Proposed Position Statement

Ten short statements that identify my distinctive 'positioning' as a Graphic Designer.

1. I feel my design skills lie more towards typography, layout and photography.
2. I am also aware of areas where I am less talented and can see ways to work around these, particular drawing/illustration where I would defiantly benefit from collaborating with someone else.
3. I think I can be quite good at generating ideas and have a practical minded outlook which in certain circumstances can be put to good use in graphic design, I enjoy exploring something new much more than repeating past results.
4. I enjoy using and have a keen interest in computers and technology, I think this should enable me to stay current in this fast paced industry.
5. I feel I would be more inspired, get more excited and do better work on briefs for larger companies, rather than doing a new logo for the plumber at the end of the street, I recognize this will probably mean joining a successful agency rather than freelancing, but will result in a loss of independence as a trade off.
6. Conversely, I know I would gain much personal satisfaction from working directly with a smaller client and being able to offer a service that can tangibly help there business, so maybe working for the plumber at the end of the street is not such a bad idea after all...
7. I know much of the design industry in the UK is centered in London but I know I don't want to be working there. I would however consider taking a job overseas, especially somewhere warmer in winter! 
8. I am comfortable with many aspects of business and have a fair understanding from previous experiences so feel I could work freelance without too many difficulties in this regard.
9. I also know I have weaknesses in many aspects of sales, pitching and presenting. this was borne out in my brief and unhappy career as a used car salesperson.
10. I know currently there is no shortage of graphic designers looking for work and to get it I need to be motivated and flexible, as well as skilled

Task Four: who else is out there - how good are they?

For this task I have evaluated the strengths and weakness of two independent practitioners. I chose a couple of UK based designers with a good internet presence. They both appeared in the top 20 google results for 'freelance graphic designer'.

This is a summery of my SWOT analysis of
http://www.alissajrobinson.co.uk/ and http://www.sarahpatience.co.uk/

Opportunities:

From this analysis I can see opportunities for me offer more varied services than either of these freelance designers do. Neither of these designers offer photography or motion graphics to clients, Only one offers web coding. The also don't offer a complete print service and just deliver clients artwork that they have to send to a printer themselves. I feel offering to deal with a printer on behalf of a client will be of interest to a lot of business clients who wont want the hassle of doing this. I think the biggest opportunity is to offer more design services, so a client wont have to use anyone else for design related tasks. It will be relatively simple to bring in other freelances as needed for projects that require skills I don't have. SWOT analysis is very useful to review what is already out there, and seeing how it can be done better.

Task Three

How will I promote myself, what do they want to hear? 

The marketing communication mix comprises of;

• Personal Selling 
• Public relations and publicity 
• Advertising 
• Direct Marketing 
• Promotions 
• The internet: WWW and Social Networking 

In this post I will evaluate which of these methods will be most appropriate for my own personal design practice to reach potential customers.

Personal selling is all about meeting people face to face and building a relationship with customers. As a freelance designer I could employ this method by approaching and presenting to potential new clients face to face. Larger organizations would employ a sales agent to take on this role but it would be more appropriate for freelance designers to represent themselves.

Public relations and publicity can be a very cost effective way of getting you and your work known to a wider audience. As a graphic designer, design competitions are one way of getting your work seen, usually you pay to enter these but winners are often widely published (in specialist publications). You have to be careful to make sure customers are aware and not just other designers. Doing 'free' design work for a charity or smaller community organization is also very good publicity, this can be picked up by local media and will raise your profile as a respectable practitioner, and it shows you care.
Advertising can be effective as long as it is targeted effectively to an audience.

A practicing designer should be very cautious about spending money to advertise their services. If you want to specialize in designing to a specific business sector, trade magazines might be effective in getting your services seen.

Direct marketing is marketing that will target a specific customer, for example I could collect names and addresses of previous clients to send out nicely designed Xmas cards or a reminder on the services I offer. Also I could target new customers in the same way if I knew the name and address of someone who might want to use my design work. This is a personal way of selling yourself, and if done well is very effective; the downside is the cost of printing and sending could potentially outweigh income gained from any new work.

Promotions should be handled with care, cutting prices will probably not be appropriate for me as a freelance designer, but offering something extra, doing more than a competitor can work when selling business to business.

The internet is now an important way to market any business, but having a well designed, professional looking website is especially vital for anyone working in the creative industries, this will go a long way to inspire clients confidence in my design abilities.

Lecture 2

This second lecture focused on PEST analysis and Market Segmentation.

Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis (PEST) Is used to look at the broader picture in relation to a business project. Looking at what is going on around you is vital to starting or maintaing a successful business. As a freelance designer it is obvious you need to keep up with the latest technology as computers have revolutionised how designers work in the last 20 years. It is important to look out for new technology in the pipeline that may impact on the way we work in the future. Political factors can effect the success of a small business as tax rates and the availability of grants will make an impact on profitability. Economic factors can effect a freelances ability to find work, for example in a recession there is less demand for graphic design as some businesses are financially stretched and cant afford this service. Currency exchange rates can effect the value of oversees work in relation to GBP if you are paid in the local currency. Social factors that would effect my freelance work would be understanding cultural differences if my work is to be used overseas. Language barriers can also an issue for international work.

Market segmentation is important to understand so you can effectively target your business at potential customers. Understand the needs of different market segments lets you define a clear market to target your work at. This could be very useful for a graphic designer that wants to attract more clients in one particular industry or income level for example. Understanding the behavior and values of good clients will help target other potential clients in the same segment of the market. To advertise effectively you need to be sure the customers you are targeting will engage with the medium you have chosen, will they be reading the magazine or website you have advertised in?

Lecture 1

This lecture focused on looking at the the ideas surrounding Marketing Mix and the Four P's classification by E. Jerome McCarthy.
For this blog post I will outline how each of these P's will impact of my future work as a freelance Graphic Designer.

Product:

This is simply what services I will offer and considering how these will benefits my customers.

I can offer design services that will be of obvious commercial benefit to business by promoting either the company itself through logo design, or working on designs for individual products or events. Additional services could include web site design.

Place:

This is where and how your product can be purchased. With graphic design it is possible to work internationally, as a web site can viewed globally. As a freelance working independently it makes most sense to work from home as this is far cheaper than renting office space. If I were to form a practice with other designers an office would be beneficial, the location of this can be an important factor in attracting clients, but there is a trade off in a higher cost for a commercially better location.

Price:

The cost of my services to the client. To calculate this it is important to know the value of my services in the current market-place. It is also vital to know the full extent of my own costs and expenses when creating client work.

Promotion:

This is all about finding and understanding who will be the best clients for my services. Graphic design can range from wedding invitations to corporate identities for multinational companies. Getting the attention of the right person and pitching your business at the correct level is the key to successful promotion I feel.