Rob Ryan

As i looked at Rob Ryans work in my sketchbook and am really inspired by him I contacted him for some feedback about my jewellery, I got a brief response back from his assistant but a positive one!

Hi Katie,


We think your jewellery looks lovely and very imaginative - well done!


Best of luck for the rest of your course.


Kind regards
Hazel

Inital Business Cards

I have begun to draft some business cards with a link to my blog on. I am looking into selling my jewellery at local art festivals throughout the summer and until my look book is completed (in the last few weeks of May) i could post these to the organisers so they can follow my blog, rather than attach afew pictures of my work in an email. I would like to look at printing these on swing tags as they are a similar size but a bit more unique than just a piece of card. This could aid with displaying them at the events. Rather than just having a pile on the table i could make an artificial tree to link in with the paper/recycling theme and hang them off the branches - this will emphasise my brand image (girly, ecclectic, eco-friendly) and hopefully attract interest and give people something to remember. This last part is important as i dont want people to just pick up a business card, put it in the bottom of their bag and never look at it again.
I will develop a way of selling pieces via my blog if i have enough interest, or from here have a link to somewhere where they can be bought more easily.

As these are only inital business cards they are very simple and could be developed but having looked at them all arranged in this way i think they complement each other really well so i will print all 3.

Paper Directory

I have begun to research into more paper companies and set up this post to keep them all in one place!

• www.papershed.com - lush handmade papers!
• www.dupont.com - splash and tear proof paper
• www.paperchase.co.uk - amazing wrapping papers!
• www.papermart.com - every kind of paper and card

Saloukee

I sent emails out a while back to jewellery suppliers and designers, asking for feedback on my pieces from a professional perspective. This is important as these people are established and have made it in the industry so know what sells and what doesn't. I need to constantly be developing and moving myself forward to not only meet the needs of my consumer but also keep up with competition.

I have heard back from Sally from Saloukee - http://www.saloukee.com/ who makes amazing, intricate paper jewellery and has won many awards for her work - 'Excellence in Jewellery' 2009 by the British Jewellers Association, 'Shell Livewires 'Grand Ideas' Award'.

Here is what she had to say:

Hi Katie,

Good to hear from you!

Your work looks fantatic and very accomplished for a second year project :)


Some feedback:

-Great use of colour- good combinations and sensitivity...something I always find difficult :)

- I think perhaps you could consider changing the scale of the pieces? More diverse sizes might create a more dramatic collection?

-Great photography- gives an idea of your target market/puts your jewellery in a fashion context (which I'm sure you'll know is important for a designer) personally I think it's important to also get some shots of the product on it's own- you may have already done this?

-Have you used origami papers for these pieces? Obviously I realise this allows them to be folded and bought easily etc and I'm sure you have trialled other papers but the problem with this sort of paper is that it limits your creativity. Perhaps it could be worth experimenting using softer papers too or ones that you have made yourself? Perhaps this would give the work more fluidity? I just think this may allow your shapes to be gentler on the skin and sit more naturally with the curves of the body?- But this is only a suggestion and may be worth considering should you use paper in a project again.

- Great composition and form, I love the tesselating pattern and I feel the two chosen shapes are really complementary of each other, adding good dimensions to the pieces.

I also think it's fantastic that you have taken the initiative to get in touch. I hope my feedback have been useful and I wish you the very best for the future.



Kindest,



Sarah Kelly



Saloukee.com


Different papers are something I didn't really consider in depth as I was just looking for specific colours in a lightweight paper (if they are too thick by the time it has been folded they are too stiff and less accurate). Since I made the jewellery I bought some new paper with different transparency, thickness and texture as I am looking at devloping a range of eco-friendly wedding flowers over the summer. I love Sarah's idea of making my own paper as it gives a more personal touch and I can tailor this to the customers needs - perhaps even making paper with them so they can play a part in creating the flowers for their special day...

Changing the scale of the pieces is also something i would like to develop - i was limited by the size of the paper before. Something to consider is that the paper will need to get thicker as the shapes get bigger or they will be too floppy and not stand up - or i could find a way to treat the paper to make it stiffer?

Sarah's comments have also encouraged me to pursue the idea of a look book using the close-up shots i took and individual ones of each piece on the stand - if i do not have time to do this before i hand in this project it is something else i will develop outside of uni time. This will allow me to post to possible suppliers, and it's always nice to have something physically to look at rather than pictures online!

Katie Louise 2

Possible colour schemes - the pastel colours reflect the girly delicate nature of my current colleciton, yet they are vibrant enough to also be ecclectic and memorable. I could combine 4 colours as i have started to do on the last name, to give me more to work with as having only 2 associated with my brand could be too repetative and just too much! However there is nothing to say i can't use other colours, as long as my chosen 2 are present and dominant, preferably in the title. My favourite combination is the pink and orange but i think they all work well together so the others could be a palette for smaller elements (eg border around letters, colour of string on swing tags, stitching on canvas bags...)

Kate Louise

Above: looking up fonts from dafont.com to use. I have looked up simple ones so my name is easily read and so i have more scope for designing an elaborate 'K' which will stand out.

Above: Experimenting with colour schemes. I could have 2 set colours to represent my brand and incorporate these into different advertising elements and the differentiating factor could be differnent fonts? font sizes? combination of capitals and lowercase? or none at all - consistant colours and fonts could be more professional and recognisable to my target audience.

Above: Further variations of text. Although there is alot of room for development of an elaborate 'K', in the examples above they don't look right as they are too separate from the rest of the name.

Options:

• Incorporate the ideas for the 'K' (eg illustration) into the rest of the name? Risk of being too busy, must be something v.recognisable and unique. May look tacky!


• Go down the route of establishing recognisable brand colours and font?

Initals

Amelias Magazine Issue 06
Liberty London Magazine

I really like the style of the 'B' in particular, as it is ecclectic and colourful like my jewellery. Having the whole brand name like this would be too much but i want to design a 'K' that people will recognise and can stand alone and work in the whole name. The illustrations around the 'G' are an example of how i could keep the same font but introduce/change elements for different projects or componants (eg a swing tag, stitched in label, packaging - bag, screen printed tissue paper, ribbon - website, look book, letter head, blog header, general logo...).