Case Study 1: Studio / Client Relationship
I really enjoyed hearing about the creation of this project. This case study has made me want to read these books so they did a very good job of selling the idea even in this format!
I had no idea a book could come to life this way round - by someone having an idea, putting together a team, creating the whole project all before the writing of the actual book. Also the fact that the original plan was for a long series of books was surprising - from everything I've head, it is usually one book is released, then the success is measured and the decision is made whether the next book will be commissioned. There must have been quite a lot of confidence the series would do well.
I also found it interesting hearing about the people who were involved in the book - the commissioning editor, the project editor and the in-house designer along with an army of freelancers. At first glance I would have assumed a majority of the team would be in-house however it is not the case. When thinking about my own studio this opens it up a bit so that not as many employees are needed, freelance can be used instead of all salaried employes. I am going to use this as inpiration when looking at my staffing needs in my business plan.
Case Study 2: Studio Set-up
I really liked the way Hamish Makgill described setting up his studio - almost haphazardly with no background in business, they were almost blind going into it. I have always thought that to be a successful studio owner I would have to be an expert in all things related to the business but hearing Hamish Makgill talk about the advice he received made me realise this doesn't have to be the case. The most important thing is being able to call on the right expertise, as Makgill clearly did as the studio was successful.
I also found it interesting that Makgill opened a second studio later in his career when he had figured out the work he wanted to do more.The first studio, Red seemed like a really good way to get a footing in the industry but not fulfilling in the long run, he said he left because he wanted to do different, simpler commissions. His second studio, studio Makgill wasn't opened until much later in his career after he had worked in London as a Graphic Designer for other Studios in London. This seemed more like his passion project, he had paid his dues and worked on a variety of different projects and narrowed down his interests before opening his studio.
The case studies were very insightful and gave a real look into the way studios and projects can be ran. It has opened my mind to multiple ways of doing things and that you can mould the way you work around you. These will be really helpful when writing my business plan.
The Client Is Not Your Enemy
I found this video [1] interesting - I am not used to hearing someone talk about design is such a business based context rather than creativity based. It seemed to me like Chris Do did contradict himself a couple of times in this video. The first thing Chris said was you need to have a purpose - beyond money, why do you exist? However the rest of the talk seemed to talk about how you can make money through the business of design.
I did enjoy the talk but I feel like it was missing a level of creativity in a talk about design - Chris said that design is all about fulfilling the clients brief and not your own artistic ego. But I have always thought of it as a collaboration - the client sets out the brief and the designer comes up with creative solutions to the problem, it is not just about the clients vision, it is about the vision of both parties. If it was as Chris said, just the vision of the client, with some you would have to question where that stops? Is it our job to make something that looks God awful just because someone not trained in the subject requests it? I personally can't think of a more soul crushing job.
I also found it slightly contradictory when Chris said he doesn't understand why people want to have side hustles - they should be creatively fulfilled by satisfying their clients. I don't think I could ever be creatively fulfilled by just completing projects set by someone else, and I don't think that is because I am not happy as a designer, I think that it is because projects I create and care about are very important to me.
Overall I think this talk was really good at making you think about the needs of the client and what we can do to improve the communication. i'm definitely going to use the tip of asking why three times in the future. As an in-house designer I have a lot of requests from across the organisation on a daily basis. Sometimes they require me to tackle the project in my own way, other times they want me to make it exactly like they think it should be made. I'm sure you can imagine which group of people is easier to work with! I am definitely going to think more while interacting with the second group as I think I can get a bit defensive at times, the suggestion of asking why three times will help ease some of these tensions.
Further Research
Ben and Jerry's
I came across Ban and Jerry's [2] list of company values when conducting research for my business plan this week and was surprised at what I found. They have separated their mission into three separate parts - product, social and economical. I love this idea and think it is a great way to structure the values of a company who also want to be socially conscious and sustainable. As you can see above, their social mission is very specific, it's not the token 'be diverse' without much explanation of how, it's things such as supporting non violent ways to achieve peace and justice or creating economic opportunities for those who have been denied them in the past.
I'm going to use this as inspiration when creating my business plan as a main part of the studio I envisage is a strong social mission as well as excellent design. I need to make sure like Ben and Jerry's, these are both included as major parts of my values.
Social Enterprises
I decided in order to do my business plan this week, I need to find out more about the social business side of my studio so I read a really interesting article on Investopedia.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
A social enterprise is a business with social objectives that serve its primary purpose.
Maximising profits is not the primary goal of a social enterprise as is with a traditional business.
Unlike a charity, social enterprises pursue endeavours that generate revenues, which fund their social causes.
Regarding employment, preference is given to job-seekers from at-risk communities [3]
This was really helpful, especially the point about employment preference given to job seekers from at risk communities - that is exactly what I want my studio to do, diversify the voices in the industry of design.
Engine Creative
I love the way Engine Creative [4] both describe and illustrate their values. They make you feel like you would be silly not to go with their agency. On their website they also have a section where you can download the six posters above for your office, it's such a good way of making your clients feel like they are loving your values with you.
I thought this was a really good example to use when thinking about the values of my studio and also a really good example of how to describe them to people and even show them.
Workshop Challenge
How do you write a client facing strategic document for the purpose of a new business challenge?
Create a format and structure for a new business plan. You have considered company philosophy, leadership, budgeting, IP, and now we want you to create a 3,000-word business plan that presents your proposal to your client. This plan will be used to write a client facing project, or as an outline for a potential studio launch or entrepreneurial idea or artefact. This is very much a speculative exercise that will grow and evolve as you move through the rest of the course.
Naming my Studio
Although I have called my studio Studio 5x5 in the previous weeks, I wanted to choose a name more meaningful to my project. I want the name to represent the values and aims of my studio which are to give opportunities in design to people who would not have them otherwise and also encourage new and diverse voices in the field of design.
I started by laying out as many names with meaning I could think of - from childhood nicknames to space vocabulary. My three favourites from the list were:
Studio Coco - Coco has been my family nickname for my whole life, it gives me a homely feeling hearing my mum call me it and that is how I want to encourage people to feel when working with my studio - relaxed, at home and in safe hands.
Studio Albedo - albedo is the light that is reflected by a surface, typically that of a planet or moon. I liked this because it's what I am trying to do with the studio - shine a light on people who wouldn't have it otherwise.
Studio Ümba - I made up a story when I was young about a whale with a universe inside of her, she was called Ümba. I used to draw the whale over and over again and I think it was the reason I first fell in love with illustration. I like this because it represents the creativity inside of us that my studio will bring out in people who previously wouldn't have had the opportunity to express.
I chose the name Studio Ümba because I think it represents perfectly the values and vision I have for the business. It's an integral part of my history and part of the reason I am so passionate about the project. The whale represents the unique and brilliant people that will work at the studio and the universe inside of the whale is the creativity inside of us.
Studio Ümba Logo
The first thing I decided to do was look at some of the pictures of Ümba I have drawn over the years to see if I can use any of them for my logo.
I really like the idea of using a whale in my logo because it shows where the idea came from and the values the studio has such as bringing out the internal creativity. However I think all of these are too complicated for a logo, I am going to make a simpler graphic version of the bottom left whale.
I am going to work this simplified version into my logo. Here are my four sketch ideas:
I want a modern looking logo so I have decided to develop the top right logo further.
Final logo for Studio Ümba.
Now for the hard part... writing the plan!
The sections I will include in my business plan are:
Manifesto
Mission Statement
History
Values
How we work
Objectives
Who we are
Meet the team
About us
Services
Process
Your journey
Finances/Legal
Prices
Example quote
Funding structure
Future projections
Rates per designer
SWOT Analysis
IP
Legal structure
Here is my draft for the business plan;
Here is how I worked out my costings;
Summary
Writing a business plan taught me a lot about both how I would want to set up a design studio and also how I would set up a business. I did find this a particularly challenging assignment as it is so far out of my comfort zone. A lot of research went into creating this business plan and I am overall really pleased with the outcome. The hardest part was looking into government funding for offering apprenticeships to offenders - the information is out there but it is a confusing grant system with many stages. [5] It is something that if I was to set up my own studio I would be really passionate about so it was only right to include it in this business plan, no matter how complex the issue.
I think given more time on this project I would develop the fee structure further - while I think I have a good basis for it I think for this plan it would be helpful to have more example quotes to illustrate what potential clients would expect to pay. This would mean a more well rounded view of the pricing. I think the tone of voice I have used in the business plan is successful, it is casual but informative and I think it is a good communication technique for potential clients and puts them at ease while also giving them all of the information they need.
While I found this an incredibly challenging project I am pleased with the business plan I have produced. It has made me really excited for the possibility of actually starting the studio one day and I think this document is a really good basis for that.
References
[1] The Futur. (2015). The Client Is Not Your Enemy: Redefining Your Client Relationship. 20/10/15. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k22HKpzDMg4. Last accessed: 21/6/21.
[2] Ben and Jerry. (2020). Values. Available: https://www.benjerry.co.uk/values. Last accessed 23/6/21.
[3]Barone, A. (2020). Social Enterprise. Available: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-enterprise.asp. Last accessed 23/6/21.
[4] Engine Creative. (2021). Our Values & Goals. Available: https://www.enginecreative.co.uk/about-us/our-values/. Last accessed 23/6/21.
[5] Ministry of Justice. (2021). Prison Leavers Project: improving outcomes for prison leavers. Available: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prison-leavers-project-improving-outcomes-for-prison-leavers. Last accessed 19/8/21.
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