Task 3

How will I promote myself?

The fashion industry is very diverse in media, not only in the way it communicates/advertises its products to customers, but the way it builds an aura around certain scenes and ranges when and where they get released. Social networking has been at the forefront of this for many years, making use of blogs and online media to ensure the widest possible range of publicity can be achieved. For some it is a case of finding a specific demographic to appeal to and thrive in, for others a simple case of achieving ultimate sales and profit.

My potential customers would be the brands reaching out to average fashion conscience customer through design and communication, essentially putting me in the driving seat of this journey from post production to the final sale. So how will I promote myself to these companies looking to increase sales and/or home-in-on a certain target market, be it higher end boutiques ie. Berg&Berg or more general fashion outlets such as Topshop.
























What do THEY want to hevevWhat do they want to hear?They want to hear that I have an adequate level of understanding how the fashion market works, and although I pledge not to be so fashion conscious, it's clear when a campaign is trying to target audiences for specific reason, be it price, style or geographical relevance.

A young mind, interested in how the brands image can be pushed forward in any direction that will bring them further in tune with their target demographic, again, this depends on the nature of the brand and how they want themselves to be perceived through advertising campaigns, even something as simple as a logo can connote the ethics of a brand, an aspect that young/current designers can be very much in tune with. More specifically, being able to identify a clients tone of voice and how this can be expanded on/experimented with to either attract new customers or reinforce the fellowship of others.



What should I say to them?

How will I communicate to them?

Regardless of who I am communicating to initially, there are a number of ways I would want to start communicating to potential clients. Personal Selling is a big factor, I want to sell myself in a way that clients will not only be intrigued by the work I am producing, but interest them in finding out how they can work with me in order to sell themselves better.

A personal website/portfolio is a must in getting oneself out there in the world of graphic design, especially where fashion is concerned. As I mentioned earlier, a whole load of fashion orientated projects/adverts/blogs/websites/shops circulate online, and some solely online, therefore limiting their means of communication to specific audiences. This gives me the opportunity to penetrate certain customers at the heart of their business, providing I have a strong enough online presence.







Last year I went to the London Clothes Show (through interest of my better half), essentially a trade fair for some of the bigger brand names, but also those who work on a lower level output. The brands found here often have a strong idea of who they want to target and leave themselves exposed for customers to browse, buy or discard what they have to offer. Attending events like these and talking to the right people will undoubtedly put me in a potentially creative atmosphere, offering advice on design aesthetics and how they could better their communication with the target market.


Business cards/handouts get passed around these kind of events like there is no tomorrow, but actually talking to potential clients and leving them woth something to think about as well as a small piece of informed design to let them know who you are and what you can offer is much more effective in building up relationships with clients, hopefully leaving a mark in their mind and more importantly a contact in their phonebook.



Direct mail/mailshots can be a risky way of communication, purely because of the stick they get given under the bracket of 'junk mail'. In order to effectively communicte via mail, (particularly to bigger compaines) it is essentail that the design is considered down to the envelope used to package what you want to say.