main focal point in the card and should be perhaps be smaller and part of a more detailed design.
Contray to this though they said that the birds that didn't look like Magpies were more appealing and looked friendlier and they liked the quirky slogans that were written on them, they also added that in terms of a uni project they were good designs with a good concept 'one sorrow, etc' and that uni is the only time you get to doing something really elaborate and out there as in a marketable industry, elaborate designs don't get commissioned.
After I showed my Victorian Era cards and they were much more appreciated, they could identify a market with them and found them quirky, humorous and ready to sell, particularly the Disney cards and told me to produce more cards in that style as they are popular at the moment.
They also liked the Symbollic Structure cards adding that the 'Black cards' are a popular design as well and reminded them of the 'I love NY' design and that the 'Playing card cards' were clever and hadn't been seen before.
They summerised with although good and that the colour and concept is niche I should think about my imagery more, as birds are popular in the card industry, that it should be niche but still commercial and that the alternative market might seem niche but is very commercial, which I hadn't thought of like that.
They added that if I wanted to be more commercial I should focus on colour such as pink and blue which are signifiers for genders.
They also said that the colours looked better on screen than the printed out mock ups, which can be rectified by calibrating.
Overall I think Paper Salad had some very helpful points, it was interesting to hear their opinion about the 'Winged Creatures' cards, as this is something I am going to bare in mind for further card designs, although I do think the design would sell on another products. I was happy to hear their feedback about the 'Victorian Era' cards and the 'Symbolic Structure' cards as it was a relief to hear I'd got some direction towards my market right. They also likened my work to the work of Alice Palace and Polite Cards, which is something to bare in mind when thinking about marketing.
I showed my Winged Creatures collection first via Powerpoint and they seemed a bit disappointed by them, they said that birds don't sell well in the card industry particularly Magpies as they are scary and if they were to send them to their agent they would have to do something completely different. I understand now after further backup of this opinion (from Karen Little) that Magpies don't sell well, but I don't agree that birds don't sell well in cards, I just think they shouldn't be the main focal point in the card and should be perhaps be smaller and part of a more detailed design.
Contray to this though they said that the birds that didn't look like Magpies were more appealing and looked friendlier and they liked the quirky slogans that were written on them, they also added that in terms of a uni project they were good designs with a good concept 'one sorrow, etc' and that uni is the only time you get to doing something really elaborate and out there as in a marketable industry, elaborate designs don't get commissioned.
After I showed my Victorian Era cards and they were much more appreciated, they could identify a market with them and found them quirky, humorous and ready to sell, particularly the Disney cards and told me to produce more cards in that style as they are popular at the moment.
They also liked the Symbollic Structure cards adding that the 'Black cards' are a popular design as well and reminded them of the 'I love NY' design and that the 'Playing card cards' were clever and hadn't been seen before.
They summerised with although good and that the colour and concept is niche I should think about my imagery more, as birds are popular in the card industry, that it should be niche but still commercial and that the alternative market might seem niche but is very commercial, which I hadn't thought of like that.
They added that if I wanted to be more commercial I should focus on colour such as pink and blue which are signifiers for genders.
They also said that the colours looked better on screen than the printed out mock ups, which can be rectified by calibrating.
Overall I think Paper Salad had some very helpful points, it was interesting to hear their opinion about the 'Winged Creatures' cards, as this is something I am going to bare in mind for further card designs, although I do think the design would sell on another products. I was happy to hear their feedback about the 'Victorian Era' cards and the 'Symbolic Structure' cards as it was a relief to hear I'd got some direction towards my market right. They also likened my work to the work of Alice Palace and Polite Cards, which is something to bare in mind when thinking about marketing.
Presentation to Karen Little
I presented my work to Karen Little, who works professionally in the interior design industry and has been quite successful. I was really looking forward to receiving feedback from someone who is currently in the industry and working freelance to see if she felt my work was marketable.
I explained who my work was intended for, why I was interested in that area, where my inspiration came from, how I researched, what I enjoyed about the project and what I thought were my own strengths and weakness about my project. I showed her my sketchbooks and themeboards to show how I got to the final products. I behaved enthusiasticly about my project as I feel really positive about it anyway but felt like it would be a good approach to keep Karen Little engaged with the presentation, which is an approach I'm considering using for my Critical Studies presentation as it seemed to go well.
Her feedback was really interesting, she told me that she liked the majority of the cards and could see herself buying some of the cards, which was reasurring. She said my market was quite clear and she said she could see them being marketable to the alternative market that I suggested. She pointed out that the magpie cards were very niche and that magpies don't sell well in the card industry but they would make good wall art which is something to consider. She also gave me her contact card and told me she has good contacts with Hallmark so I wanted to contact them she would forward on Hallmarks contacts. This is such a good contact to have, as there is no harm in booking a portfolio visit with their visual directors.
Further feedback said I held a very comprehensive and expressive presentation and explained my journey in 3 distinctive different areas that all worked well together as a collection.
I found the whole presentation really uplifting and positive as well as informative, with the added bonus of getting Hallmark as a contact. I'm extremely happy with my feedback.
I explained who my work was intended for, why I was interested in that area, where my inspiration came from, how I researched, what I enjoyed about the project and what I thought were my own strengths and weakness about my project. I showed her my sketchbooks and themeboards to show how I got to the final products. I behaved enthusiasticly about my project as I feel really positive about it anyway but felt like it would be a good approach to keep Karen Little engaged with the presentation, which is an approach I'm considering using for my Critical Studies presentation as it seemed to go well.
Her feedback was really interesting, she told me that she liked the majority of the cards and could see herself buying some of the cards, which was reasurring. She said my market was quite clear and she said she could see them being marketable to the alternative market that I suggested. She pointed out that the magpie cards were very niche and that magpies don't sell well in the card industry but they would make good wall art which is something to consider. She also gave me her contact card and told me she has good contacts with Hallmark so I wanted to contact them she would forward on Hallmarks contacts. This is such a good contact to have, as there is no harm in booking a portfolio visit with their visual directors.
Further feedback said I held a very comprehensive and expressive presentation and explained my journey in 3 distinctive different areas that all worked well together as a collection.
I found the whole presentation really uplifting and positive as well as informative, with the added bonus of getting Hallmark as a contact. I'm extremely happy with my feedback.
Friday, 19 November 2010
Portfolio Visits
Bellybutton, Heaton Moor - 0161 9020200. rachel@bellybuttondesigns.com. Email sent awaiting reply.
Fred Aldous, Manchester - Too busy for in store app, send work as PDF to paul@fredaldous.net.
Oklahma, Manchester - Owner, Nicola Payne in Weds/Thurs. oklahoma.manchester@virgin.net. Email sent awaiting reply.
American Graffiti, Manchester - Owner in Mondays. Contact on 0161 2283677.
Not for ponies, Afflecks Palace - Contact owner closer to date. 07841871591.
Thunder Egg, Manchester - Owner, Mandy - 0161 2350606. thunderegg@tiscali.co.uk. Appointment cancelled. Awaiting confirmation of new one.
Magma, Manchester - 020 72429503. Left details awaiting reply.
Grin, Manchester - Call Owner Mark on Monday on 0151 7099810.
Urban Outfitters, Manchester - 0161 8176640. Contacted visual merchandiser at str207@urbanout.com. Awaiting reply. Usually available Tues/Weds.
Topshop, Selfridges - Visual merchandiser, Call Nicha on Monday on 0161 838 0735. Contact Head Office.xd
Joy, Sheffield - Contact Head office on 02078200575.
Papersalad - Contacted, awaiting reply via email. info@papersalad.co.uk.
Fred Aldous, Manchester - Too busy for in store app, send work as PDF to paul@fredaldous.net.
Oklahma, Manchester - Owner, Nicola Payne in Weds/Thurs. oklahoma.manchester@virgin.net. Email sent awaiting reply.
American Graffiti, Manchester - Owner in Mondays. Contact on 0161 2283677.
Not for ponies, Afflecks Palace - Contact owner closer to date. 07841871591.
Thunder Egg, Manchester - Owner, Mandy - 0161 2350606. thunderegg@tiscali.co.uk. Appointment cancelled. Awaiting confirmation of new one.
Magma, Manchester - 020 72429503. Left details awaiting reply.
Grin, Manchester - Call Owner Mark on Monday on 0151 7099810.
Urban Outfitters, Manchester - 0161 8176640. Contacted visual merchandiser at str207@urbanout.com. Awaiting reply. Usually available Tues/Weds.
Topshop, Selfridges - Visual merchandiser, Call Nicha on Monday on 0161 838 0735. Contact Head Office.xd
Joy, Sheffield - Contact Head office on 02078200575.
Papersalad - Contacted, awaiting reply via email. info@papersalad.co.uk.
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