Who am I, who are they?

Task:

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 (music industry, retail, publishing, education etc) and focus on identifying:

- 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?

There are so many different client groups that use Graphic Design within their industry, whether it be to promote, distribute or communicate their products. Theres the small clients like local take aways for example, someone designs their menus, okay they may sometimes look crap but its still Graphic Design and they are using it to inform their customers what they have to offer. You can then start looking at larger client groups, things like the Argos catalogue, they have an in house Graphic designer who works on designing the catalogue (editorial design) and also all the POS material (point of sale). Graphic design is everywhere, from road signs (a typographer would have designed the typeface for them) to instruction manuals to credits at the end of a movie (digital designer) the list is endless!

In terms of looking at the 4 P's in relation to the task I have picked an example to look at:

- Argos/ large retail companies:

- Product: Argos for example offers thousands of products in its catalogues and even more online, because they offer such a large amount of different products they have become popular for having a product for everyone. Theres products such as watches to lawnmowers to kids toys!

- Price: One of Argos's values is to provide great value! They strive to provide affordable prices for everyone by offering a high and low end cost for a range of products. This means that they can extend their customer audience. One main line that offers great value is the Argos value range, they then also work with other manafacturers of high quality to sell to customers who can pay that bit more. They dont restrict their sales by only selling expensive products. Many students shop at Argos because things are so cheap.

- Place: Argos now has about 500 stores in the UK and Ireland, they have small stores in villages to large stores which have sofas on show. They have been made accessable to most of the UK.

- Promotion: In terms of their promotion and getting themselves out there, they have their catalogue, website, POS in store, their delivery lorries, leaflets and flyers and tv advertising. When a new catalogue is launched twice a year, the company sets targets to distribute X amount within the first week, the first few days are crucial to them as the more people to own a catalogue, the more people that are likely to purchase their products.

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1/ What skills/ interests do I have and how do they relate to the needs of my client group?

One main value of mine is the ability to help people. I am the sort of person that wants to give, give, give. From helping someone with work or just giving them a shoulder to cry on. I love helping people and making people happy. I know that as a Graphic Designer you would have to be a person like that, but I mean it in a different context. I would love to teach someone something valuable or make someones day by getting them involved in something new. I am a very generous person, at christmas I spend more than I need to just because I like giving. Time is also another thing I give, just being there for someone to talk to or using my time to help someone else.

I guess that skills and interests along these lines means that I would be good at teaching or running creative workshops.

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

If I was thinking of becoming a teacher as a career I would need to have a great deal of patience as young people can sometimes be a handful or not understand something, I would need to be able to have the patience to sit and go through something 100 times if that young person needed me to. I would need to be knowledgable and aware too. Something that I would like to work on is my confidence, even now in my 2nd year I still dont feel like I am as confident as I should be/ would like to be. I dont always have faith in my ideas when I am sharing them with a group and I often find it hard to explain an idea that I have in my head to other people. If I was to become a teacher I would need to be able to have good communication skills and the ability to explain things to people confidently and fluently.

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

Teaching is something I am strongly considering at the moment, it gives me a chance to give something back and to share my knowledge with other, it also means I can insire young people to become involved in the creative industry. I would also love to set up a charity/ business where I provide creative opportunities for disadvantaged yound people, like working in community centres doing work shops to keep yound people out of trouble and get them inspired to be creative. Another ambition is to open a small shop where I can sell pieces of my work and maybe do some freelancing. I know that if im wanting to do any of this I am going to have to work reallly, really hard. With the idea of starting my own business I know im going to have to try my hardest to understand Enterprise and Innovation and make the most of what it is teaching me, as it is invaluable!

If I was to start my own business I would need to write a clear business plan of what I am going to provide, who I am going to provide to and the reasoning behind my idea.