Jennie rivers information about freelancing

I have not written this report but it is information I have found on another blog written by Ester Freeman http://estherfreemantextiles.blogspot.com who was a tutor the year before last.  I just think this is perfect information to bare in mind for the future.  



•    Jennie Rivers is the owner and director.
•    She used to be a children’s wear buyer, for M and S, they trainer her to be a product developer over 10 year period, this involved looking at garments and making sure that the details were all correct, researching cost prices, renting factory spaces etc.
•    Jennie then did a degree at LCF.
•    The studio visits Indigo and NYC Print Source Shows.
•    Graphics, colour pattern – October 2007 she set up a design studio.
•    Looked for freelancers with commercial experience, talent and skills needed to pitch to retailers.
•    They wanted to be different within the markets so started with people who were highly skilled in hand drawn illustrations, getting back to grass root talent – linking with what was big on websites such as etsy etc.
•    They trained the freelancers how the industry works, showing the balance between the commercial and the creative – and how to make the designs into a format that the industry understands.
•    The design world is now more attuned to the Illustrator program, and vector based graphics.
•    Manufacturers or buyers have been given trends to follow and it’s your job as a studio and designers to match their needs.
•    Beclaires, Probasteel, Premier Vision – all do trend prediction publications.
•    Trends can be set by anything and are based on mainly the current/future cultural influences – technology/politics/colour/the economy etc have all been recent trends.
•    You can only ever buy what exists, and these could have been influenced by something in the trend predictions on some level.
•    When designing you have to have a direction, be open to buyers, have attractive colour ranges, and make a unique group.
•    You have to have a working understanding of the trends that exist.
•    Go onto designer forums, style sites and downloads the Puff’s (educational packages).
•    Be informed - research, have an updated blog, do shop reports, look at a wide range of blogs/publications and collections.
•    Link your own blog to other people. Look at someone like Abigail Brown at Portfolio or Julia Rothman – she is a great networker and self publicist, this has supported her to get to the position that she is at now – what events did she attend, who are her friends, how did she get famous?
•    If you promote your work under your own name, then you have to take responsibility for your own work.
•    If you work for a big studio, you would be expected to create up to 20 designs a day, and achieve 30/40% of those sold to keep your position. The competition is fierce!
•    Push different looks within your work, it is great to have your own ‘handwriting’ – a style that is your won, but you also have to be able to adapt to a variety of styles to make the most of the possible sales.
•    You have remembered the 4 key factors in being a designer and creating designs – employability, sellability, versatility and ability.
•    Create really cool designs, target the high end, establish who you are and research that you would like to approach for employment, be selective, whom does your work style suit?
•    Phone the studios that you would like to work with, they maybe rude, but know who and what style you are and they may be looking for and keep at it!
•    Your CV should be creative – readable, functional, have balance, show an understanding of colour, layout and typography. If you make a good impression with your CV it can open doors and studios talk! They may forward your details on.
•    Texture, hand drawn, repeat, flawless, swatch palettes, vector designs will all make your designs sellable.
•    If you lack in technical ability it will prevent you from selling designs, you should look to develop your IT skills continuously.
•    If you have an agent they will look for you to submit 10 designs a week, and will take 40% of the price paid, leaving you will 60% (designs will currently sell for £375 in Europe and $650 in the USA) you should expect to sell 10 designs at a show minimum.
•    You are paid when a client pays the agent/studio – that can be a big delay – on average 90 days.
•    If you have a contract with a studio or agent, it means that you still own your own work; you can get a license form Creative Commons to protect your work online. It is VITAL that you get one of these for the work on your blog. Or you can join Anti Copyright In Design (ACID) and put stickers onto all of your designs.

Jake Platt-Freelance Fashion Designer-(Portfolio contact)

I sent Jake a PDF of my some of my design work and this is the feedback he gave to me.  Jake was freelance at Henri Lloyd and now he is fully employed by dare 2b.

Looking through your collection is inspiring; you obviously have a flare for graphic design and print, for fashion and there are quite a lot of fashion company’s looking for in house graphic designers.

Your designs look strong as a collection because of their variety and because of your colour choices, you have obviously researched current and future trends to gain inspiration for your colour palette. I think the brightness of the pink in your women’s collection against the softer deeper tones works fantastically.

I like the way your work is laid out, clearly showing the range of prints you have created. Your line quality allows your designs to look varied, and one of the strongest aspects of this collection is how you have created delicate shapes and more bold street graphics and have combined them into one commercial collection. I also think your fashion illustrations work well because of their simplicity.

I would continue to research emerging trends and styling and print design, which will allow you to create even more exciting designs and make your portfolio even stronger. You obviously have a great understanding of print; I’d just suggest looking at existing prints on the high street and what people on the streets are wearing, to ensure your designs are always commercial and fresh.

I am delighted with Jake's feedback and will make sure i take his advise on board.

Future plans and ideas

Since I decided that I wanted to be a surface designer and work freelance for the commercial industry I have been thinking also about finding a business partner, at uni, a girl in my class Nichola has a style that although quite different to mine, it seems we have something that we could both work with and adopt a working style together.  I think the nice thing is that we both admire each others work and sometimes see different ways of making designs for one another.  It really helps when someone else can see something or have an idea that you wouldn't have thought of.  With our names Nichola and Dionne, we have decided to call ourselves Neon and work a couple of days a week from a trend prediction at her home because she has an attic office with room for two desks.  I think the positives about working with someone else are the fact you can bounce ideas around, have regular critiques about design work, keep motivated, go on trips together and share the experiences and learn from them as a team, share the costs to man a stand at the trade shows, make independent contacts as well as together,  and generally feel more positive about the business being successful.

We are going to start this routine as soon as we have fully completed the degree and have a look into funding towards a stand in February at Indigo Paris, if we are unable to get funding then a second job will help us raise the money whilst we are designing for it.  The other consideration is to visit a few trade shows as soon as we can to get some experience of how they work and what type of work is their, we could set up a website which can help with building clientele (this information came from Joshua Johnson who is a freelance designer) and Alex Russell. 

Blue Orchid based around Stockport and Manchester give free business advise and run short courses in different areas depending on the nature of your business so this is something we will investigate.  

We have all the equipment we need to start the ball rolling and will use a local printers each time we have new designs for our portfolio.  I have found one that I have been using on a regular basis recently called Logoprint in Manchester and have found them to be great quality with a fast and reliable service.  I am dealt with by the same person (Dave Garson) each time which really helps because he understands what I need each time I go. 

Contacts

I have sent a covering leter and attached a pdf with my recent designs on to the following companies so they can view them and hopefully give me some feedback.  I have also sent an e-mail to Lee Huggins who is a freelance fashion designer and again attached my design pdf for him to look at.  Lee Huggins is also based in Manchester and has either worked at or done work for the design studios listed below.

Covering letter:
I am a third year student studying pattern surface design for fashion, Lee Huggins gave me your name as a contact because I am looking to get some feedback on some of my portfolio designs.  I have attached a pdf for you to view if you have the time to do so, I would be really grateful for any feedback if it is not to much trouble. 

Kind regards
Dionne Genovese

Rajan imorts Ltd
Rajan House 61 Great Ducie Street
Manchester · M3 1RR (Road Map)
 Tel: 0161 8313700. Fax: 0161 8313716.
contact details: Karen seddon/yunis panda

Juice Corporation Ltd

16 Bury New Road
Manchester M8 8FR
0161 831 7550

Contact details: coocey

SRG imports

Unit 6 Mountheath Industrial Park Prestwich, Manchester, M25 9WB
p: (16128) 1 4400
http://www.srg-imports.com
Contact details: russ billington
Centenary House
1, Centenary Way
Salford, Manchester
M50 1RF
England

T: +44 (0)161 786 2200
F: +44 (0)161 789 5415

Source lab
sports clothing
Source Lab LtdLandmark House
Station Road
Cheadle Hulme
Cheshire
SK8 7BS

Email : sales@uksourcelab.com
Telephone : 0161 4881808
Fax : 0161 4857048Source Lab Ltd
contact :ANDREW RONNIE

Rose Barber/Sian Evans
Broadway Studios
28 Tooting High Street
London
SW17 ORG
sales@printtank.com (also wrote Print tank a letter)

Nell Fabric screen printing based in the Arts and craft centre.

Dear Helen, 

My name is Dionne and I am currently in my third year at University. I came to your studio a couple of weeks ago to see whether you would mind answering a few of my questions and look at my portfolio designs, you asked me to e-mail them to you.  Thank you very much for your time, I appreciate that you are very busy.  Please find attached my design pdf, i would be very grateful for any feedback you could give me.  

Where did you study and which area did you specialize in?

How did you start off after graduation? Did you need grants? Loans?...Did you have to raise much capitol?

I notice that the studio spaces in the craft centre are occupied by people who make and sell their work in the studio which i think is really nice, What techniques are you able to achieve working in your studio space?

Do you use digital printers to apply your designs onto fabric or do you do all the printing yourself? 

Do you ever get involved with trade fairs or similar places to sell/promote your work?

Do you advertise? if so how do you advertise and is it usually successful?

Do you work alone or with other practitioners?

Where do you find your inspiration for your work?

How do you keep yourself motivated if you are faced with quiet periods whilst working in the studio?

Do you have any tips or words of advise regarding working independently rather than working for a design studio?

I really hope my questions are not too demanding! I would really appreciate it even if you could only answer a few of them.  Thank you very much for your time and i wish you every success with your work I think your designs are really fresh and exciting.  

Kind regards

Dionne Genovese

Companies sources from indigo Paris website

I have sent a PDF with designs on to the following fashion companies, I found these on the Indigo paris website on the exhibitors list.

Circle line
Jeremy Somers/Dietmar Voegel
Unit e4
Dalston culture house
3 Bradbury Street
London
N16 8JN
info@circlelinedesign.com

gather no moss
Richard Crouse/James Hartley
56 Featherstone Street
London
EC1Y 8R7
info@gathernomoss.com

Paper and Cloth
Jennie Rivers/Kate Hindley
Portfolio Inovation Centre
51 Georges Avenue
Northampton
NN2 1SP
info@paperandcloth.net

The chocolate Factory2
Angela Merola/Lauren Robinson
Space 4
4 Coberg Road
London
N22 6UJ
info@studio9london.com

Rose Barber/Sian Evans-Print Tank (Portfolio contact)

I met Rose and Sian at the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, they came to meet the members of my class individually to look at our finished prints from the fashion brief that was set, it was good experience to get this type of feedback from a professional practitioner and I was pleasantly surprised with the feedback I received.

 Rose said that my strong points were use of color and sophistication in pattern in some of the silk prints. she also said that my elements in the designs were good and worked well together, she also said that as a collection my prints worked well and said she could see my work in places like Whistles that is higher fashion label. 

My downsides were that I hadn't made some of my samples big enough and also the cotton samples didn't work so well because the fabric wasn't thick enough and took away some of the colour because of the transparency in it. I agreed with all of the feedback I got and felt like i could take there advise into consideration next time I screen print by thinking more about the fabric i am printing onto for the best result, I will do more samples first.

I know I would like to work into some of my samples, maybe add a bit of stitch to enhance the colour in the cotton samples and back them up with another piece of fabric to make them slightly bigger and this will also give them a nicer finish.  

Rags to Bitches (contact report)

Rags to Bitches is a boutique in the Northern Quarter, I took a visit to the Boutique in order to find out more about them.  As a passer by the shop looks interesting with a real sense of style and sophistication.

The first question was 'are these garments re-worked?  No, the items in the Boutique are Vintage garments that have been specially selected, what makes them special to the customer is the fact the garments have been washed, dry cleaned and ironed so the clothes have a nice good as new feel instead of that second hand musty smell you would normally get.  

Around the shop are beautiful pieces of jewelery such a brooches, rings and necklaces.  The shop is decorated with elaborate pieces that sparkle, draping mannequins and spread out on pretty dishes that are also vintage.  The whole boutique makes you want to try on and touch, rich colors really catch your eye and inspire.  

You could buy a garment for a really special occasion or for a day or night out in the City. Another appealing aspect of this boutique is there is something for every occasion.  Spread out over two floors, you could enjoy trying on, the girls in the shop are really helpful and friendly.  

Workshops.  At Rags to Bitches they offer workshops to those who are interested in getting together for dressmaking tuition.  This is great for people who want to improve there existing skills, learn new ones or just exchange techniques.  

Other events.  They have fashion talks and other events such as hair and makeup nights where you can get tips and new ideas.

Do you have any other kind of interest with fashion apart from the vintage garments? Yes, I studied fine art and now I design my own patterns and screen print them onto fabric.

Do you sell any of them then? not at the moment but I am thinking about it...

Have you heard of any trade shows you could attend? yes, the fashion fairs are in Paris and New york, I know about one called Indigo and was thinking about going to that. 

Do you know how much it costs? I think its around £1000! its a lot of money, the other side to this is getting an agent to sell the work for me, however the agent gets a cut of the sale price.  Its probably better to get an agent though, that way I can work in the shop and let them show my portfolio around.

The Space-Blac (contact report)

Ciera Clarke-The Space-Blac at the Northern Quarter's Arts and craft centre.

Where did you study?

At Manchester college, 2yr H.N.D

How did you start up this business in the Arts and Craft centre in the Northern Quarter?

The college had a special funding scheme which enabled Ciera Clarke, Julia Roy Williams, Roshine McAulliffe and Hannah Lindenholm to work together in the Northern Quarters Arts and Craft Centre Boutique called "The Space".  The college however has decided to discontinue in the funding for this scheme but the girls are going to keep the shop going by renting out the space independently.  

What is your label called?

'Blac'

Do you sell your work anywhere else besides at 'The Space'?

They sell there work at other Gallery's on a sale and return basis, at a craft fair in Chorlton and the Christmas market stalls.  Selling work in gallery's isn't always as profitable because they take 50% commission for each item sold.  

How do you advertise?

They advertise via there own website, blogs, Myspace, Facebook and just recently had an article put in 'Model' which is a Manchester magazine.  

Do you know of any agency's that can give business advise?

Blue Orchid' and it's free. 

Do you travel anywhere other than Manchester to sell your work?

They like Camden and have plans to visit Brighton.  

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Art Deco and Bauhaus mainly using Metals, Plastics and Resins.  

Things I need to concider in order to become a freelance designer working from home. Issues and Practices.

During my time at University I have had a dramatic change of heart, when I first started on the course I was interested in making one offs for the boutique market, and I was practicing the techniques of screen printing onto fabric however I think it was new found confidence in my drawing and photo shop that led me to realise that I was actually passionate about working in the commercial environment working towards trend predictions to exhibit at trade shows.  I began to research how this could come into being and since then I have decided that I want to leave university and be a freelance fashion surface designer, I will create pattern surface using the process of drawing, scanning into the computer and digitally printing my designs using photo shop. 

I have lots of questions that must be addressed in order for me to leave University and start from home, I want to do this immediately but firstly how do I make this happen?

I have read lots of websites that all talk about the motivation needed in order to succeed as a freelancer.  This involves matters of self-motivation, good organisation skills and a professional working environment.  In order to start my freelance work I would need to make a space within my home where I can go and work, separating it from the other areas of home that are related to relaxing and spending time with family. 

The second priority for me is making sure I have the correct equipment in order to do the job, I already have a Mac which is in very good condition although I have considered buying a bigger one for design purposes, I am using photo shop at the moment but will spend time learning how to use Illustrator because I am aware that this software is also very good to use.  Once I have made my designs I will source a printers, I am currently looking around for a local printer that has the necessary machine to print them onto a3 sheets of paper for my portfolio, the reason for this is that if I was to buy one of my own it may be very expensive to maintain and also because I am just starting out it may not be cost effective, I can always think about buying one further down the line. 

The most worrying thing on my mind at the moment is once I have made my designs, where and how do I sell them? I have been using View Magazine which is a trend future forecast magazine, I am quite confident in working from it for my design work as this is a much cheaper option than subscribing online for it.  I know that David Shah who publishes this magazine has a very good reputation and I can trust that this is a safe option.  What I need to address is how to get myself to the trade shows.  I am mostly interested in going to Indigo Paris that happens twice yearly, it is much closer than print Source in New York and I can always exhibit there in the future if it seems cost effective.  Indigo Paris take your design work through a screening process before they decide whether you can exhibit their or not, I think the most important thing for me to do is actually go and visit the stands and get a feel of what type of print is exhibited their.  In order to visit the trade show I need to register online with them and buy an entrance ticket.  Many successful freelance designers such as Alex Russell have really emphasised the fact that trade shows are the best way to meet contacts and potential clients. 

I think that the next important thing to think about is finding an agent, it might be that with an agent I could actually have my work displayed at Indigo New York or Print Source a lot sooner because obviously I wouldn’t incur the travel and accommodation costs.  Again the trade shows are a great way to meet agents or people that could put me on to a really good one. 

I think the first year of leaving University will be my time to build contacts because many Freelance designer have stated that its who you know that opens doors and I can understand this due to the competitive nature of surface design. 

I have purchased a business name from Reg123 and called myself terrashell.co.uk.  I think creating a website would be another good way of promoting my designs and getting them out there.  I have not fully investigated how go about making a website yet but it is something I will investigate when I leave University.  I have however found a link from Alex Russell’s website and he has recommended a website called HTML Goodies which gives tutorials and information on how to create a good website. 

I think it is important for me to constantly look at the list of exhibitors at the up and coming trade shows, this may lead me to future portfolio visits and maybe even work.  I also think business cards are a good idea, I can always take them to the trade shows with me and if I get talking to someone in the same field as me it would be a good way of promoting myself.  

I have decided to work with another person two days per week because I know that working completely alone does not really suit me, working with someone else gives the chance to bounce ideas around and have critiques which I have always found extremely useful at university.  We have been discussing ideas such as visiting the next Trade show at Indigo Paris in February next year and in the meantime find places where we can exhibit our work and find contacts. 

Jessica Williams

Both images by Jessica Williams.

I was looking on a blog today called print and Pattern and came across a freelance print, graphic and textile designer called Jessica Williams who graduated from Manchester Metropolitan in 2006. She appears to be having great success designing for many high street shops such as Topshop, Next, Miss Selfridges as well as doing illustration work for places around Manchester like Retro Rehab and Trof. I was instantly attracted to the nature of her style, her use of scale and color is really interesting and exciting to look at. She has a fantastic website showing her sketchbooks, designs and prints. The unfortunate thing is that there is no contact information anywhere for her, she is based in Manchester and works both in Manchester and London, I have read on the Print and Pattern blog that she works as a senior print designer in house for different fashion suppliers, she has just recently gone fully freelance. I will research more about Jessica Williams and try and find contact information because I would really like to visit her for a portfolio visit and ask her questions about trade shows and working as a freelancer.

Alex Russell Vs Tracy Kendall

I have chosen to write about Alex Russell who works from a freelance studio called Creative services, he is a surface designer for fashion, furnishing, interior, editorial and trend forecaster. I will compare his work with Tracey Kendal who is a freelance wallpaper designer.

I have been to a lecture held by both of these designers and found that I related to certain aspects of their work and found there knowledge and insight very useful and inspiring.

Alex Russell talked about his experience and explained that as well as working as a freelance designer he also lectures at Manchester School of Art where he teaches design and fabric printing. He showed lots of images of his work, which I saw to be quite illustrative and in some cases very hand drawn using lots of line and sometimes with a child like appearance. In many cases he just uses a pen to draw but also uses mixed media and then takes them through a digital process in order to add colour and add extra effects. He talked about how drawing was a constant part of his work but finding the time to do that becomes a bit more tricky whilst he has lots of work on so he finds the time for this while he is outdoors or stuck in a traffic jam! He will doodle ideas that come to him and be inspired by his surroundings. He talked about the importance of building an archive of drawings and found images to inspire ideas when he can’t find the time to draw something new because most of the time a job will come to him and he will only have a day or so to complete the work, he talked about how jobs are fast paced and have to get used to working quickly and how in time he has developed the knack of trusting his instinct and making a design look good in a short pace of time, I was impressed by his enthusiasm for his work and confidence in his own ability and style.

He shows his work twice a year at indigo Paris through an agency called Amsterstampa, his work is also featured with other businesses such as Manuva who sell limited edition prints.

He discussed his passion for travelling to different places and the importance for this was the diversity in culture’s, which can trigger a mixture of influences and ideas.

Tracy Kendall held a lecture and here she discussed her background, which was fine art, and also lectures at a University, she tends to work with elements that she finds in order to make a print rather than actually draw, however she will draw occasionally.

Kendal spoke about the fact that men dominate the interior trade, for this reason she chooses to create masculine colour schemes and minimalistic themes such as single elements that are strong and charismatic. This works well for her as her work sells at trade shows and stands out amongst the male designers.

They both gather their inspiration in a similar way even though the outcomes are much different. Inspiration is sourced through eclectic findings when they are going about normal day-to-day life. Both artists enjoy spontaneity and I think that this comes through in their work. Kendal collects random findings and stores them away for a rainy day where she will look through and pull out things she may find as a useful source of inspiration for that particular time. When she spoke about doing this it reminded me that it's something I should do more of because I like working in this kind of way. I like the spontaneous nature of it; you could also link random found objects together and come up with something you would never have thought of.

They both work for themselves and totally depend on their own motivation in order to get work. Kendal worked in a school first before setting out independently. They both much prefer being self-employed, being there own boss. Now that they have both become quite successful they are able to generate regular work and both have built in confidence within themselves as practitioners. Both artists emphasised that it takes time to build a good profile and you have to work hard to keep up a good reputation and consistent body of work, this strengthens your ability to seek and find good relationships with people and keep involved with regular work, also once you make a good impression with someone they will always remember you.

I think above all both practitioners proved that no matter where you start off, gaining contacts is the best way to open new doors and lead you to other opportunity’s, even though Tracy Kendal started off as a fine artist and a teacher, she ended up being a very successful freelance wallpaper designer and Russell started off working for someone else before he started his very own freelance business. They both made a point of saying that work seems to come to them quite naturally; all of a sudden it just began to happen naturally. Maybe this is because after all their hard work they are becoming much more noticed by professionals around them and they are just being modest! But putting this comment into perspective I can see how a positive outlook can create a good impact in your work and make it attractive to the outside world. I suppose confidence is the key.

Kendall made it very clear that it is very important as a designer to constantly ask questions and this way you can continue to push your ideas to the limit.

Tracy Kendall

Tracy Kendall came to talk about her work. In the lecture she discussed her educational background and working experience so far.

She studied a BA in Fine Arts and specialized in screen printing. She then worked in technical support at the Royal college for 18 years and practiced digital printing during that time. In 1996 she left the Royal College to design wallpaper and went to the contemporary fair in New York.

Tracy Kendall gets her inspirations from magazines, photographs and random findings in the street. She is constantly with a camera and takes photographs of things she finds interesting, she said it could be a stack of books or a pavement. She keeps all of her inspirational findings in a large bag and when she feels like it she will have a rummage through and be sure to find something exciting to help her with a design or idea. She is inspired by fashion all of the time, this continues to be her main inspiration.

Her career took off quite naturally and out of the blue. It all came about through her wanting to redecorate her kitchen, all of the wallpapers she liked were much too expensive so she decided to design her own pattern since she had the printing skills! She designed a simple pattern where she enlarged a knife, fork and spoon. Her design soon became noticed by some of her friends who came to her home and where involved with the creative profession. Her designs began to be noticed by Habitat and they bought the rights to apply her design elements onto lampshades. She is now very much involved with dealing with the trade.

During her presentation she talked about the importance of asking questions all of the time when you are a designer, she works with organic things a lot of the time for instance, if she sees a feather she likes she wouldn't just pick one, she would pick hundreds of feathers because each one is different and unique in its own right. Then she would look at the feathers and ask questions about them. For a wallpaper that is white with a one single feather print on it, the feather needs to strong, it needs to be beautiful....

She is used to doing trade shows on a regular basis in Milan, London and new York, this is how she mainly promotes her work.

She raised an interesting point about the fact that male designers dominate the interior design and architect industry, the reason for this is they are attracted to a more masculine colour palette, she is very clever in the way that she uses black and white and minimalism most of the time in order to appeal to the male designers at the shows, and for that reason she does well. minimalism makes the impact in her designs.

Another good piece of information was regarding the quality of a photograph. If you give a journalist a really good quality photograph, they can use it in a magazine to help promote your work. She was also talking about the importance of editorial spreads because they can bring in serious money, you can receive thousands of pounds for just one spread! She never pays for advertising, so the quality is very important. Through these magazine spreads she gained a lot of interest a couple being Whistles and she designed the changing room interior for Frost French. Obviously this is just a small example.

As she has become more and more successful, this has enabled her to employ an agent in New York to sell her work.

Karen Little (Portfolio Contact)

I arranged to show my portfolio to Karen Little who is a freelance designer for mainly interiors. I had some older designs as well as recent drawings and digital designs that are in working progress.

The first advice that Karen gave me was to know exactly which market I am aiming for and to spend a lot of time researching this, as this insight can really help when showing design work to certain companies.

My a3 fridge and typewriter design was the first two to be looked at. She said that my fridge design would suit kitchen apron or kitchen wallpaper. When I designed it I had a tea towel in mind but now I can see how it would change the appearance of the design and applying it to the wall would be more fun and quirky, she also mentioned that in the design I have the word Lunch written on some of the fridges, she said the design could look more expensive if I wrote different words such as dinner, tea, lunch, supper ect.

My typewriter design, Karen couldn’t necessarily place where this would fit because of its graphic nature, however she said that it was very commercial and could be used in a magazine or advertising, as well as stationers or alongside some text like an editorial piece or something. She said that my drawing style had a very nice naivety and freshness to it.

She said that my repeat bike design was a nice thing, and said that it would suit the gift side of things; she said the drawing was pretty and had a lovely feeling to it.

I next showed her two Christmas gift-wraps that I designed for a Whittards project last year, she said that she really liked these because the goats were really well drawn and the concept of the goats discovering coffee beans added a nice humour to it.

She said the repeat pattern was perfect and some of the lines that were not completely straight within the repeat added a quirky sense of charm, she also said these designs were just the type of design Hallmark would be interested in and said that I should think about contacting them in the future. She said that from what shed seen so far, she thought I suited the gift market very well and said I had a very special drawing style. She told me about how at Christmas the gift market like shiny things and thought that this design would look good with flat colours on shiny, she felt that the gift wrap had a retro feel to the colour pallet I had chosen and thought it worked well.

Karen said that she thought my most previous work was more exciting because it has nice depth and decoration and I have used different scale and placement and as a lot of people are drawing floral I am not doing the obvious, she said my drawings were ornate, intricate and jewel like and gave her the feeling of being highly decorative like Klimt. She said that I should add Jewels and shiny things that are full in some areas and less in others. Some of my drawings made her think of threaded diamonds going up a dress. I will defiantly consider adding these types of embellishments to my digital printed designs in the future because I think it will give my design work something extra special.

Karen said that in design it’s becoming less and less floral and more geometric, she said that simple geometrics and leaves were an eternal source of inspiration.

I asked Karen if she thought my work suited the commercial market and she said that it did because I can draw and can use pattern and shape well, she said she thought I could be a good designer and to look at the general market high end to mass market and to be more confident in my own ability. She said I should look at how interiors are looking today and how creative I can be in all different areas.

I asked Karen about choosing colour pallets from trend predictions in magazines such as View; she said that it does not necessarily have to be chosen from a set pallet in the magazine. She said the colours being shown should influence me to set my own original palette. I was unsure about how strict the rule was regarding colour pallets so I am pleased to learn that it is freer than I first thought at the commercial trade shows. Karen said that there are no limitations with design and said they are even using half drawn motifs falling off the edge in pattern design now so there are even less boundary’s!

Karen said that New York is very interested in British design, I am already aware of Print Source trade show that is held in New York and will think more seriously about sending some of my work to be screened by them and find out as much as I can about exhibiting my work their. After speaking to Karen I realised that I do have potential and felt more confident about my own style. I also learnt that it pays off to push the boundaries in design because it’s those designs that turn heads and make people take notice.

Alex Russell questions and answers

Being Freelance

Q What would you say are the advantages of working freelance rather than working in a studio?

A I like being my own boss (although I'm a bit of a slave driver).  My ambitions have changed a little since i started (i used to do some fine art, plus illustration that wasn't fashion and textile related), but i like the variety of working for different clients, doing (say) contract furnishings one week and high street fashion the next.  I don't think you can be nearly as flexible in a studio setup.

Q Will i have to work hard if I'm freelance?

A Be prepared to work very hard, very hard.  Think run up a degree show, add an extra bit and imagine that the whole year round, especially when you first start.  You do need to be really self motivated, especially if things aren't selling.  This isn't meant to put you off; if you love doing it, it will be fine, but unless your very, very lucky, it is a lot of work. 

Q Is it important to hit deadlines and answer briefs?

A Being able to keep to deadlines and answer deadliness is completely important-if you produce something that is too late and isn't what the client wanted anyway, they are unlikely to use you again.  

Q What made you go freelance?

A I chose to go freelance because i thought it would give me more variety and challenges.  I like working in lots of different styles and really like being my own boss.  Doing this is definitely a vocation for me rather than just a Job, I'm very lucky.  I know what i want to do, i get to spend all day doing it, and people seem to want to pay me for doing it. 

Q What advise would you give to people getting started freelance?

A To a large degree, its not what you know but who you know.  this is a cliche, but is very true.  Your address book should be one of your most prized possessions and you should always be adding to it.  

Don't wait for people to  come to you, it vital you get your work seen.  Get out there, knock on doors.  Art and design is a worldwide business, don't be afraid of making contacts anywhere.  

Don't be scared, the worst that can happen is that someone can say no, if they do, be polite and ask them if there is anyone else they know that might be interested in what you do.  

Be patient, it can take months or even years for a client to get back to you.

  

Be prepared to work very hard.  

Never, ever be tempted to mess with copyright laws.  its a surprisingly small world and if you rip some people off, others won't touch you with a barge-pole.  

Be flexible, but not stupidly so.  You should try and say "yes, i can do that for you" to as many clients as possible (especially when you first set up), but you need to be realistic about what is physically possible.

Don't waste any time doing lots of research to find the best bank; they are all pretty much the same.  if ethical investment is important, go with a co-op.  You should have a business account, but if you trade in your own name and don't tell the bank, you can just make this a normal current account and not have to pay business account charges.  

Keep on top of your books (accounts), if you don't think you can do this, or if your just starting out, get a good accountant.

Self motivation is vital; you also need to be able to enjoy working under pressure and to have good time management skills.  Finally, if you enjoy doing the designs, it will show, don't forget to have fun.  

Q What's the biggest difference being a student and working freelance?

A The time factor, generally speaking, you have to work much, much faster than when your a student and you don't have the time to explore heaps of different ideas.  Its important to get good at quickly working out if an ideas has legs (or if it good, but not right in this particular context).  Of course, this is where past experience come in handy, and these skills start to grow as a student when you have got the time.  it's not unusual for me to out together 10 or so designs in a couple of days.  

Alex Russell

I have been on Alex Russell's website because he works from a freelance design studio and this is what I want to eventually do.  His current clients are in fashion and interior, he also predicts future trends.  He has a very useful link to the most popular questions he has been asked from students like myself who are thinking of becoming freelance designers.  At the moment i am researching into how agents can be found, how to find the best trend predictions, what equipment i should invest in, how to find a business partner, what grants i can apply for and the best way to execute my designs.  I have not found all the answers on the questions and answers link but he has answered a few and it has also made me think of other things that i hadn't thought of, like other ways in which i could show my designs (on a CD) and the fact that going to trade fairs (such as Indigo) is a very good way to start building relationships with agents and can lead to making appointments to go and show them your work. He has given very useful advise about the nature of being a freelance designer which has helped me gain a better understanding of how hard it is in the beginning when things might not be selling but it takes great motivation in order to succeed.  He also talks about the importance of building contacts. 

Printsource New York

Printsource New York is a trade fair for textiles.  They hold three shows a year showing surface and textile designs from 10 different Countries.  They have a fashion review their held by the worlds leading trend forecasters. Paper and Cloth advertised on their website that they had attended Printsource New York on the 24th August 2010.  

Print Tank Questionnaire

How did you initially start Print Tank and why?

What do you think makes you a good team/business partners?

Did you carry out any Market Research when you first started out?

What is the most valuable thing you have learnt as a designer?

Do you know of any grants that are worth applying for being over 30?

Would you advise having savings in place before starting as a freelance designer?

Have you ever taken any business courses, if so which ones would you recommend?

What equipment do you have set up in your studio in order to achieve your day to day work?

which trade shows do you personally take part in per year ?

Do you employ an Agent? Accountant? (full/part)

Have you been effected by our current financial crisis, if so how has this effected you?

What advise would you give to any new designer in 2011?

Print Tank

Print Tank are based in Camden, Rose Barber and Sian Evans have both run there own business since 2004 and produce pattern surface designs for fashion.  I am very interested in the nature of what they do because I myself want to be a freelance designer, at first I will have to work from home because I need to start earning money before I could think about getting my own studio.  I spoke to both girls last year about how they started out and they were telling me about how they worked from home to begin with, with just the minimum equipment to print off their designs and take them along to the trade fairs.  They are both extremely talented and it was there hard work that payed off and led them to eventually be-able to afford the studio right in the heart of Camden.  All of their designs are hand drawn and then manipulated using computer aided design.  I am in the process of putting together a number of questions which they will hopefully have the time to answer, my questions are all linked to starting off, the more i find out the easier it will be a successful designer.  

Research into freelance work (Joshua Johnson)

I have been researching into things I need to consider for becoming a freelance designer when I leave college. How do I promote myself in order to attract potential clients? I found a website today called Design Shack, here Joshua Johnson who has been a freelancer for many years gives very useful information about how to go about getting your portfolio seen. Joshua Johnson has signed up to all the free portfolio sites, he has recommended Coroflot, krop, Sortfolio and Carbonmade. he says that online portfolios are becoming more and more popular because the more content you have on the web the more search-ability you will have.

Another good way to tell potential clients about who you are and what kind of work you do is by designing your own website. He shows how to make a single page portfolio called 10 expert tips for designing a one page portfolio. You can click on the highlighted text to have a look.

Looking for work as a freelance designer seems daunting to me as I have no experience in selling my work or who to sell it to so I am researching other designers to get ideas and hopefully get advise that can help me as a beginner. Joshua Johnson says that there are job sites such as monster and Hot jobs but because there are thousands of applicants its very difficult to actually find work through them, however its still worth applying but not for a regular income. He highly reccommends a website called craigslist, the best sources for contacting potential clients apparently come from this site, if you are interested in a job you just send out am email to the provided email address. You can send a link to your online portfolio, i can see why it is important for your portfolio to stand out because there will be thousands of applicants for one job!

Another way to search for freelance jobs is by doing a search on Google. Joshua says that he very recently used google maps to search jobs and found it to be very good, he got quite a few jobs out of it. he searched for marketing agencies, design firms and printers. he says when you click on a business you can go to there website and locate there contact information. You can then send them a friendly email to introduce yourself and your work.

Twitter has a thriving design community that can open you to opportunities and is one he uses from time to time. There are smaller job boards such as freelance switch. The smaller sites will attract less traffic which could work to your advantage.

He recommends that before you take on any work, you should know how you will be billing the client. I have found one called paypal, this is an online invoicing system set up to be safe, fast and effective. Most online payment systems are either free or very affordable.