My first move when I leave University is to set up a small business online selling my illustrated products via etsy and my own Big Cartel shop. I also want to sell my stock to niche shops and I will be setting up stalls at the craft/zine/art fairs we hold around the UK. I don't want to just have the run of the mill items for sale - all the shops I buy most from are the ones that are innovative or who create nostalgic items but bring them up to date. Using the images I created for my Final Major Project, 'Menagerie', I want to explore what the possibilities might be for creating merchandise from home without the end result looking tatty/home-made. Amongst a host of unpredictable twists and turns, the main issues I expect to come up against are: whether or not a product is professional enough, whether it's cost-effective and whether or not I can produce it in bulk.
Through this research I'm hoping to find out what products can be realistically hand-made by me and if I know when to throw the towel in (and outsource).
I intend to set up a series of experiments that will result in a product being made and at the end ask myself:
Is there an audience for it?
How would I sell it to the audience i.e. craft fair/online etc.?
Has my illustration worked within this medium?
what about packaging and sending the product out?
Has it been easy enough to make if not how could I fix this in the future?
Has it been expensive to make, if yes, how could I make it cheaper in the future?
Is the quality good enough to sell, if not, how could I fix this in future?
Is it practical to make lots of them to make a big demand, if not how would you resolve this?
Through these questions I hope to have a clearer understanding of what to expect when the sanctuary of University is gone and I'm out in the open market place.
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