The Design Trust has been working with Bloomsbury Publishing for over a year. They provide regularly our Book of the Month, which offers a 20% discount to our Business Club members. We know that many of our Business Club members are interested in publishing a book, so we were very pleased when Alison Stace, Commissioning [...] Read more »
Exclusive Business Club webinar: ‘How small designers can sell to big retailers’ with The Retail Champion Clare Rayner
Do you want to know how to: sell to retailers such as John Lewis, Habitat or Heals successfully (and bypass the buyer’s PA)? make your (very small!) business look professional and credible so that buyers will take an interest in your products or services? position yourself correctly in a very crowded market? create a brand [...] Read more »
13 last minute actions to promote an exhibition, event, craft fair, trade show, open studios, ….
You have spend all your time preparing for a major event. You made all your work. Spend ages on the presentation, finding the right plinths, the right lighting. Been focused entirely on the making and creation of your work. And now, a week or on the day (!) of the show, you realise you need [...] Read more »
A graphic designer’s guide to creating a brand strategy for your craft or design business
This guest post is written by Avril Broadley of graphic design agency Broadbase, a graphic design duo based in East London. They have worked with many retailers, manufacturers and designers to bring products to market. They are the designers behind Jewellery Week and recently created the branding for Treasure at Somerset House. You can see [...] Read more »
The Design Trust Guide to Start & Run a Successful Craft Business
I wrote this guide to help creative people get clarity and direction in how to start and run their own small craft business. It gives lots of practical advice and information, but also looks at the big picture. Setting up as a freelancer or sole trader can be really daunting. There are so many things [...] Read more »
The Design Doctor: Help, a department store wants to place a bulk order
Dear Design Doctor I have a company wanting to take my products to a meeting with a very large department store, and they have requested information from me as below: prices per unit when ordered in batches 25/50/100/200/500/1000? to provide lead times on above amount? can i give Exclusivity? Is this product covered by your [...] Read more »
Free Design Trust webinar: Speak like a TED Talker, become better at public speaking with Sarah Lloyd-Hughes
Do you find public speaking scary? Most of us do! Whether you are pitching for business, doing a talk, or running a workshop or training session, there is no better way to influence and inspire people and potential clients about your work than through powerful, passionate and authentic public speaking. Sarah Lloyd-Hughes is a coach, [...] Read more »
What is niche marketing? And 8 good reasons why you should bother and not worry about loosing out
There is a lot of talk on small business websites about the importance of creating your own niche. So what is that all about? What is niche marketing? A niche is a focused, targetable part of the market. You are a specialist providing a product or service that focuses on specific client group’s needs, which [...] Read more »
The Design Doctor: I launched … and nothing happened! How do I start selling my crafts?
Dear Design Doctor After 17 years as a freelance artist, I decided to start up my own small business designing and producing silk scarves. With only £1000 to my name I set to producing the first 3 scarves in what I would like to be a larger collection. It’s taken 7 months and I have [...] Read more »
Should I participate in a contemporary craft or design fair?
This might seem like a no-brainer, but actually fairs might actually not work for you (at this stage). The positives – fairs are a great way to: have face-to-face contact with potential and existing clients get feedback about your products or services to research the market you work in and compare yourself with ‘the [...] Read more »