E & PP - Motivation

In one of our sessions with Simon Pope we were asked the question, What are your motivations for making work in this field? Money?, Fame?, Contribution to knowledge"? For the good of society? and are these motivations apparant in your personal project?

When looking at my personal project i think that its motivation comes from not just one but maybe all of the above. Creating Urbnkila's clothing line was first created through my passion for fashion, art and design, its only when you get deeper into the concept that you realise if successful you could potentially make alot of money if your work is driven at the right market, in the right way and speeaks for itself in quality of design. Making slot of money is obviously everyones dream in todays society as life becomes much more comfortable to live so yes money would be a motivation behind urbnkila and my personal project. Maybe a potential invester or employee will like how we have branded the company or even be offered work from it.

Fame is also a factor as i certainly would want some recognition for my hard work i would like Urbnkila as a brand to be far more recognizable than myself as and individual so its not for personal fame. My research paper aimed to contribute knowledge to the design industry into what elements were important when creating visually stimulating motion design so that in my opinion also contributes to knowledge. Aswell as this i have had numerous emails about Urbnkila's products fro fellow designers and customers saying that what we do as designers is an inspiration to them and edges them on to do what they do as designers which is nice to hear, so maybe that motivates for the good of society also.

A person or brand as ahe can well be thought of now that create for their own fame and exposure as well as making money would be Paris Hilton. Organisations such as Green Peace and WWF are fine examples of people who Contribute to knowledge while being for the good of society.

E & PP - Networking

Networking can be such an important tool within the design world. Its become essential for business and designers to not become isolated and stay in the know where the industry in concerned. From experience with my own companies OBEKO and Urbnkila its become increasing apparant that today it helps to have contact with people in your field if you want to achieve success. It is important who you know, how they can help you and vice versa. The more contacts and friends you make from networking the greater the oppurtunities will be for you.

When you’re out in the “real world” looking for work, you can’t rely on your stellar resume and great grades to land you that perfect job. In today’s world, many young adults find their dream career through networking. This mysterious art often confuses the uninitiated, but there are a few easy ways to get started.

Myspace today has become an essential tool for networking, almost every design company or designer has one. Why? Because they offer closer relationships to specifically the people in your field of profession or interest. I have set up 2 myspace accounts for both my companies and from doing this i have gotten advice on matters where i have needed help as well as clients. Myspace also helps you spread the word that you out there doing your stuff alive and kicking!

Another great way to network is to go to exhibitions and job fairs. Talk to the people there and make a good impression. Always dress professionally and present yourself as a model employee. You may also want to consider doing some volunteer work or interning in your field to build up a network of contacts you can call to help you find that job. We have recently been invited to Margin an annual fashion exhibition in london through networking from there we hope to make more contacts to open more doors.

On the web you can find other sites like Ryze (http://www.ryze.com/) that form virtual communities to bring networking to those who aren’t already connected. Less reliable are contacts from friends you might meet on Friendster or other online communities. Other web forums related to your preferred career can help, too, but don’t count on the internet to land you a job. There’s nothing like face-to-face contact to make an impression.

www.tbcfm.com is a website ran by our friend austin vernon who provides aunique web based wholesale marketplace and trading community. Its an exciting new online eprocurement tool and marketing platform for brands, buyers, press and consumers. They will Promote your collections, Manage wholesale orders from existing buyers, Display forward collections via secure showroom or look-book, Broadcast TV adverts and promotional videos, Distribute company press and event information, Conduct online meetings with buyers, receive daily industry news direct to your desktop.

Living in Bridgend i looked up networking agenciesand people that are involved in helping develope business in the area, here are some of what i found;

http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=169708&NewsAreaID=2\

http://www.supportu.co.uk/

http://www.bridgend.gov.uk/english/business/index.htm

www.venturewales.com/

There are not too many if any drawbacks of networking if done correctly in my opinion so it is extremely beneficial to not hold back but get involoved as much as you can.

E&PP - Buisness and financial advice

The aim of todays exercise was to visit some banks and retrieve information relevant to opening a business after university. This proved to to be a great insight into how to get the ball rolling when starting a new business venture, it was very appropriatte also and marc and i are aiming to do the exact same thing once graduated in trying to open a studio for our design company OBEKO.

We decided upon visiting HSBC located in St Davids street Cardiff as it was our own personal branch, we concluded that as we were some what familar with their methods it was best to seek their advice first. Upon arrival we were greeted through the doors by a polite business adviser almost immediatly. We explained what that we were seeking informative advice into what they can offer in financial support and service in helping us set up the studio. The business adviser offered us some brochures concerning the topics and asked us then to sit down and discuss further about what we were looking for. He then advised us about opening up a buisness account with them but it proved to be very costley to use when taking on all the added costs and implications. He advised to begin it would be easier to set up a joint account until we deal with larger amounts of money annually, we could then think about opening a buisness account.

The adviser then went on to say that while it being a tedious and hard working process they will try support us in every way they can giving the best financial advice and support possible, which we re-assuring. As starting a new business can have its downfalls with an over clouding dept we then discussed about getting buisness grants and they where very helpful. He said that until he takes a closer look as our business plan, figures and forecasts he can not help much further as when he gets this information they can asses in properly and judge what they can offer in terms of financial loans. We were then advised to seek out grants for graduates from people such as venture wales who help young graduates recieve a KEF grant. Since then we have looked into the process and are due to meet with venture wales about the possibility of delivering our business plan.

Overall HSBC were very informative, supportive and most important friendly they did not seem be-littling in any way. The adviser was clear in what had to be done aswell as giving in hand information packs and applications to get us started. I would recommend them to anyone after this meeting to be honest they were very helpful.