Task 1 - Who am I? Who are they?

Write a list of all the possible client groups that use graphic design in the development, production, distribution, promotion and/or communication of their products or services. Identify one client group that reflects your current ambitions within the graphic design area and focus on identifying:
 
Possible client groups include; businesses, retail and services, advertisers, publications-newspaper and magazines.
The area of graphic design I would most like to work in would be publications, advertising, promotions, brand identity.
The skills I possess are; the use of software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and a basic knowledge of After Effects and Quark Express, working with type and colour, photography and the manipulation of it within Photoshop, creating appropriate brand identities, crafting, an understanding of professional print processes, collaboration work.
I will need to develop skills in areas such as layout design, web design (as this is something I have never done), packaging design, I also would like speed up the pace of my design work.
My own professional and creative aims are to create a fantastic portfolio that I am proud of, to work for a variation of clients, so I am always learning new things and creating very different work, to develop my own style/identity so people will know it is my work when they see it.

End of Module Evaluation

Throughout the duration of this module I feel as if I have learnt alot about the different print process, and how you can adapt your work to the type of print you are using. I also know I have improved my skills on software such as InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, and found that mainly down to the workshops that I attented. I didn't know how to use In Design much apart from for editorial work, so that was especially useful, in doing things such as colour separations and registration. My practical skills have also improved, with creating nets and packaging, learning how to emboss/deboss, and screen print spot varnishes. I have enjoyed trying and testing these skills and find the outcomes very satisfying.


Whilst researching for this module, I found that most of it was secondary research, and I realise know that I should have extended my primary research, to find out people's true opinions, so that I can work from a more informed point of view. I couldn't wait to start designing but I know feel like I should have started this earlier, so then I would have had more time to push my designs further and in different directions. The decisions I made when designing was really helped by the research that I did, as it backed up my designs.

I think my strengths for this module lie within my practical skills for creating the packaging structures, and also in my image manipulation techniques. I feel my weaknesses appear in my design ideas, because if I started this earlier I would have had alot more of them, and I should have made earlier decisons about my designs. I also tended to let my work build up before I blogged it, so that is somethign I will definately get on top of in the next module.

For the next module I will do more primary researching, keep on top of my blog, and start coming up with design ideas eaarly, even if they are just little sketches of what I see my work could be like. I also know that there is alot more to find out about, and I will continue learnign abotu ti as I find it very interesting, especially at the Team Impression visit, and realise know how important it is to know about designing for print. learnign abotu this made the module very enjoyable. I am pleased with my final outcome, but realise how different my ideas could have been. I know I will learn from my mistakes and take this forward to the next module.



Attendance: 4
Punctuality: 5
Motivation: 4
Commitment: 4
Quantity of work: 3
Quality of work: 4

PAB Studios

During summer in July 2010, I arranged a week at PAB Studios, to gain some experience within a professional working environment.
'PAB Studios limited have more than 20 years experience working in advertising/marketing and cover a variety of disciplines including: press, radio, on-line and TV advertising, direct mail, website, PR, print and point of sale. They are one of Yorkshire's leading full service media agencies, with a broad mix of clients, ranging from Automotive through to retail.'
Some of their clients include: Stoneacre Motor Group, RNLI Lifeboats, Ringways Motor Group, Ridings Shopping Centre and 96.3 Radio Aire.
Here is a link to their website:  www.pabstudios.co.uk/

With around 15 people working there, it is a small yet busy team enviroment, consisting of 2 directors, 6 account managers, 4/5 graphic designers, a web designer, and an accountant.
The work experience came about through using my own contact, the director of the company, who knew I was studying on Graphic Design course and offered to let me spend a week there. It was an exciting opportunity for me to see not just the design studio, but all the different aspects of the company and how it works, as I had never been in this type of working environment before.

My Daily Dairy:

Day 1:
I was excited, yet nervous, on the first day, not knowing what to expect. I was shown around the building, in the offices and studio, and introduced to everyone, before sitting in with one of the account managers to see what exactly her job entailed. She already had a list of clients ready that she had to ring to discuss their advertisements, before sending them up to the studio. Mondays are always one of their busiest days with all the press deadlines. I spent a bit of time up in the studio, to see the work the designers were producing. I was surprised to find out that on Monday, between 60-80 ads were created and sent for press. The company is known for the amount of work they can produce in such a short amount of time.

Day 2:
Not as nervous as day one, having met the friendly team already, I looked forward to another day. I spent some time with a different account manager, who had a different set of clients. I then had a one-to-one marketing lesson with the Director, who explained that 50% of advertising is wasted, but that they knew how to cut this down, through knowing how to reach the right target market for each product, and the media in which to do so. They also build their marketing strategies based upon facts. I also learned about demographics and how this effected the distribution of the advertisements.
One of the Directors, was working with a new client, who had just started their own relocation business, called 'Spencer's', and as a little task she asked me to try and come up with a logo for them. Spencer's wanted to come across as a more up market company, with four types of relocating services including moving home, office, and artwork. They should be portrayed as 'Relocation Experts'.
Here are a few logo ideas:

This is the logo I thought worked the best:

Day 3:
Carrying on with the Spencer's brief, I was then asked to create some stationary for them including business cards, compliments slips, flyer's and letterheads.
Here is the brief written on one of their Creative Job Sheets:

Here are a few of my design ideas:
Business Cards:

 Compliments Slip:

 Flyer:

Another of the accounts managers was doing a fund raising event to raise money for her to go to Mexico and cycle to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. She was organising a 5-a-side football event and asked me to make a poster for it, that she could put up locally around town, to get people involved.
Here is the brief I was given:

Some of my ideas:

Some printed mock-ups:

Day 4:
With never having done web design before, today I was asked to mock up a homepage for the Spencer's relocation company (that I had previously created a logo for) and spend some time with the web designer, who showed me how I would get my design up and running, and active. I found this really interesting as it was new, and although it got a bit complicated, I realised that web design was something I would like to learn more about.
My Macmillan Poster for the 5-a-side poster was adjusted/approved/finalized and printed today.

Day 5:
With the directors PA (also an account manager) today I went visiting clients, to see the places were the briefs come from for the work produced at PAB. The first was Radio Aire, situated in Leeds, who showed me around the building and introduced me to those who deal with PAB Studios, and how they come up with the briefs. I was then allowed to sit in with the presenter, Griffo, whilst he was on air, and before we left I was given a Glee CD and some Radio Aire mugs!
We stopped off at another client, Ringways, to drop off some stationary, and then went to the printers to pick up some posters.
I really enjoyed today, meeting their clients and seeing the other side of it all, and seeing the design work from PAB in context.



My overall time with PAB was definately a positive and influential experience. I was surprised by how relaxed and comfortable I became as the week went on, once I knew everyones names and became familiar with the environment, and I now know that a business of that size is what I would enjoy working with and feel comfortable in. I felt that I learnt alot about the company as a whole and also about the design industry, and how it works.
The quality and amount of work produced in a short amount of time was a real eye opener, and I now want to focus on using software more quicker and conveniently, but I know that speed will come with confidence and experience.
If I could go back again I would like to have a longer placement, and work within the studio, because with it being such a busy place, and the week that I was there they didn't have many new projects, just ongoing ones. So I would like to see new briefs/campaigns and how they progress over time.
I know that if I go to another design agency for a placement, that I'll have more confidence, after already gaining some experience within a professional, busy working environment.

Group Tutorial Preparation Task

1. What is industrial experience?

Industrial experience is an opportunity to gain an sight into the working enviorment that you are interested in. It gives you the chance to learn from the professionals and their working practices. You can also apply your own skills and what you know, to working situations.


2. What can I learn from industrial experience?

Observing how to work with clients and how new briefs are tackled (whether for large or small businesses - and the differences between them), collaborating with others, communication skills, an insight to the amount of work and the pace expected of you, software skills, working in a professional environment and getting a feel for places.


3. What form/format could industrial experience take?

It could be a day visit, a work placement at a design agency that could last a week or a month or more, freelance work, collaborating with others on a live brief, networking and gaining industry contacts.


4.What areas of industry are you interested in?

Design for print, editorial, advertising, photography, design for screen, motion graphics.


5. What are your concerns about industrial experience?

Moving from the college environment to a professional working studio, being nervous and then not showing the standard of work that I am capable of doing, not making a lasting and good memorable impression, not being able to keep up with the working pace or not fully knowing how to use a certain piece of software.

PPD Studio Task

What do you want to achieve this academic year?
-An improvement in my grade from last year
-To have a more clear idea of my areas of interest, and develop and strengthen my skills within them
-To have organised work placements
-A more professional and higher standard of work

What do you want to achieve by the end of the course?
-My own style of work, so that people will recognise my work as being mine
-Confidence in presenting and speaking about my work and practice
-What I would like to specialise in
-A fantastic portfolio, that I am proud of
-Contacts in the design industry
-Professionalism

What do you want to achieve in your career?
-Success
-Starting my own design agency
-Enjoyment, fullfillment, contentment
-Recognition - global influence

Team Impression - Printer's Visit

Today I went to visit 'Team Impression' printer's, to have a look around and gain an insight to the print production side of design work.

(I have sourced some information from their website: http://www.team-impression.com/ )

''Team Impression is a long established Leeds-based printing and finishing company, with a comprehensive range of in-house facilities from litho to digital and packaging.

What they do:

Litho: With two B1 and one B2 6-colour Komori presses running 24/7, we have the capacity to handle any job, no matter how big or small.

Digital: Three state-of-the-art Indigo presses with results that push the boundaries of digital printing.

Display: Our Fuji Acuity large format output device is flexible and versatile, capable of high quality printing on virtually any substrate up to 48mm thick onto a huge 2.5m x 1.25m wide.

Finishing: Foiling, embossing, die-cutting, folding, binding, varnishing, sealing... it might be easier to list an aspect of finishing that we don’t do in-house.

Presentation: You pick your materials and we’ll put them onto board for you. Hand finished boxes, intricate folders, complicated display materials. You name it, our in-house presentation department can put it together for you.''

 

Whilst there we were shown around the offices, in which print costs are estimated, and were shown their organisation of each print jobs for all the different machines. We then went around the workshops and shown all the printing machines and samples from them. There was also a section were hand crafting was done, and a seperate workshop for all the special finishes such as foil blcoking/embossing and die cutting.

I took some photos whilst we were shown around:

The Print Workshop-

Litho:

CMYK plates:

Cian-

 Magenta-

 Yellow-

 Black-

 Before print-

Digital Print:

This Fuji Acuity large format output device is flexible and versatile, capable of high quality printing on virtually any substrate up to 48mm thick onto a huge 2.5m x 1.25m wide.

 Screen print-

Foil Blocking printer-

 Die Cutter-

 Die Cutting stencils-

Here are some examples of finished pieces of work, printed by Team Impression:

''JD Sports Annual Report and Accounts 2010- The cover, printed on Colorplan Prisine White, features an exceptionally crisp embossed headline set in a caption balloon of clear foil and a silver foil title'':

 

Overall I enjoyed this experience and found it interesting to realise how design work can be affected by print, and vice versa. I have also become more aware of the cost of different print processes and how that too can be affected by the finishes and hand crafting

Enterprise Lecture 5 - '10 Steps to a Future You'

1. Proactivity:
-Stimulus - response
-stimulus - choice - response
-circle of influence/concearn
-the more you know about macro environment,  the more chance of influencing it

2. Project:
-future vision
-create a principle - centered personal mission statement
-extend the mission into long term goals
-Business Vision, Priority Management, Business Plan, Life Plan

3. Provide:
-clear explanations to people
-speak in their language, not yours
-talk about benefits - not process
-expertise (GURUS)
-think - create - inspire

4. Prioritise:
-put first things first
-keep a proper balance
-stick to your personal statement
-vision - can't prioritise without one

5. Presents:
-think win/win
-seek outcomes and relationships that are mutually beneficial
-do a favour to gain a favour

[Coffee with Kloog - Karl Hopkins]

Kohlberg's Theory
-pre-conventional - dependent
-conventional - independent
-post-conventional - inter-dependent

6. Pause:
-pause/listen - give all your attention
-empathise - put rouself in their place
-don't re-iterate or interpret - just listen
-do you know how they feel or are you just saying how you feel
-seek first to understand - then be understood
-learn from your differences

7. Proven:
-consistency/integrity/reliability
-people's experience of dealing with you

[Andy Goldsworthy/Jimmy Choo]

8. Partner:
-synergy multiples your talents
-work with other experts outside your field to achieve greatness

[James Dyson, Antony Gormley, Michelangelo, Everest expeditions]

YOU CAN ACHIEVE MORE IF YOU DON'T TRY TO DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF
-sources
-partner
-'Avatar' - 600-800 credits - all free lance or small businesses

9. Pitstop:
-sharpen up - get new stuff
-rest - renew - revitalise
-explore - challenge - excite
-always have something new to talk about

10. Propel:
-extinguish your fears
-exude confidence
-instil faith
-networking events
-market yourself

IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, WHY SHOULD ANYBODY ELSE?
-stand proud

What Is Good - Concept Crit

Problem Analysis: (Identification and evaluation of key issues relating to the brief including creative opportunities, target audiences and appropriate contexts)
Feedback 1: Clear target audience, with potential market. What sets it apart from other existing/similar products. Could target people who don't wear make-up and persuade them to do so.
Feedback 2: Clear target audience, know it will sell. How will you make it look 50s? Iconic will appeal to many. Needs to be unique and not like other make-up ranges.

Contextual Understanding: (Awareness of the creative and professional context for the work produced, informed by the critical analysis a range of appropriate contemporary creative practices and methods of distribution)
Feedback 1: Good vintage/past references have you looked at modern/contemporary workthat could relate. Promoting/personality-what is the aim?
Feedback 2: Looked at existing ranges, vintage make-up where it would be sold, etc. Idea is informed by research. How would you distribute it, promote it? Research more into how you can make it different from other generic make-up brands.

Research: (Evidence of the ability to gather material from a breadth of sources using a range of diverse and inventive primary and secondary research methods appropriate to the brief)
Feedback 1: What type of make-up, what speciality does it have? Is it made from natural/botanic products. Other make-up icons, pin-ups that people are inflenced by. Look at symbols. Need more Design Context
Feedback 2: Depth of research. Looked into specifics liek how Mailyn Applied her make-up. Understanding of 50's posters. Look at ways of promoting make-up? Look more into depth at marilyn Monroe, as you see her face everywhere, Make it different.

Additional Comments:
-Overall the concept is originall and could work really well with a specific selling point!
-50's pin-up relates well too.
-Do abit more research
-Maybe research more into design (colour schemes) just to get a feel for where it's going
-Research brands such as Benefit, Jelly Pong Pong, Soap & Glory, Urban decay
-Vintage, with modern twists eg. posters and products
-Doesn't have to be real just has to be credible.
-Doesn't have to be now, could be for in the future
-Bring seperate investigations together and create links
-Categorise
-What is influencing the design process
-What could it look like?
-Testing, mock-ups, trial and error
-Spin offs/ranges, what works/what doesn't
-Stock
-Scale
-Composition
-Colour
-Type/Image

How to Successfully Promote Yourself in 6 Easy Steps - Lecture 4

How and what?

Too much noise - 5000 ads a day - the average a person will see
-how do your stand out?

Marketing Communication mix
-Murray and O'Driscoll (1996)

Methods of getting noticed
-needs to use a number
IF YOU DO NOTHING, YOU GET NO RESULTS

Method 1:
-memorable business card
-ads
-events - customer notice you
-radio - interview
-write articles
-run a blog
-exploit social media
-publicity
-quirky - memorable
-keep it up - attention - name get's mentioned here and there

Method 2 - build their interest:
-website - info about you - down to Earth
-portfolio - show work
-information packs - something for nothing, hints and tips
-catalogue
-cuartion
-exhibition - examples of work (phone)
-offer your time for free - network

Method 3 - convince them:
-artist statement - values/mission/pitch
-recommendations - previous people you worked for, prove other people like you and your work
-awards
-cummunity engagement
-professional engagement
-professional bodies
-charity events
-involvement

Method 4 - Make your offer irresistable
-value proposition
-pricing strategies - appropriate
-packaging - product/service/after service
-try before you buy - trial - confident - little for nothing
-recommendations
-differentiation
Got to know what the competition is, so you can say what their strengths and weaknesses are, and how you fit in.

Method 5 - close the sale:
-convenience
-buy it now
-right place, the right time
-delivery
-personal selling
-interactive web site
Is anything missed?
Would you like to make deal now?
Would you like to involve somebody else before you decide?
Might say note yet - revisit
-contract - what getting for money - ask questions

Method 6 - reinforce:
-after sales service - 0f there is a problem
-advertising
-public relations
-longevity
-merchandising
-maintaining contact - tell them what you have moved on to do - see if they have more work for you
-building relationships
-how do you reinforce them and prove they have made the right decision
-never throw away a contact - even for the smallest bit of work

Johnny Cupcakes
-suitcase tour - world tour
-road trip - selling from car - t-shirt design - limited edition
-video of trip
-branding on van

Youtube - ''The Facebook Era''

AIDA
-ignorance - not doing anything to get discovered
-attention - awareness initiate
-interest - educate
-conviction - belief/confirm - experience
-desire - need/value
-action - acquisition - transfer
-reinforce - extension support
-follow up
CONSTANT
-nothing is a one off
-keep at it
-build up contacts who want to engage and work with you
Who?
-individuals, different talents
-define and refine customers

Target you market
-'selvege mag'
-demographics
-success of advertising in this mag is shown

Advertising waste
-target audience - hyer targetting
-latent demand

Market Segmentation

Media Usage
-creative agency/boutique/consumer
-knowing where our customers go for info tells you how to reach them
-don't jsut assume
-put yourself in their shoes

B2B
-help them
-get workm noticed

Consumer Segmentation
-demographics - measurable facts
-geographical factors - where? - weather, population
-lifestyle - who are they? when they are thinking of you?

Youtube -The Internet - good/bad

'Wrap it Up' The Grenade Brief

The Brief:
Identify, select and clarify 'What is Good' brief in: 1 word and 1 image (sum it up)
Choose one net from each group of three nets (so should have 5 nets)
Investigate, research and analyse the nets, then choose 3 out of the 5 nets originally chosen.
Then create 3 complete packaging solutions using the word and image, to communicate with the audience.
For my 'What is Good' brief, it is all based on women and beauty, so for the word I have chosen 'make-up', for the image I have an image of a womans face with make-up on.

Target Audience:
This will be aimed at women who wear make-up

Tone of voice:
Light hearted, fun.

Considerations:
Content- word/image and the relationship between the two
What is being packaged?
Appropriate colour
Font choice
Format, net
Media
Composition

Mandatory Requirement:
2 colour plus stock (Same for all packaging- can use tints)
3 of the 5 nets

Deliverables:
3 packaging solutions
Documented designs
Development on Design Practise

Studio Deadline:
Present 9:30 Tuesday 19th October

PPD

Make sure do Enterprise Quizzes - helps get information

Proposed Position Statement - Complete final statement after Christmas
-what position are you positioning yourself within the Graphic industry
-what, who, where you want to work
-my ambitions as a designer

Will get 4 tasks 250 words each
Final PPS will be a summary of all of these

Keep an open mond, do lots of research in order to find a company you would like to work for. Can use visual material too! (what, who why) was things made

4 P's
Product, Promotion, Price, Place

Get on top of this now and through reading week

Value - What are you worth - Lecture 3

Drucker 1985 -
''Innovation is the tool of entrepreneurship.''

Mihaly -
''Creativity is the act of seeing things that everyone around us sees while making the connections that no one else has made.''

Philip Kotler - CCDVTP
Creating
Communicating
Deliverying
Value
to a Target Market
for Profit

Creating value is about managing your product/service
-don't push product onto people but design a product for what people want

Collaboration

Maslow'd heirachy of needs - to help understand what motivates us
1. Self Actualization
2. esteem
3. Love Belonging
4. Safety
5. Physiological

Being useful and entertaining

Where is the money?

Greatest human need = greatest market potential
-food industry
-housing
-utilities
-medicine
-transport
-construction
-insurance
-water
-new technology

Reduced huma needs = lower market potential
-organic farming
-holiday cottages
-home insulator
-health spas
-luxury sports cars
-conservation
-religion
-swimming pool
-alternative technology

A Value Proposition:
-overall aims - or mission
-specific aims - these set out the difference we hope to make - how it will affect people - outcomes
-objectives - these set out how we plan to go ahead achieving our aims - how exactly - outputs

BBC mission/vision/values
Ben & Jerry's Mission and values
-product mission/social mission

Leeds College of Art mission and values

Ideas and Opportunities - Lecture 2

Hi failure rate in start-ups can be avoided by doing lots of research before you get money, before you get people, develop products.

It is better that you evaluate the ideas before you launch yourself rather than to waste time and money discovering you have made a mistake some way down the line.

What is the difference between an idea and an opportunity?

An idea can occur at any time, to anybody, randomly, seldom materialise. Everyone has ideas but they don't always come into reality.

An opportunity occurs when environmental factors merge to create the right conditions for the right idea to take flight. In the right place at the right time:

1. You are aware of what is going on around you and the time is right to take advantage of it

2. You are in an enabling environment

3. You have the resources to make it happen

Amazon Case study:

How would you respond if you were creating products and services in a developing economy where there is very little financial support from government and little spare cash for people to help themselves? 

''Amazon was not profitable for 10 years. Only when they changed their  business model  were able to make it a stable and successful operation. They had one of the most successful sales web sites ion eth world but simply could not sell enough books to make a profit. Then a huge penny dropped for them. What they had actually achieved was the development of a unique selling platform that they could offer a sa service to other book sellers. So now they had two different customers a) those who buy books and b) those who sell books. So sometimes you need to step back form what you are busy doing to see what you are really achieving.  Amazon went on to patent ‘one click’ and also ‘ other people who bought this also bought''

 So, how do you find out find the environment is receptive to your idea or not? Here is a test list you can use to find out if your target audience may be receptive to your idea or not. 

 You can apply these questions to your own project work. For instance, if you are creating a site specific installation piece, you might consider what environmental factors you should accommodate in order to get an appropriate response from your audience. 

What site specific political issues should you be aware of?

What are the local economic conditions you want to respond to or reveal?

What cultural aspects of society in that place are you picking up on?

What are the economic factors that will make this project possible?

If you cannot answer these questions then you are not aware enough.

PEST Analysis:

Political Factors

Economical Factors

Social Factors

Technological Factors

The Big Bang:

Political Changes:

Local,national and international

-Trade Laws 

-Tax Breaks

-Human Rights

-Legalisation

Technological Changes:

Do you know about the latest thinking or just what you see in the shops?

(Wired, Guardian, Economist)

Economical Changes:

-Do you have an informed opinion on it?

-Read a broadsheet newspaper once a week

Social Changes:

Do you know what is affecting everyone or just what affects you?

-Work-life balance

-Eco-aware

-Ageism

-Debt Recovery

-Grow your own

An opportunity is when these factors come together at the same time.

Being able to pick up on these signals in a marketing environment are key qualities of Entrepreneurship. The common tool is a PEST analysis.

Look at current : -

1.Political Changes  ( from local issues to national and international issues)

2.Economic changes (unemployment, Big new employment opportunities create new wealth,  Currency exchange rates)

3.Social Changes ( trends, behaviour patterns, TV reflects popular trends)

4.Technology changes ( what has just changed, what are the latest opportunities on eth internet or on mobile applications)

5.Forget last year’s trends and last decade’s technology – Everyone else has already been there.

What kind of Creative are you?

Evolutionary -------------------- Revolutionary

(The revolutionary will plough through everything and everyone to make change

The evolutionary is someone who adapts current situations, products and designs to gradually make changes that will carry people along with you.)

Manager -------------------- Opportunist

(The manager looks after existing situations and makes them more effective and efficient.

The Opportunist will seek new opportunities and hopes someone else will help them make it work)

Cautious -------------------- Risk Taker

(A cautious creative will give the market what it wants

The risk taker will give the market something it didn’t realise it needed yet!)

What is a Creative Entrepreneur?

There are roughly three types of entrepreneur.

1.The owner worker

1.Pros. – you practice your own aret in a solitary manner and are totally in control of every aspect of your work

2.Cons:- It is easy to fall into the ‘creative labourer’ trap. Your income will be limited by time, health and interruptions.

2. Owner manager

1.Pros:- your role is more diverse and you meet more people. You can develop talent in others and they enable you to generate more income. It is easier to control quality at arms length.

2.You have less time to do your own creative work. You have to think for others. You become a manger of people.

3.Owner Entrepreneur

1.You direct the creative work of others and orchestrate a number of different income streams so if one income stream fails, there are still others to keep you afloat. You can take more holidays and relax doing your own creative work.

2.Sometimes the opportunities you identify do not bring any income. Sometimes risks lead to disasters.

Where do opportunities come from?

-Social/Political Trends

-Technological Developments

-Political Change

-Economic conditions

-Human Need

-Problems

-Research

Some things to research and how they spotted opportunities:

(Starbucks, Nike(Bowerman), Sony Walkman, Concorde, Internet, Richard Branson Virgin, Innocent Smoothies)

Technology PUSH --- Market PULL:

-Technology PUSH means that new products that have emerged through the development of new technology are presented to the market without necessarily knowing how successful they may be.

-Market PULL means that products are developed in response to market demand for change.

Where does the creative fit in?

-Project management

-Know how to find the right people

-Know where to source stuff

-Can work as a team

-Gets along with all kinds of people

-Optimistic

-Communicates well

Project Manager Skills:

1.Define the Problem- What is required by whom and by when

2. Build Confidence - Gain client trust and convince people to invest in your innovations

3. Problem Solving - Lateral thinking, holistic thinking and 3-D visualisations

4. Risk Analysis - PEST analysis

5. Physical Resources - Know your suppliers, develop relationships and make them your friends

6. Planning - Create a system that works for you and that helps you to communicate ideas to others

7. Human Resources - Be connected, network and know who can help you achieve high quality solutions

8. Quality Control - Define the quality of work required. Never entrust this decision to others because your reputation is on the line.

Opportunities can simply arise from these aptitudes because you, or others, recognise that you can put things together in a better, more effective, more imaginative and more convincing manner to achieve higher quality results. This is the most common opportunity that is developed. Some people think that entrepreneurs are heroes with massive personalities but actually, they tend to be quiet, hard working people who are sometimes a bit dull.  Richard Branson, James Dyson and Sir John Hegarty are perfect examples of that.

So you think you have spotted an opportunity?

Skills:

-Technical

-Process

Aptitudes:

-Teamworking

-Entrepreneurs do not do it alone

Predisposition:

-Risk/Caution

-Evolution/Revolution

/Manager/Opportunist 

How do you know if this is a good opportunity or not?

-Look at competitors:

 How many? 

How well are they doing? 

What do they do well? 

What could you improve on?

Assessing Competitors:

Strengths - What you can learn from the things they do well?

Weaknesses - What are they not good at?

Opportunities - For you or your practice

Threats - From Macro environment

Assess the quality of Opportunity:

-For me (How will it affect your personal life, where you live, your family and your work / life balance?)

-For the customers (How will you affect the customers’ quality of life or businesses)

-For the planet (What beneficial effect can you have on your local, national and global environments?)

-For other stakeholders (Who else is affected by your business? For example, if we look at Leeds City Art Galery, who can you say is affected by its activities? These people are all stakeholders)

Stakeholders can be organised in these three brackets.

•The internal environment in a business / practice

•This may just be you. Or may be 10 people who work together

•The Micro environment

•These are the stakeholders who are just on the periphery of your ‘world’

•They are affected by your success or failure

•The Macro environment:

-These are stakeholders or factors which are beyond your control.

-They are not directly affected by your success or failure but by the cumulative effect of  many successes and faillure.

-You may be significantly affected by these factors beyond your control.

SWOT Analysis:

Strenghts

Weaknesses

Opportunites

Threats