Feedback from the clients we presented to for the Winterlight Festival Pitch that we received today. A little bit of motivation for the final push! Group 2 Say My Name Studio
The presentation at the college by the students was engaging, friendly and extremely informative about the concept of the designs. We enjoyed the discussion and remarked that the three students acted as a team, spoke clearly and presented themselves as professional designers.
The logo linked successfully to the brief as it was flexible and could be used in a variety of ways. We felt the idea of using a photogram was novel and very useable for Winterlight. The idea of photosensitive printing inks was exciting as was the concept of involving sponsors with a transparent window sticker. We felt this group used the idea of light and linked it successfully to the brief. The copywriting ideas "there are 3709 light bulbs..." was excellent and again this is an idea we would like to develop in conjunction with the group. We will be happy to work with Say My Name and develop the ideas for the Festival next December.
The concept behind the business cards is to create a sense of consistency whilst still allowing each of us to present ourselves as individuals also. We will each use the typeface from our personal branding on the front of the business cards, for example I will use Superior Title Black, and Suzanne will use Brandon Grotesque, whilst the back of the cards will show our name and contact details in a simple layout. Front of Business Card Example
Mike has been working hard on the business side of things for our studio plan, which includes this invoice set.
As a start to the work on the studio I have decided to draft a few things for the stationary set including a schedule and a contract cover sheet. Colours, type and details will be critted by the studio when we are ready to move forward. Using a planned Welcome Skatestore brief as an example client, I have created the following:
Today we photographed ourselves for our proposed website. The images play on the name of our studio 'Say My Name' by introducing us using traditional 'hello my name is...' stickers. Only our torsos are visible, as these images would act as a holding page prior to our official opening. Therefore the images create a sense of tension and suspense about who are. We used a pale purple coloured background that ties into our ideas for branding using pastel colours. Each of us is dressed to represent our personal style, to display us as individuals, with the consistency in photography and layout tying us all together and showing us as a united studio.
These are a selection of branding projects that we have been inspired by for our own studio branding. We have looked at branding projects that are playful and colourful as we feel that this represents our vision for the studio.
So far our main inspirations have been studios that are set up in Europe. They seem to take a more experimental approach to design, sort of more arty and considered with more focus on conceptual work than some British studios. We just feel like our hopes for our studio fit more similarly with theirs, and we are really inspired by the work they produce. Not at all saying we are there yet, just that we'd like to be where they are.
Another pitch that myself, Suzanne and Mike worked on together. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful but I really enjoyed working on this and felt like our concept was strong.
Myself, Mike and Suzanne successfully pitched for the Winterlight Festival, a live brief set by Janie from the fashion department. The job is to create the branding and identity for Sowerby Bridge's Winterlight Festival which is a one day event celebrating creativity in the Calder Dale area through live music and light art installations. Here is our pitch presentation. We felt very comfortable talking through our idea as we had discussed and thought through everything thoroughly, and the people we were pitching to were very friendly and excited about our ideas. There is not text on the boards as we felt it was more appropriate to use visuals and simply explain through everything in person.
A selection of visuals that are serving as our inspiration for the Say My Name studio branding. We have sourced a selection of logos that we think would work well for the style of studio we want to have, which is slightly more experimental and international in style, as well as visuals relating to our plans for starting up such as printing. We really like the use of serif typefaces as this suits our styles separately as well as collaboratively.
Another Creative Bloq article with tips on setting up.
Thinking about setting out on your own? Then check out these essential nuggets of advice on how to start a studio – from those who’ve made it.
Happy in your underpaid, under-appreciated design job? Thought not. Well you could always follow our tips to get a promotion - but you'd still be implementing someone else's ideas and marching to the beat of someone else's drum. So why not strike out on your own? Fortune, as they say, favours the bold.
For those creatives who are less experienced in the business side of things, it can be a huge challenge. That’s why we’ve contacted a pro selection of designers who have made it - and are responsible for starting some of the most successful studios around - to bring you some expert tips on to how to start a studio.
Want to know more? Check out our Design Studio Handbook, which covers everything you need to know to start and run a successful design business.
01. You need to be ambitious...
To emulate the success of a studio like Mainframe, you need to start with the right attitude
"Don’t bother starting a studio if you don’t have the intention of being the best." Adam Jenns, founder and managing director of Mainframe, challenges you to succeed with any other attitude. "Few people ever get there," he adds. "But if you don’t start out with that intention you’ll get lost in a sea of one-man bands with novel company names."
02. ...but don't get carried away
It’s very tempting to believe your own hype, and design is certainly a business that demands a little esprit de corps. But that’s not a sound footing on which to start a studio, says Russell Townsend, managing director of Clusta. "Firstly, don’t kid yourself, and secondly never kid the people that make your studio work - your clients, staff, suppliers, bank manager and the tax man. They make your world go round."
03. There's nothing to be scared of
Loft Digital made it, and with a bit of a leap of faith, so can you!
When you start a design studio, essentials like renting out work space and hiring new people are big financial commitments, and they’re always terrifying in advance. For Nick Nettleton, director of Loft Digital, these are psychological barriers – you just have to take the plunge. "Once you’re on the other side, you wonder what all the fuss was about," he says.
04. Be prepared to take some risks
Following on from the last point, remember that logic and restraint are not always your best friends: they can lead to piecemeal decisions and compromise. “If you don’t take risks, you’ll stay a one-man band forever,” says Adam Jenns, founder and managing director Mainframe. “I rented a big studio very early on in Mainframe’s life, and it seemed to fill itself.”
05. Choose the right location
Location is king, ask any estate agent. So check out the area you’re thinking of setting up in thoroughly. "How accessible are the nearest supply shops? What about banks and nice pubs to meet clients? Is there parking?" asks Aurelia Lange. And finally, how accessible are your premises? Is it 24/7? If not, how will you manage all those late nights?
06. Start your studio in summer
Thinking about heating bills, illustrator and designer Aurelia Lange, founder Aurelia Lange, has some practical advice: "Setting up in the summer will give you a head start," she laughs. Also, research all your expenses thoroughly – public liability, insurance, rates and such: "Business Link is a great resource for advice on this."
07. Search on foot
Searching the internet for studio space might have the advantage of speed, but you won’t be getting there via the internet superhighway. It’s best to get out and walk around until you find somewhere you like. "This is a much better way to get a feel for an area, and you can also find some hidden gems that don’t appear on larger estate agent websites," says Bob Gray, design director of Red&Grey Design.
08. Quirky charm vs modern convenience
It may not be the designer's dream, but IKEA is cheap and convenient
"Think carefully about what you want from your office space," warns Josie Harold, managing director of Dirty Design. "The quirky older building that feels really individual and is cheaper than more traditional office space might seem perfect, but trust me, with no double-glazing the heating bills won’t be. And if you buy flatpack desks from IKEA, plan in three days to build them."
09. Find some natural light
Everyone wants a fancy studio with a hot tub and pool table, but do you really need it? There are larger priorities, says Russell Townsend, managing director at Clusta. "Make sure you have a suitable environment with good natural light and good security, and that it’s somewhere you are happy to spend a lot of time in – because you will."
10. Make it a home from home
Follow the example of Croatian advertising group Bruketa&Žinić OM and make your studio a home from home
You’ll be spending quite a bit of time in your studio, so make it your own. "You should create an environment that you want to spend time in," says Aurelia Lange. "Invest in some good speakers, a comfortable sofa, a kettle and some chocolate biscuits."
11. Don't splurge on furniture...
Yes, we'd all love that Eames chair. No, you don't need it
"When you start a studio, designer furniture is not a priority," says Bob Gray, design director at Red&Grey Design. "Our tables and chairs all came from a skip outside a major telephone company that was rebranding. If we were starting out now, we would look out for liquidation sales and office closures."
12. ... but a big table is useful
This cool swing table design by Christopher Duffy may be out of your price range, but some kind of communal table is essential
Communal spaces offer many opportunities to pool your talents and bounce ideas around, so it makes sense to capitalise on this when you start a studio, rather than just giving fate a free hand. Nat Hunter, D&AD executive committee member, reveals his office must-have: "A big table for everyone to eat lunch together."
13. Plan how you'll use the space
Put some thought into how to make best use of your space
When you start a studio, think about how you would like your space to work for you long term, and what works best for the business. You might want to work in an open-plan space all together with music, laughter and fun. "However, you need to think how that will work when you’ve got phone calls to make or you’re trying to write a brief – or have clients in," says Josie Harold, managing director of Dirty Design.
14. Design a decent filing system
Without a decent system to help you find older files – real as well as digital – you are simply increasing your workload. Glenn Garriock, creative director at Atelier 1A, is big on filing systems for exactly this reason: "Having a methodical filing system will spare you a lot of rummaging around," he reasons. "You never know when one of your older files or documents could come in handy to sort out a misunderstanding, or help you with your final billing."
15. Set regular back ups from the start
Read our article to find the best backup method for you
"Back everything up," advises Glenn Garriock, creative director at Atelier 1A. This doesn’t have to be expensive – you can pick up a one-terrabyte external hard drive for less then £100 these days, on which you can create a bootable carbon copy of your main hard drive. "Couple this with an online back-up service, such as Backblaze or CrashPlan, and you should be sorted."
It’s true that you get what you pay for, and since a designer’s main tool is his or her computer, it pays to get the best you can afford when you start a studio. "As a freelancer, I’m always on my MacBook Pro, which I find sufficient - even for artworking," says Tom Skipp. "And I have also recently subscribed to the iPhone generation, which means that I can respond to people immediately. It’s essential to appear available at all times for clients."
17. ... but don't overshoot on specs
These days the specs on mid-level machines are generally fine for all but the most demanding of design applications. "So try and make sure that you are very sensible about software and, in particular, hardware," says managing director at Clusta, Russell Townsend. "Assess what you really need. Video and moving images are far more demanding than design for print."
This is an article from Creative Bloq, discussing the positives and negatives of working with friends.
Five studios on how to make a success of working with friends – and how to avoid the pitfalls.
You've been friends for years. You have the same taste in books, music, 3D movies, so of course you'll be in agreement on every single aspect of your creative direction. Your studio would be half work space, half clubhouse. Morning meetings - coffee and a catch-up. Long lunches. Knock off early. It'd be all the fun of the weekend augmented and stretched out across the work week - with the bit of designing in between.
Setting up shop with your mates may sound like every designer's dream. But does the reality match the fantasy? We've seen what can happen when designers fall out, so we caught us with five studios to find out how you can succeed when starting a business with your friends.
Hvass&Hannibla created this visual identity for the children's department at Copenhagen's central library
"I think it's an advantage to know a lot about each others' lives and personalities - it gets easier to understand another person's behaviour and reactions the longer you've known them, which I can only see as an advantage to help minimise the amount of misunderstandings," says Nan Na Hvass.
Hvass works with Sofie Hannibal as multidisciplinary art and design duo Hvass&Hannibal. The pair loosely founded their studio in 2006 - though they met at school almost a decade before - and have gone on to work for a strings of big-name clients.
"Of course it's easy to get tired of each other, but working together becomes the format of the friendship, and you get used to it being that way. I don't see it as a problem. I think the worst thing is probably if you split up, and what happens to the relationship then."
To avoid this, Hvass advices trying to work on a few projects before going into business to see how it works out. "It's pretty easy to find out quite fast whether you have the right dynamic together or not. Don't expect that because you are good friends with someone you will automatically work well as a professional team. Make sure to take some time away from each other once in a while, like a sabbatical or a bit of space to get inspired elsewhere. It doesn't have to be a lot, but I think it's healthy."
Black Devil Disco Club – Black Moon White Sun. LP packaging by Non-Format for Lo Recordings
"One of the assumptions you might make when considering working with mates," says Jon Forss, "is that everyone is more likely to cooperate, compromise and get along without any conflict, but, actually, conflict is good. Conflict is a vital part of creativity. The best work won't reveal itself without some kind of battle."
Forss founded seminal studio Non-Format with Kjell Ekhornin in 2000, working with the biggest of big-name clients - such as Adobe, Coca-Cola and Nike.
The creative says friction is good - friction gets things done and done well. "Only consider working with your mates if you know for sure they can handle confrontation because it'll surface at some point. And that's a good thing. It'll be fun. Trust me."
Art direction by Lundgren+Lindqvist for Markus Form. Photo by Kalle Sanner.
Andreas Friberg Lundgren agrees that conflict is not the problem, but spending eight hours a day together may change your friendship irrevocably.
"You are likely not to to spend as much of your free time with them as you might have before going into business together," theLundgren+Lindqvist co-founder says. "The result of this might be that your friendship slowly transitions into a business partnership rather than a friendship in the traditional sense."
Lundgren+Lindqvist is a Swedish studio specialising in design and development. Lundgren says setting up friends can help ensure you hit the ground running - crucial to for new studios in an increasingly competitive climate. "A definite upside of working with your friends," he says, "is that you are in sync from the beginning - an understanding that might otherwise require a lot of time to build."
karlssonwilker's most recent most recent NeoCon Sculpture, created for Wolf-Gordon
New York City-based karlssonwilker inc was founded by Icelander Hjalti Karlsson and German Jan Wilker in 2000 - finding fans in Nike, Nintendo and Time Magazine.
Designer Megan Elevado is in the perfect position to see how the dynamic has bred success, which she boiled down to two top tips.
"Do start a company with someone you like and respect," Elevado says, "Not with someone whose "skill set" you think would complete you. Don't take it all so seriously and celebrate your self-employment and independence: no need to mimic other companies, it's your kingdom to play with."
Nicolas Hardy founded Factory 311 in 2007; it now has offices all over the world.
"Don't rush into setting up a physical studio," says Factory 311'screative director, Nicolas Hardy. In this day and age things can be done online - remember overheads can kill you. "Try to keep as much activity between you and your partners online until things really take off and you have a steady client based."
Hardy speaks from experience. He founded Factory 311 in 2007. The agency specialises in imagery and motion graphics for advertising, fashion and sports, while also representing a burgeoning roster of illustrators and photographers. Its ever-growing client list includes football clubs Arsenal and Manchester United, apparel brands Nike and Lacoste and international magazines Cosmopolitan and Vanity Fair.
Hardy began by working out of his flat, slowly adding to his team and roster with people he admired. This, he says, has been central to his success.
"Every idea or concept starts from some kind of chat with your friends. it only comes to fruition if you or your friends have some sort of expertise with a certain skill. A big advantage of setting up an agency with friends or like-minded creatives is that everybody puts in an equal share of time to make things happen which makes it more financially viable and also takes a lot of pressure off everyone and make your initial dream or idea more of a reality.
"I think some problems can happen when those skills cross over and if those responsibilities aren't looked after, some areas of the company could start to suffer. I think it is really important that you have a strong focus and direction before you start getting other people involved."
We decided to have a studio meeting to discuss in greater depth our plans moving forward after graduating. These are the notes from the meeting.
Logistics
Whilst we have made enquiries about studio spaces to rent in Leeds, it has been decided that we will not look to rent anywhere until we have a good client base and that we have enough money to put into the business as a joint 3 way split. working together in a social space or indeed in a pop up desk rental system will suit us best at present.
Briefs
Similar to how Level 06 was set up in terms of work load, we will be taking on approximately 10 briefs. This will alter with regards to having clients.
Exhibitions
We have agreed that putting on an exhibition in a public space will be beneficial to our networking and professional image within the community.
Photographing work
We recognise the need to have a consistency across the studios portfolio and therefore we have taken the decision to photograph the work in a manner that respects every brief equally.
The business cards have gone through several concept stages to get to this point, we are aware that there is a need in the market to stand out, I believe having a ticket machine business card will prove to be memorable. The concept of having a dispenser that clients can tear of a custom business card is one that we feel is strong.
Business pack
A main point of discussion was the business pack, having a business pack will allow us to present to any funding bodies with a level of professionalism.
It has been mutually agreed upon that the studio will be built slowly and steadily using live briefs over the course of a year. We have outlined 11 projects which we will be working on, including several live briefs, this includes some which we have not had the opportunity to work on over the period of 3rd year.
After one year, we will have built a client base and several branches to the business that will allow it to grow rapidly. In order to support the business we will each be working in various jobs and roles as designers to gain experience and learn lessons of how to deal with clients in a studio space.
In a year we would ideally be in a position where we would not have to take funding or grants for the business, but we will still consider that option, the business portfolio will be much stronger than if we were to pitch to a client, bank or funding body.
It is a win win situation, we make enough to set up in one year, or we have enough work to successfully pitch for business grants.
Position titles
Our titles have caused a debate, we are all partners in the business and equals in our job titles. There are several which can be explored.
Serious
Co-founder/Partner
Creative Director
client manager
graphic designer
Lead creative
Humorous
Your new best friend
Other
Placeholder images concept for the website.
Each of us would be photographed (just our torsos) with a 'hello my name is' badge displaying each of our names.
The three photos will scroll through automatically, and the name badges will prompt the words "say my name".
Using vibrant colours and high end clothes will give a level of professionalism and trend to the studios image.
This work is planned to be shot on 06/05/14 which has been specifically set up to run alongside the photoshoot of our work.
We are confident that we can all work together, and that we can create work together that we like and feel is appropriate for clients, having worked together on the yearbook, the end of year show and the Winterlight Festival. What we aren't confident with at the moment is all the business stuff and the organisation and legalities, so we really need help with that. Therefore we are now trying to find as much information as physically possible over the internet and through books.
This information is from the Design Trust.
Some more advice on starting out and several questions we should answer first as a group. Design-Design has a great and easy to read article here, the first two are really key and something that we haven't really addressed as of yet.
What skills and experience can I offer a potential client? What is the market like for my area of expertise? Computer Arts also has weighed in on the issue of setting up a collective of students. Article here.
1. Find the right partner
As in life, business should be viewed as in ‘opposites attract’ scenario. What you absolutely don’t need is a carbon copy of yourself, so take time to identify the areas in which you come up short and then find these abilities in a potential partner.
2. Agree a vision
You and any prospective partner need to have an agreed vision of the business. This means writing out and agreeing how the business will operate, what type of work you will take on, your plans for growth and a profit share scheme that factors in a sale fee should you ever receive a buy-out offer.
3. Get a pre-nup Pre-nuptial agreements get a bad rep, but if the worst comes to the worst and you have to dissolve your business partnership, they work to protect all parties. So before you even begin to set up shop, ensure you have a legally binding partnership agreement that includes a dissolving clause covering who gets the rights to the company name, client list and more.
4. Draw up a detailed business plan
A well-executed business plan is vital to the success of any studio. You’ll need to explain your idea, location, identity, mission, services and market, and show where your position will be in it – include a SWOT analysis for this. You’ll also need to outline how much you’ll need in funding, and provide a realistic profit/loss forecast for at least one year, plus a cash-flow forecast showing how much money will come in and out.
5. Get funding
If you’re in the position to put some financial weight behind your new venture, you'll reduce your start-up debt and investors may be more inclined to buy into a business with financially committed founders. If not, sit down with your bank manager - make sure you know your financial situation inside-out before putting in a loan request. Look into whether you’re eligible for a grant (organisation like NESTA or The Princes Trust in the UK; or the SBA in
6. Set up a business bank account
the US. Crowfunding site like Kickstarter and Crowdcube are also a great way to raise funds. You’ll need a business bank account, so ask around for recommendations. A good bank manager will help you through the initial steps of launching your studio, so meet a few before deciding which bank to go with. You’ll need an accountant and a solicitor, too, to advise on the best way to set up in terms of tax and legal liability.
Your accountant can register you with the necessary outlets for a small fee. This is by far and away the best way of going about payroll and tax administration, because liability for filing (that is, getting your accounts wrong and being caught out) lies with your accountant and not you. 9. Get insurance Employers’ liability insurance is a statutory requirement in the UK, and most US states insist on some form of business insurance – so seek legal advice. Without it you are trading illegally. If your employees are injured at work or become ill as a result of their work while in your employment, they may try to claim compensation.
