magazine mock up

heydays

I'm really interested in Heydays graphic design agency's work & identity. They're based in Norway and I particularly like their print-based design for the following fashion label 'bert & berg'.

examples of work:

"We work across a variety of media and fields, ranging from identity design to art directing photographies. We offer both design and design consultancy, and may be hired for complete deliveries or as part of a external team"

Graphic design

Visual identity, concept development, campaign material, packaging, posters, motion graphics

Web & interactive

Design, programming: HTML, Flash, application & interface design, analysis

Print & editorial

Books, brochures, annual reports, magazines, editorial illustration

Consultancy

Design strategy, naming, text & copy, photography, print production

designs

I was put in charge of designing the magazine mock-up, which included selecting the appropriate images & illustrators, working with type & layout for the interview, choosing stock and generally bringing together the look for IF magazine. 

imacs

2 imacs for around £800, again using google shopping to find the most reasonable price

we'd probably be purchasing these after the first year as it would be a lot more easy to fund

adobe design preimium

I looked into software for our studio space and found a decently priced package through google shopping:

cheap A3 flatbed scanner prices

print costings

i emailed team-impression and this quote turned out to be our cheapest for print costings with £2,959.00 for 1000 copies, printed & binded

task 4

Who am I competing against?

What do they offer?

What makes me better?

What makes me different? 


Strengths
/links into the industry will already have been made making it easier to meet the clients requirements
/the agencies/designers will be known due to experience bringing them more business
/being settled in a big city will mean that their connections and accessibility will be strong
/general experience means they've had the opertunity to learn from their mistakes


Weaknesses
/being a multidisciplinary design agency means that they may lose business if someone is looking for a more specialised designer.
/having a bigger company may effect employee relationships in the sense that it's not so personal/intimate


Opportunities
/links into the industry will create opportunities for companies like this where they can work with a range of different clients


Threats
/with every business like this there's the threat of competition with other multidisciplinary graphic design agencies
/every graphic design agency needs to ensure that they're producing fresh/innovative designs and so they must make sure they take the necessary decisions to stay on top

SWOT analysis

STRENGTHS
/in terms of location, being based in a big city such as leeds will definitely work to our advantage for business and transportation
/being a specialist collaboration allows us to have a more in depth knowledge off illustration rather then spending money and time looking into a range of areas
WEAKNESSES
/seeing as we're students we won't have as much money and so making/aquiring it may give us a disadvantage
/as with any new businesses you have to create a reputation and so we'll have the challenge of promotion and communication in order to stand out
/there's already magazines out there that deal with illustration so we need to be clear about what makes us different in order to excel
OPERTUNITIES
/being students on a design course means we're surrounded by new and upcoming illustrators which gives us the upper hand in terms of the industry links and issue content
THREATS
/there are other illustration magazines about such as Ammo, Nobrow & Popshot
/as we're not printing to A-sizes we're not being as eco-friendly as we'd like to be so green people may not support what we're doing
/we've got a set amount of income we're aiming for and so achieveing this is going to be a challenge

task 3

How will i promote myself?
Being a print-based designer I'd definitely have to get my name out there using the print process. It should show off my knowledge and hopefully communicate me as a designer. Before sending them off I'd need a list of potential employees to which I'd like to promote my work to. After deciding which area I'd like to specialise in, I could really focus on exactly what it is that they would want to hear and exactly what skills i should be promoting in order to meet their demands.


Promotion:
/mail shots
/business cards
/website
/blog
/online portfolios

PEST analysis

Before beginning the marketing process we must have an awareness of our current environment which is where PEST analysis comes in (political, economic, socio-cultural and technological)

POLITICAL
/with the recent awareness of climate change, we will be supporting the green economy ensuring that we use and manage our natural resources in a sustainable way
/the present rate of corporation tax for a small business is 21% and the current governent plans to reduce this to 20% in the near future to support small businesses
/the ACE, between 2011 and 2015, will be investing in £1.4 billion of public money from the current government and an estimated £0.85 billion from the National Lottery which will help with funding
ECONOMIC
/currently, the economic climate isn't strong meaning banks would be more reluctant to distribute lones
/our income rate would therefore be effected so our issue pricing would have to be affordable
/the eurozone recession may effect trading within the EU
SOCIO-CULTURAL
/trends are showing that people are becoming more interested in upcoming design
/the fashion, music and branding industries in particular are showing an appreciation of illustration
/modern technology allow for greater advertising opportunities making it easier to get our complany out there and well-known
TECHNOLOGICAL
/communicating opertunities with clients are made a lot easier with new technology
/current technology will aid the promotion and sales of the magazine
/with a competitive design industry, we must purchase the appropriate software in order to achieve professional designs

advertsiement prices

I found some prices for advertisements to be placed in a magazine HOWEVER, we must take into account that we would be a new up-coming magazine and so companies may be less inclined to place their adds in our magazine compared to other more highly-purchased magazines.

Although it's in dollars it gives us a rough idea of pricing:

FULL-PAGE		1x	3x	6x	12x
Black & White		$2,450	$2,275	$2,105	$1,960
Two-Color		$2,840	$2,665	$2,495	$2,350
Four-Color		$3,340	$3,165	$2,995	$2,850
2/3 PAGE
Black & White		$1,855	$1,755	$1,595	$1,485
Two-Color		$2,220	$2,090	$1,960	$1,850
Four-Color		$2,690	$2,560	$2,430	$2,320
1/2 PAGE ISLAND
Black & White		$1,620	$1,505	$1,395	$1,295
Two-Color		$1,975	$1,860	$1,750	$1,650
Four-Color		$2,435	$2,320	$2,210	$2,110
1/2 PAGE HORIZONTAL
Black & White		$1,495	$1,390	$1,285	$1,195
Two-Color		$1,850	$1,745	$1,640	$1,550
Four-Color		$2,310	$2,205	$2,100	$2,010
1/3 PAGE 1/3 PAGE VERTICAL
Black & White		$1,220	$1,135	$1,050	$975
Two-Color		$1,575	$1,490	$1,405	$1,330
Four-Color		$2,035	$1,950	$1,865	$1,790
1/4 PAGE 1/4 PAGE VERTICAL 1/4 PAGE HORIZONTAL
Black & White		$1,025	$955	$880	$820
Two-Color		$1,380	$1,310	$1,235	$1,175
Four-Color		$1,840	$1,770	$1,695	$1,635
1/6 PAGE VERTICAL 1/6 PAGE HORIZONTAL
Black & White		$920	$855	$790	$735
Two-Color		$1,265	$1,200	$1,135	$1,080
Four-Color		$1,670	$1,605	$1,540	$1,485
1/8 PAGE
Black & White		$830	$770	$715	$665
Two-Color		$1,175	$1,115	$1,060	$1,010
Four-Color		$1,580	$1,520	$1,465	$1,415

task 2

Where are my potential clients/employers located?

What media do my potential clients/employers use?

What do you need to communicate and how does it match what your clients/employer need?


Due to the current economic climate, most design agencies will be aiming to work on a low budget. This could potentially mean that print-based design will decrease and there will be rise in digital design which will allow me to apply my skills with the adobe software. This links into the technology with the pest analysis as we're living in a technological world. Screen-based design will be rising and so I'll have to make sure my skills in this area are communicated for promotion with fashion/music. The fashion industry is one of the most competitive and so I'd have to enable that I have good connections/links into the industry in order to succeed and grow as a designer. The current political party shows strong support for small businesses and so this will aid me once I've left leeds college of art.


Economically upcoming music labels will be working on low budgets and will often rely on online / screen based resource. This means I will have to utilise the current screen based module and expand my skills in this area, especially when working on After Effects and other motion graphics software.

In terms of technology music is changing rapidly with itunes now being the most popular source of music and less need for physical prints so again utilising my skills in screen based design is something I need to work on.

Socially the music industry is very competitive and it usually makes it much easier knowing people so networking is going to be a significant part of the next few years. I am already in contact with a few record labels and again they are all on a reasonably low budget so I need to make sure I work out contracts and money with them before starting the project as I don't want to undermine the value of my work.

Politically speaking my work would have to remain relevant in terms of the messages being communicated and aesthetics of the design with the different brands current identities. I would need to think about how the work is perceived by others and how the artists / labels want to be perceived. This will be relevant in all stages of the design process from working in different styles / tones of voice and research methods.

I had a look into design agencies that specialised in the areas of my interest to see where they're located, what media they use and what I'd need to do to match their needs...


Collate proved to be very helpful in terms of researching into design agencies that would suit what Im looking for/ offering.

Non-format are a norway-based multi-disciplinary design agency. They've done work for a range of areas, including fashion and music. I came across their work for a Womens lookbook for Paris-based fashion designer Rick Owens. "The pages of this book combine several types of paper, including a wax-coated kraft, and have been trimmed to varying heights and widths. Two spreads have also been silkscreen overprinted using a heavy hit of white ink". This confirms that they are knowledgable in print which would definitely fit me as a designer. After the print production module I feel very confident with print and so I'd have to make sure to communicate this when/if I applied for work experience...

Build (london-based graphic design agency)
"Manifesto—
We Trust: Our instinct. Strong creative instincts plus our combined experience help us to make powerful, relevant work. We Question: We listen; we question; we understand. We Make: Abstract concepts tangible, visible and understandable. etc... :

task 1

Areas of graphic design that I could potentially work in:

Music
Food
Health
Construction
Retail
Fashion
Sales and Marketing
Publishing

Leisure
Architecture
Education

Tourism
Charity
Technology
Science
Medical

Out of all the above I'd say I'm most interested in Fashion and Music, however, I'm still not 100% sure on which area I'd like to specialise in...

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

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

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

The first main skill, which I've developed whilst being on the course, would be in the use of the adobe software. This is complimented by my interest in the application of colour within design. Both skills are vital when it comes to graphic design and would prove very useful with both fashion and music. I'm passionate about photography which will definitely aid me as a designer. Although I'd say I'm image based, I do have an understanding of type and layout and consider it a big part of my designs.

The application of type with image is a big part of design within both the fashion and music industrys. I aim to develop my skills when it comes to applying these by getting myself out there. I have links into both these areas in which I plan to apply myself. By doing some freelance work I will be able to become more comfortable and aware of these areas and exactly what's expected from me.