Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Question time pt 2

Following on from my previous question i am doing some more! this time with a shop feature for those who asked me.

First up: Jet Jewellery

Hi Bon, Do you think it is important to have a colour scheme through your shop i.e. should you have the same colours running through you banner, item pics, packaging and business cards or is it nice to have an eclectic mix?

Hi!
I believe it's important to have a scheme throughout your branding but i don't think it is necessary in photo's i know a few shops actually photo their products with their branding in with it which can work nicely, take this one for example from Wychbury












next up is: Ali Debuc of Mud Meddling

What would you say is the best way to achieve a consistent look to photographs, even when the items being pictured are all very different?

Hi Ali, well the best way for me is to keep things like:
the background, the lighting, the props the same then all you need to do is to alter the positions of the props around the object you are photographing, that way the item can be very different but people will start to recognise the shop from it's listing photographs.



and lastly: Lynsey Wilkins of Purple Shmurple


My 10 Questions -

You recently re-did the branding for my shop Purple Shmurple, are you pleased with the results?

I am very happy with the results, the branding sits well in your shop and is one of those that will be easy to remember and recognise, most importantly it is unique!

What software/hardware do you use for your work and why?

I use a 27" Mac which is my prized possession. I was always against macs until i started my degree and i fell in love with them, i am a true believer that the mac is the best machine for graphic design work. I always do my work for Folksy in Illustrator and Photoshop. For my freelance work i use all sorts: Fireworks, Dreamweaver, InDesign and i dabbled in Maya for a little bit, but have forgotten everything i ever knew!! lol

Illustrator gives me great flexibility as not all banners are the same size for example folksy and etsy so elements need moving and resizing and Illustrator is a mathm,atical programme which means i can scale to any size with no loss of quality.

Photoshop is great for playing around with textures and brushes, if i know i am only doing a banner i will do it in here if i need to do something that requires more depth.

You recently obtained a BA in Graphic Design, what would you say is the most important thing you have learnt from your studies?

Hmm it's hard to focus on this as i learnt so much, i think the main thing i took away with me, that i use the most, is the importance of branding. I did a dissertation on the effects of emotional advertising and it taught me a lot! Brand recognition is such a massive part of the world today, maybe thats why i am so anal about a good Banner LOL

Have you had to do branding or design which you did not want to, like or approve of? (you do not have to disclose what!)

Luckily No! i am happy to face most challenges but if i don't agree with the subject matter or where the branding will be used i won't agree to take on the project.

What would be your dream graphic design-based job/project?

My ideal would be to deign fabrics, the process isn't cheap at the moment and i have only used one American site as i am waiting for the English version to arrive, but when it does i want to have my own business of fabric design i love it!! if i truly had the time i would to design my own stationary ranges to, but my graphics shop keeps me to busy along with a 18month daughter!

Have you always wanted to get into Graphic Design/What made you get into it?

I have always been arty and loved creating in one form or another, i did graphic design 14yrs ago but it was very different then! i then went into many jobs i didn't enjoy but all offered me some sort of creative outlet, a lot of my colleagues kept asking why i didn't pursue a career in design or art. So while i was sat in a VERY dull job that i didn't enjoy i thought "bugger it"

I spoke to my husband and we discussed the financial's and the rest is history :), best career move i ever made.

If you could do any other job (than Graphic Design), what would it be and why?

I would love to work with animals, preferably training, so i spose a dog trainer

Is there anything within your business that you feel you need to/would like to improve on?

My programme knowledge! i def know enough to keep me going but there are so many little hidden tricks in these programmes that i could be training forever. I really would love to also improve my range as mentioned above, i can only dream of offering a stationary range.

What is your workspace like - do you have an office/room, music you like to work to etc?

My Itunes is full of allsorts! one minute i will have a classical piece on, next thing you know i have Dolly Parton or Metallica playing. My desk is a mess, so much so i am not even going to post a piccy lol. My office is one end of the living room, which at the moment i prefer as i can keep an eye on the little one while i work.

From a business point of view where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

I honestly don't know at the moment, things seems to be sweeping me off my feet at the moment, my photography business took off so well my feet have yet to reach the ground.

I would like to be in a position where i can rely more on my shop for an income rather than my husband, that would be great. I have plans to develop an online shop that can cater to everyone rather than just being on folksy.


Well thats it guys, i hope u enjoyed it!







2 comments:

  1. Great little question time :) Weirdly, I have a degree in Graphics, and if I wasn't doing something creative, I would want to work with dogs! I wonder how many other creative types want to work with dogs :)

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  2. Hi, thank you for answering my question that will really help with my shop/online presence planning :-) @Dawn if I would love to be a vet lol

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