Self Branding 1.3

Delivery

Thinking about how I will deliver my personal branding is important because it will influence my designs and also allow me to get the most out of it. I need to design something that I will be proud to give to a designer I would like to work with/for in the future. 

Email is a quick and easy way to get in contact with a client, however it is faceless and doesn't show your personality. Actually being present with them is a lot better because it allows them to actually talk to you and ask questions about them. It is a more sensitive and personal way of meeting and creating contacts. Turning up at the design studio shows that you're proactive and confident. Design studios often get lots of emails from students showing there CVs and design qualities, however the design studio often doesnt get a chance to see them because they're busy. 

Posting your personal branding leaves more scope and opportunity to send a bespoke screen print or smart publication because the design studio/client will be able to take their time to look at it. It is also their decision whether they look at it or keep it. The composition can include my details and even a QR code to my social media account/website. 

Going to an exhibition or magazine launch provides the opportunity to go up to successful designers and have a conversation with them. It is important to ask them questions and be polite and professional. Personality is very important because if the client like you as a person they'll want to work with you.

Concepts

• Posting a bespoke screen printed poster on quality stock that is very visual and demonstrates my style of work. 

• Create a business card on a thick stock to hand to people when I meet them. Could be inside a small envelope:

Delivering my business card in an envelope adds class and quality. It won't force my information the clients as it leaves them the opportunity to choose whether to open it and also keep it inside. 

Having a heavy weighted stock for the business card will make the envelope rigid and ultimately add quality. 

I need to think about the stock I will use to create the envelope as it can't be too rigid as I need to be able to fold it. The colour and texture of the paper will also connote the quality and uniqueness. Like the images above, the envelope can be patterned, plain or made out of pages of books. There is a lot of scope for experimentation and I need to find a stock that's suitable. 

As a response to my research, I have decided to experiment with the envelope and business card concept because I think it is a realistic outcome that I will be confident to give to a designer/client. 

Anatomy of a classic envelope:

Sketched out some concepts for the shape of the seal flap:

Interesting to see how changing the seal flap can change the connotations of the envelope. The curvaceous flaps are friendly where as the sharp spike suggests a more traditional approach. 

Front:

Made my own envelope to see how I can make them out of my own stock and pattern. There are a few variations of the net which can connote different qualities:

A really easy and simple net for an envelope that was very easy to create and also manipulate. The side tabs simply need to glued to the bottom flap. 

The seal flap is very small and straight which is effective, however it is limited and boring. I want my self branding to be intriguing to stand out and make the potential client/employer want to consider me. 

I adapted the original net to make the seal flap a more traditional point:

I prefer this because it is more enticing to open and is a classic and traditional shaped envelope. The arrow makes the form of the envelope balanced. 

Placed a piece of thick stock into the envelope and realised that the audience wouldn't be able to see any of the stock even when the seal flap is open. This will also make it hard for the audience to get the card out of the envelope to read the information. To overcome this, I simply cut a curve at the top.

There is another net that can be used to create a different type of envelope:

This type of envelope is for a friendlier purpose, for example a birthday/thank you card compared the the previous envelope which is commonly used for banking and bills. This envelope is easier to open and makes pulling the business card out easier due to the large throat.