Answer
Evaluating Potential Clients
Potential clients for my services as a graphic designer could be everywhere, so I need to narrow it down to a section of design I would like to specialise in. In the last task, I wrote as if my specialism were to be working for publishing and editorial. As I am yet uncertain as to in which area I would actually specialise, for this task I will write as if I am designing for another area I am particularly interested in, branding and identity. Also, as I will need to create an identity for myself soon, this is very relevant to me as a designer.
Where are my potential clients/employers located?
- If I am creating branding and identity, this could be for:
:: Small businesses offering a service
:: Small businesses offering a product
:: Freelance artists offering a service
:: Freelance artists offering a product
:: Individuals working for themselves offering a service
:: Individuals working for themselves offering a product
:: Commercial companies offering a service
:: Commercial companies offering a product
- Personally, I would prefer to work with smaller companies, in particular artists who need to create a visual identity for themselves to showcase their skills to find work
- They can be located across the world due to the design work having the opportunity to be digital
- However, when creating an identity for someones/ a group business, it would be more convenient to be able to meet them, to talk to them and get a proper feel for what their business is about, to be able to create an identity that matches their values and missions
- My clients may know me personally, they may be recommended to use me from someone else, I may find them, and offer to create an identity for them, or they may find me, through use of the media listed below
What media do my potential clients/employers use?
- I am answering this question from the clients point of view, however, I will need to do the same things for the client to find me, as I will need to create these self-promotional things for myself for the client to be able to find me. Then if it is it successful, they feel more like they can trust me, and so will want me to do for their business/individual what I have done to promote myself
- They will need to use a website, as nowadays this is where so many business transactions take place
- They will use business cards, the most common way to share your details
- They will use promotional publications, such as brochures and leaflets showing their products/services
- They will need material for their business dealings, such as letterheads and envelopes
- They will need packaging if it is a product they are offering
- It would mainly be design for print the client would use to send to its potential clients, however, design for screen would be covered with the use of a website
What do I need to communicate and how does it match what my clients/employer need?
- I need to communicate that I will create professional looking, quality designs, which is what a client will need, as for creating an identity, it is something they really need to invest in
- I will communicate that I have the right skills for the job, through my mission statement, so they feel confident in their choice of designer
- I will communicate that I pay attention to detail in my designs, which can be seen through stock choices and finishing touches, which is what the client needs to make their product/service stand out from what is already available
- I will communicate that I put a lot of time in to researching what is already available, again, to ensure that what I create stands out
- I will communicate that I am continually developing and learning, to ensure that I'm continuously gaining new skills, as the client will want a talented designer they can trust.
PEST analysis
P - Politics
E - Economics
S - Society
T - Technological
Analyse and compare these examples in relation to the Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST analysis) factors that affect their use of graphic design, choice of designer and trends that will influence their decisions regarding graphic design.
Affecting political factors
I do not think political changes will make much of a difference to what the client wants from the design, but the client may be interesting in human rights, and therefore would want to make sure everyone involved in the process of creating the identity is paid fairly.
Affecting economic factors
Obviously as these are difficult times for everyone, the economy may well effect lots of choices for the client and the graphic design. The client will want the best possible work created for the cheapest price, which is where an individual like myself comes in, who would create the work at a high quality for a fraction of the price the larger corporate companies charge. If the clients budget is small, it may effect them from choosing add ons that will add to the cost, such as better quality stock, finishing touches such as duplexing, foils etc, and having many spot colours in the printing process. This may therefore, lead the client on to wanting more designs for screen as this would be a lot cheaper.
Affecting society factors
The effects of what we are doing to the environment may be on the clients mind, as this is something many are concerned with at the moment in society. Therefore, the client may want work to be printed on to recycled paper, and to ensure minimum waste from the project. The client may print the bare minimum, instead, opting for design for screen to save paper.
Affecting technological factors
The latest technology is always changing, so this is something the client wants to stay on top of. This could influence their decision to want graphic design that is more screen based, as the internet is so popular at the moment. They might also want to create apps for smartphones and iPads. They will want to make sure their online marketing works for these formats, to cover as many different bases as advertising as they can. Things such as QR codes, as mentioned in the example below, would be a good idea of how to lead a potential client from looking at printed material to looking at a webpage. The client will want to make sure the graphic design that is being created is modern and has been created with the latest technology.
Example
Once you have done this summarise your findings by focussing on 1 example and discussing how the clients location and/or use of media will affect what you need to communicate to them and how you might go about doing this.
The example I have chosen to focus on is creating an identity for a freelance artist setting up their own business. Their location could be anywhere across the world. If I could travel to them and meet them, to find out more about their work, and what they are trying to sell, then I think it would be easier to create an identity for them as I would know them better. However, with todays technological advances I could communicate with them through the internet and over the phone. The use of media they choose will probably be a mix of printed and screen design, to cover all areas to ensure maximum coverage. Their choice will effect the cost, and how long it takes to create the designs. Together, we will need to communicate what the client wants to portray about themselves. I would need to do a PEST analysis to ensure that we are both keeping up with what is going on with the world, to ensure that this identity is created in the right way.
Contemporary Graphic Design Examples
These business cards created by dingbatpress relate to the modern technological environment, which a digital QR code, which is a current device used to connect a user to a website when the code is scanned in. At the same time, they still look, due to the quality of the letterpress printing.
These business cards created by Chris Jones are personal business cards to self-promote his business. Through the design, you get a feeling of what the designer will be like. The use of colour and illustration suggests that the designer is friendly, and shows his style of design.
Denis Olenik is a designer who provides 'elegant and clear corporate and brand identity design'. He is an example of a designer who specialises in just one area of graphic design, therefore, making himself seem more trustworthy and reliable to his customers, and it seems he knows what he's doing. Here are some examples of work, both printed and digital:
There are many more examples of branding and identity that can be seen through the design tasks on my design context blog.
Summary
To summarise, what I have learnt through this enterprise task, and from the last lecture, is that it is important to know what is going on in the environment around you. Before launching yourself as a service or selling your products, you need to make sure that it is the right time for this to happen, otherwise, you will not be noticed, and your efforts will be a waste. Especially for graphic designers, I think technological changes are the biggest effecting factors, with software and platforms for design constantly being developed, so this factor, along with the other political, economical and social factors, need to be considered clearly. It is also important to know what your client wants, and to be able to ensure them that you have the skills to make their needs be fulfilled. In the example I have given, about creating an identity for a client, I have put myself into their shoes, to think about what I would want to have created, if I was launching myself worldwide. This is a useful task, as soon I will be needing to create an identity for myself as a designer, to get myself noticed, so that my clients can find me, regardless of their location. I will need to cover different forms of media, to ensure maximum coverage. As nothing stays the same for long, I will need to continue to update and change the way that I promote myself, so that I can answer every opportunity that is presented to me.
