Where are they – How will they find me?
Many design agencies and studios have well established websites and some even galleries to visit. This is a great way of interacting with the art directors of the studios. Due to the high demand for interviews and internships, the art directors tend to prefer face-to-face meetings. I will find a selection of studios and see if I they will agree to a quick informal meeting, briefly showing my work, and leave them a selection of work that they can browse through at their own convenience. I will also send mailers to certain agencies making them aware of the design work that I do, and the kind of work I’m involved with.
Political
Copyright - There are no hard and fast rules for fair use (and anyone who tells you that a set number of words or percentage of a work is "fair" is talking about guidelines, not the law)
· The purpose and character of the use. Transformative uses are favoured over mere copying. Non-commercial uses are also more likely to be fair.
· The nature of the copyrighted work. Is the original factual in nature or fiction? Published or unpublished? Creative and unpublished works get more protection under copyright, while using factual material is more often fair use.
· The amount and substantiality of the portion used. Copying nearly all of a work, or copying its "heart" is less likely to be fair.
This is a very important factor in publishing work. I will need to have good knowledge on the copyright legislation before releasing the rights of my work to the client or general public.
Economic- It is very important for me to monitor the economic condition. We are currently experiencing a recession in which many companies have perished due to many people not spending as much money as usual. It is essential that I regularly check these issues as, in a recession, many people would not be spending as much money on graphic design as usual. I will have to take precautions to not allow myself to be taken out of business due to these effects. This may include cheaper printing costs and taking jobs I wouldn’t normally do.
Social- One of the main things that has a big effect on graphic designers is staying up-to-date with the trends and cultures of the modern-day public. Some designers get set in their ways with a distinct style, which is a narrow attitude to take, in an industry that’s ever changing. I will constantly keep up-to-date and monitor things such as music styles, rock bands that are popular at the moment, clothing styles etc all of which could be potential clients.
Technological- I’m a designer that embraces traditional and new ways of designing, but whatever method of designing I choose. there is always a digital aspect in this modern day world. I’ll have to keep up-to-date with the latest software and computer equipment that may help me to become a better graphic designer or more effective. Also, as a freelance designer, I’ll have to monitor and keep strict accounts of my income and what things are costing me to run my business as a designer. This may be in the form of a piece of software such as Sage Accounts, which will help me with these issues and allow me to keep track of my current expenditures as a freelance designer.
Based on the principles that have been introduced in lecture 2 of the Enterprise module, investigate where your potential clients are located.
Where are my potential clients located?
Clients for Graphic designers are potentially anyone and everyone. Designers, create the world around us, but I do think there are certain categories that designers can fall into such as publications, advertising and film and television. I’m going to target the publishing and editorial routes as my main clients, as I prefer and specialize in ‘printed media’. This may include book companies such as penguin books and magazines also promotional design such as posters and branding for new companies and re-branding.
Or
What media do my potential clients use?
Most of my clients media will be promotional print material which is something I've had the most experience with. They will also be looking for websites which is something I will have to gain skills in. Most of the clients that I would approach or would want to approach me would be print based.
What do you need to communicate and how does it match what your clients need?
In my business ‘I’ am the ‘product’ selling my skills as a designer to the client. I need to be able to communicate the client’s needs through the medium that I am most comfortable with and that suits what the client is needing. As my skills vary from typography to illustration, it makes me very flexible as a graphic designer. This means that there are very few jobs that I couldn’t adapt to, this would lead to more business and promoting my name around the design industry and becoming ‘sort-after’.