Life's a Pitch: Business Plan

1.The nature of your business

1.     Business name              

THE!

2.     Business activity

                  What do you do?

Branding
Promotion
Packaging
Publication
Interactive installation

3.     Mission statement

The creative solutions that enables brands to grow and interact with there market and beyond.

4.     Business objectives

·       What are you plans to achieve your sales target in the first 12 months?
Our plan is to expand small, local brands by designing event, exhibitions and installations in order to get known for entertaining, well executed and creative ideas.

·      What new products or services will you introduce in the following two years to grow your business?
We will offer more developed services in digital, packaging, promotion and publications.

·       What is your long term / 5 year goal?
We will begin to start rebranding and offering a complete service in branding identity and strategy for well known commercial brands.

5.     The people in the business

·       How many people are employed?
Four

·       What are their roles?

Imogen - Human resources
Tom - Finance and admin
Greta - Client contact
Michael - Legal person

6.   What is the structure of your business?

·       Describe the organisation – draw a diagram if appropriate

Project manager - decision maker / pitch to client (Imogen)
Researcher - Person who goes and research (Michael)
Art worker - Person who puts design together (Tom)
Visual Engineer - Craft maker (Greta)

7. What is the legal status of your business?

·       Is it Limited Company or partnership, social enterprise, cooperative or are you a sole trader?

·       Why have you chosen this status – what are the advantages

Limited company - we start off with equal shares and amount of money put into the company. 

________________________________________________________________________________

2. Resources

1.   Products or services

·       Describe the range of goods/services you are selling

                  Say what percent of turnover each will provide ( e.g. boutique – 20% clothing, 60% jewellery, 20% hats)

Branding - 20%
Promotion - 20%
Packaging - 20%
Publication - 20%
Interactive installation - 20%

D&AD Brief in - Leeds

Brothers and Sisters
http://www.brothersandsisters.co.uk

D&AD rebrand - the power of yellow

50 years running

Criteria - 

• great idea
• well executed
• on brief

Entry deadline - 20th march

Results - mid may

Graduate Academy - 2 weeks long

Brass

http://www.brassagency.com

Andrew Brown

Digital/Websites

• understand your strengths
• what makes you special?
• portfolio - same briefs other have done
• taking opportunity to doing anything whilst you can - put that in your book eg. granddads garage promotion etc.
• D&AD is like a massive uni brief for everyone
• Well done and well crafted - out of uni stuff
• Uni/D&AD briefs 
• do crazy options - go further with it
• got opportunity to do it whilst your a student without client choosing safe option
• go to all different mediums - explore beyond what you think
• think outside of what they do - want to see this in students!
• economy 
• effected what people want
• develop some super powers (not a jack of all trades)
• focus on what you do - ideas and execution
• deep knowledge - practice everyday
• put your skills together

Challenges

• Create a type in 3D software
• Set up a Facebook group about anything - do a tiny ad for it - see who's interested
• Soundscape (sounds booth Adobe) 8 minute sound - stretch/fade/experiment
• Learn to write a french poem
• Code an android app
• Spend a night drawing
• Mess about with photography
• Create a stop motion animation

GET IDEAS

COLLABORATE 

get skills off other people
 

Elmwood - Ben and Stephen

• What do you look for in a graduate?
• not about your work
• work 50% you 50%
• good ideas
• craft skills
• intelligence
• nice person
• Where I want to work?
• find where you fit
• find your voice
• follow people on twitter etc.
• get voice out there
• When do I start looking for placement?
• now
• get in early
• Getting in touch
• simple rules
• name
• send a mailer
• send a pdf
• write a really good email
• show interest - flattery
• be nice
• keep it short
• In your Portfolio:
• do you like it?
• does it say something different?
• is it relevant?
• whats the story? - no your work and talk about it
• Put enough work in but not to little/much
• If you do a CV:
• be appropriate - no costa for 3 months
• way it looks 
• Get involved in your placements
• Make a round of tea
• involved and get to talk to people
• Might not always go right
• its about peoples opinions
• someone might love it someone might hate it
• Students awards 
• do them

It was really inspiring getting advice from people in the industry in well known and accomplished companies. I spoke to Andrew from Brass after and said to add him on twitter and let him no how my business card idea works out... not sure what he thought but no harm in trying.


Looked him up and found this interview:

Andrew J Brown - Brass

   Andrew J Brown

   Creative Director

   Brass

   Website: www.brassagency.com

   Twitter: @brassagency

   YouTube: YouTube.com/brassagency

   "A new agency 28 years young. Brass is a new breed of marketing communications agency. Using new insight, ideas and technology, we help clients succeed in a world of constant change."  

What do you actually do?
Work on strategy and creative delivery and look after an eclectic department of writers, designers, 3D animators, coders, film makers, and art directors.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing that? 
Mostly drawing cartoon dogs.

How did you get started in the industry?
I answered a really confused advert in the job centre that didn't really know what they wanted. I didn't really know what I wanted either so I was the perfect candidate. Then someone invented the internet and the rest is history. 

What's your current favourite piece of creative work at the moment?
I liked the scary girls in the Chapman brothers' thing at White Cube.

What do you love about your job?
I've done the same thing for the last 15 years and it's been different every 6 months. Taking on an industry that didn't even exist when we started was ace, the speed of change in terms of what computers are capable of and how people use them has meant that we've been able to explore everything from experimental websites to games, movies, animation, music, events and installations.

If you could give one piece of advice for someone starting out, what would it be?
Embrace it all and just do stuff and see what happens. I think that the people who succeed in creative industries see their work as a vocation rather than an occupation. If you're not the sort of person who would be doing this even if no-one was paying you then you're probably not the right person to be doing it for money.

If you have one Super power what would it be?
Just the ability to remember things would be handy for me to be honest.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
I'd like to be an author, or a film director, or an artist, or make a really cool computer game, or be in a rock band or a famous flamenco guitarist, or maybe run a theatre company or make fireworks or something.

What was your worst job and what did you learn from it?
Picking & Packing at Next Warehouse. Not to smoke before work.

You have already worked with some amazing brands, who would you like to work with next?
It can be surprising who you work for that offers the most fun or opportunity for creativity. I really enjoyed working with the BBC recently, so I guess I'd like to do more entertainment content mash ups.

Iphone or Blackberry?
Neither. Both. Actually I like my Android, it's the only phone left that still lets you in.

Your favourite app?
At the moment – worms J. Go Team17.

Too Cool for School or too School for Cool?
Too old skool for cool school

Facebook or Twitter?
Depends what I've had for tea.

Eat In or eat out? 
Shake it all about.

http://www.creativepool.co.uk/articles/5-minutes-with-leading-advertising-design-media-professionals/Andrew%20J%20Brown%20-%20Brass

Creative Networks

http://leedsmade.co.uk

Leeds Made is a new collaborative project which showcases businesses and organisations, old and new, based in Leeds.

The icon is based on the historical ‘Leeds Owls’ also to be seen on the leeds crest reaching back as far as 400 years.

The established and ‘start up’ focus of the initiative is emphasised by the two owls… one looking foward, the other back. 

http://www.weareboxhead.com

http://www.thisiscatalogue.co.uk

http://dotsprint.co.uk

The talk by David Shrigley was entertaining and inspirational. It was interesting to hear about his work and the way he works but also how he gets paid to do stuff that doesn't even get used. He had a good sense of humour about his work and practice but was also very humble. I felt I learnt a lot from listening to someone in the creative industry, although a different one, it really opened my eyes to how being you and you doing what you want to do is important and it doesn't mean no body wants it just because its your thought/idea/way.

STUDY TASK 6 - What do 'They' do?

Candy Black Design
http://www.candyblackdesign.com
Branding/Digital Media/Print Design/Interior Design/Typography&Illustration/Photography&Film

Strengths:
There services all interlink and can be used collectively to provide design solutions
They work one on one with clients
Clear focus in design interests

Weaknesses:
Small company so they can only do a certain amount of work at a time between them
Harder to survive in the current economy 

Opportunities:
They have taken:
To work collaboratively with interior and graphic design
Seen a gap in the market for design for a boutique style
They haven't taken:
To work with other people and designers

Threats:
The economy dropping even further
The demand for design in more technologic formats
Social change of style - The boutique style going out of fashion


Elmwood
http://www.elmwood.com
Branding

Strengths:
Established
Worked with well known brands
Been credited and have won awards
Independent
Good at increasing brand and product value

Weaknesses:
Don't take full advantage of the technology market
Don't use the environment opportunities to expand the brands

Opportunities:
Branched out across the world and have multiple studios
Work with freelancers

Threats:

Other big brand companies

There approach going out of date

DesignBridge
http://www.designbridge.com

Strengths:
Large client base
Large global market
Years of experience
Independent but have different locations
Worked with big brands
Moved across different markets

Weaknesses:
Expanding there design to other aspects such as interior
Considering the environmental opportunities with the brand

Opportunities:
Have there own awards - do student ones for final year students - find new talent
Have there own marketing team - help bring better-targeted products faster to market

Threats:
Other branding companies
Being overtook by the technology age

Who am I competing against?

Other students do creative studies, graduates, students to be and the professionals

What do they offer?

Skills, experience, different approaches

What makes me better?

Honest and friendly person, willing to work for what I want

What makes me different?

Think my own way and have my own experiences to capitalise one 

It's hard to evaluate and analysis companies based on what you see without experiencing it. Theres an obvious gap within these companies where they aren't taking full advantage of the technology and digital generation which is rising and expanding more and more. This is an opportunity for my own practice to advance in in order to get ahead of my competition. It is also an opportunity to explore more media to work with and expand my creative thinking to new realms of possibility and develop my practice. The whole of my practice does need to be improved in execution and craft of final ideas in order to display to there full potential. These design agencies displayed there work professionally and clearly and this is something that is a weakness of my own as time restraints and restrictions lead to me limiting my practice and execution. I need to strengthen this in order to beat competition as my ideas won't be reflected well by something that is finished badly. I have the opportunity to be the fresh meat that the industry is looking for and need to work with my strengths of idea generation and enthusiasm for all things creative in order to capitalise and benefit from it.

Study Task 5: Who am I? - Who are 'THEY'?

Possible client groups that use graphic design in the development, production, distribution, promotion and/or communication of their products or services:

Retail

• department stores
• discount stores
• warehouse stores
• independent stores
• variety stores
• speciality stores
• general stores
• convenience stores
• hypermarkets
• supermarkets
• mall
• e-tailers
• vending machine

Music industry

• independent studios
• commercial studios
• agencies
• bands
• singers

Film industry

• in film branding
• films
• agents
• actors
• actresses
• cinemas
• sets

Beauty

• models
• agents
• catwalks
• agencies
• hairdressers
• nail salons
• beauty salons
• tanning salons
• beauty therapist

Health

• hospitals
• doctors
• surgeries
• fitness instructor
• independent gyms
• commercial gyms
• support groups

Publishing 

• book stores
• e-book stores
• publishers
• publishing companies
• authors
• independent publishers
• newspapers
• magazines
• periodical publishing
• directory publishing
• tie-in publishing
• academic publishing

Education

• primary school
• secondary school
• sixth form
• college
• nursery
• play group
• university
• home school tutors

Religion

• churches
• mosques
• synagogue
• anti-religious groups
• charities

Government

• politicians
• foreign and commonwealth office
• HM Treasury
• home office
• ministry of defence
• Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Ministry of Justice
• Department for Education
• Department for Communities and Local Government
• Department of Health
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• Department for International Development
• Department of Energy and Climate Change
• Department for Transport
• Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Hospitality and Leisure

• restaurants
• bars
• cafes
• coffee shops
• hotels
• spas
• sport stadiums
• music arenas
• clubs

Cultural

• exhibitions
• galleries
• dance groups
• artists
• photographers

Client group to focus on - Retail: 

• What skills / interests you have and how they relate to the needs of your client group?

Skills: web design, print, creative ideas in different mediums

Interests: branding, interior design, visual merchandising, interactive

They relate to the needs of my client group because they need a graphic idea that will communicate across a range of mediums in order to promote and brand themselves as well as there products to attract custom. The interior aspect of my interest is suitable to the environment which is most convenient for the consumers to access.

• What skills are needed and what skills do you want to develop?

Skills needed: to design in range of formats, be creative and have stand out ideas, technical knowledge, industry awareness

Skills want to develop: thinking more creatively (what hasn't been done before?), technical knowledge in different areas such as film and motion graphics

It's important for there products and brand to stand out against the mass market of retail therefore I need to be skilled in designing with skill of the industry to be aware of there current audience and potential audience. The creativity and technicality of the design or idea will also determine the price as the more quality that goes into the materials or the production of products and service will represent the market and its willing expenditure. Developing skills in areas such as film and motion graphics is important for the promotion of the retail client group and as everything is now more interactive and more digital.

• What are your professional/creative aims and how do they relate to the needs of the client group?

My professional and creative aims are to work within branding but to be able to get involved in a range of formats and media that I may not know extremely well but are able to work across when designing and experiment with. This relates to the need of the client group because they are always looking to expand there brand and improve on it as well as making it more publicly known through different and creative techniques.

It shows that any kind of aspect of the world out there can be designed or assisted by design in some way. I've found it good use by looking at different sectors of industry and where clients may lie within whom I would be interesting in working and designing for. It's also good practice as it helps you identify the area of the market that you could target who need design and don't realise it and also identify the area that you want to work within and have interest in. Although I don't want to limit myself there are obvious areas when looking that jumped out at me which made a connection with my design aims and ideas. In particular retail, hospitality and cultural as it's linked in with the type of design and aspects of design that I listed that I was interested in. The 4 P's (Product/Price/Promotion/Place) are key to the retail market and the communication through the different design aspects between the four parts is what makes businesses successful.

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