PRESENTATION FEEDBACK

After presenting the research i've collected over summer to the group,  i received feedback on my initial idea for the guide book which has influenced a slight change in direction.
After finding out that the publication doesn't have to be a guide book, it was felt that it would be more interesting, appropriate and beneficial to my self if i focused the content of the book on my clothing line The Prawn Shop.
I am now beginning to draft out ideas for what direction the book should go in, such as a look book, an insight in to the brand etc.

TARGET AUDIENCE

When considering the target audience for the guide book i started to consider the type of person who would start a design based small business.
Obviously they would be a creative individual who has an interest in design; this lead me to believe that the visuals associated with them would tend to be colorful and creative in someway, whether it be through illustration or something along those lines.
The expected target age range would be around 18-22, as this guide book aims to give an insight in to how to sell something that it's not guaranteed you'll make money from, it requires time and freedom to do so; for this reason they would most likely be students of some kind, most likely studying a design based degree.
I don't believe the guide book content is exclusive to any one gender, i intend to make it inclusive to both.

PRODUCT PHOTOS ON A BUDGET

I've learnt that you don't need a photography studio and an expensive camera to photograph your t-shirts (although it would help). My tips would be that you need to ensure that the design and t-shirt are clearly visible, there's a source of natural light in the room (to show the true colours of the design) your photographing the garment, and the image isn't  too cluttered.

Another way to get photos of your products is through customer images, if one of your customers uploads a photo of themselves on social media wearing one of the t-shirts you've designed, not only is this good brand exposure, but you also have images of your clothing in new locations, on people of all body types which you can then use further throughout your brand (with their permission of course) 

ENGAGE PEOPLE VIA SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media is where all of The Prawn Shop's sales come from, its free and gives you the possibility to reach millions of people. As well as posting images/a link to your online shop on social media, also get in touch with bloggers/influencers and see if they would be interested in promoting your brand.

Another way to increase exposure to your brand is to host give-aways on social media, giving people the chance to win a free t-shirt, in return fro re-posting your post and in effect reaching 100's of new potential customers. 

BUILD A WEBSITE

There are many ways to sell t-shirts once they're made such as ebay, etsy, depop and asos market place, however these all charge a selling fee and take a percentage of your profits.
Small business websites such as bigcartel are ideal for a small business as they give you freedom to design your own shop; ensuring brand cohesion, it's free to sell your t-shirts and they don't take a cut from your sales.

DESIGNING THE T-SHIRTS + FINDING A MANUFACTURER

I've found that (quite obviously) in order for a product to sell you need to create something that isn't currently available where your target audience usually shop.

As The Prawn Shop creates t-shirts for 16-25 year olds i kept in mind (whilst designing) the types of t-shirts available where my audience usually shop such as topshop and urban outfitters

topshop

urban outfitters

I decided to go with a unisex fit for all the t-shirts, i decided what i wanted the designs to be based around (sexism, body image, consent, gay rights) as not only are these issues ones that i'm interested in, but they're current, especially to my target audience.
The current t-shirts available from leading high street brands are beginning to become more graphic, featuring typography and bright colours however there were few with illustration, and designs which addressed current issues, so i felt that their was a gap in the market for my designs.

When it came to finding a manufacturer to print the t-shirts, it became very stressful. You need to be prepared to spend money and time finding a company to print high quality designs, with good customer service. Quite a lot of cheap t-shirt printers will use iron on transfers- these will peel off and ruin the design after one wash. Be prepared to order samples from up to 10 different companies in order to find the one that meets your standards.
Try and build up a relationship with your manufacturer this way you will feel comfortable emailing them at 2 in the morning when you realize there's a mysterious yellow stain on 10 jumpers which are meant to be posted tomorrow morning.

CREATE BRANDING

When it came to trying to find a typeface to suit my brand i knew i wanted something simple yet playful to suit the illustrations on the t-shirts.
I tried to mimic the lines of the designs with the lines of the illustration style.
The colour was chosen to have an impact and be bold much like the colours of the designs.
It's important to reflect the characteristics of your brand within the typography.
I do want to change the identity of the prawn shop and have more of an overall identity rather than just type. The brand currently uses the 4th typeface throughout social media and brand content, however i will make adjustments of this in order to reflect the brand more clearly and create cohesive branding throughout.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

I found a helpful article whilst setting up my brand which helped me understand who it was i'm trying to sell my designs to.

It comes from The Designers Studio (tdsblog.com) they have helpful tips on understanding your target audience:

Step 1: Scrutinize your product

Before you can analyse your customer, you need to understand your product first. That means listing each of its features and the benefits they bring. Once this is done, list the corresponding person whose life would be made easier by that benefit.

The designs The Prawn Shop offers to it customers focus around issues of body image, sexism, consent and gay rights. By identifying what the designs have to offer i was able to ensure i market my t-shirts to people who are interested in similar issues.

Step 2: Study your market

This is where it gets a little bit ‘group project’ reminiscent. You can gather your information in an informal manner or take a more text-book approach; if the result is as thorough as possible. It could be an email questionnaires, one-on-one interview or surveys through internet portals such as Survey Monkey (If you want a better idea on which research avenue to take, read more about these and other target audience research methods here). 

I identified that the age range of my customers is 16-25, as the issues my designs focus on are often spoke about on social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. I was then able to create brand accounts on a number of social media platforms, follow similar brands and see how they interact with their customers and also ask potential customers questions via a new feature called 'twitter polls' where people can anonymously give answers to questions you give them on Twitter. 

Step 3: Write out your Customer Description

To get specific with whom your target market is, you’ll have to identify several aspects about your ideal customer. Fashion Business Insider recommends the following attributes:

• Demographics (age, gender, profession, income level, marital or family status)
• Psychographics (values, attitudes, belief systems, pain points aka major areas of frustrations)
• Lifestyle (geographic location, leisure activities, travel)
• Buying habits (brand loyalty, impulse buyer or saver, price awareness, unique features they look out for)
• Customer Needs – remember that needs are stronger than wants and a customer is willing to hand over their money for that thing that meets their needs.

I found this aspect of audience understanding to be the most useful, it gave myself something which i could look back at when making changes to the brand ensuring that all brand decisions being made still appealed to my target audience. 

The Prawn Shop customer description

• 16-25, both male and female, student, low income
• up to date on current social issues
• needs clothes that are comfortable and easy to style, goes out with friends, based in the UK 
• loyal to the band due to the low prices of the clothing; meaning they come back for more 

CHOOSE A NAME

According to entrepreneur.com when choosing a name for your business you should choose a comforting or familiar name that conjures up pleasant memories so customers respond to your business on an emotional level.

However when it came to deciding on a name for my t-shirt business i found my self wasting too much time trying to think of a name that would convey everything i wanted to say about my brand rather than actually making t-shirts and so i chose a random word with no connotations to fashion at all 'the prawn shop', i felt that this name would be effective as there are many connotations to the item which could be used throughout the branding, further to this it's quite odd and would therefore (in theory) stick in peoples minds. 

TEES a guide to making and selling

CONTENT: 

• choose a name 
• know your audience 
• create branding 
• design at least 2 designs 
• find a manufacturer (a good one) 
• engage people via social media 
• build a website 
• photograph t-shirts 
• order envelopes and address labels 
• launch website 
• try not to cry whilst trying to keep up with the orders 

Idea Change

Whilst continuing to collect research for the guide book based on charity shops i thought of a more interesting idea, one that i believe would engage me more and produce a more original guide book, close to my actual interests.

Over the summer i started up a business selling clothing (predominantly t-shirts) with my designs on them, i made a website, engaged people on social media and in effect have began to run a successful and fun business.

Due to all the content i have from my brand 'The Prawn Shop' and first hand knowledge from my self around starting, running and maintaining a business, along with all the designs and customer images i believe this guide will be more visually engaging and interesting and a very different approach to a guide book.

I think this guide book will be interesting as it will be a guide to running a business but from the point of view of a young person, who's never done anything like it before and it will include all the ups and downs from my own experience with running a small business, i want the guide to be humorous and show the truth of starting a business and figuring out how to do everything by yourself.

outfits people have bought

I gathered images sent in from contributors, the images (below) are of outfits/items people have bought from charity shops; it's interesting to see how people have styled the items.
What i also find interesting is the way that these clothes once belonged to other people, and were worn whilst they were creating memories, and now other people are creating their own new memories in each item - this could be something to look in to further when it comes in to designing the book, a kind of old/vs new, how to wear the item i 1997 vs 2017

more questions

After receiving answers to the first question i asked people via social media, i decided to ask more questions to gather more research. Below are the questions which i asked people, in addition to the image i posted on social media in order to gather people willing to contribute.

1. what tip would you give to people shopping in charity shops for the first time? 
2. how much money would you normally spend on an outfit in a charity shop?
3. how much time would you say it takes you to find a good item? 
4. do you find something worth buying every time? 
5. why do you shop in charity shops?

Answers

Try clothes on because sometimes things look grim on the hanger but look so lovely on, and keep an eye out for designer items going cheap Roughly £15/£20 Between 10 and 30 mins Not always Used to work in a charity shop and found some gems, and to save money on clothes and homeware

- Christie 

1)don't look specifically for things in your size because you can find lots to rework and be open to different styles that you may find 2)probably around 5-10 depending on how cheap the charity shop is 3) roughly an hour because I'm often too picky with patterns or colours 4)I always find something worth buying even if it's just a record or a full outfit 5) because they're cheap and it goes towards a good cause each time you purchase, there's always second hand clothing that's still in good condition, I also like having the odd piece of clothing no one else will have!

- Micha 

1. make sure u have time to spare when shopping in charity shops bc sometimes it takes a while to find hidden gems u can't just rush around like in normal shops, also if u like something but it doesn't quite fit get it anyway bc it'll probably be cheap and u can adjust it urself 2. hmm well if I was to buy a full outfit I probably wouldn't spend more than £10 but I normally only buy bits and bobs that are a few quid each 3. it depends on the charity shop in some places it's quite easy to find stuff I like and others not so much but I'll normally spend a good half an hour to an hour looking through 4. no not every time 5. mostly bc it's cheap but also its cool to find unique clothes that other people might not have and of course giving to charity

- Pip

1. patience! my tactic is to literally look through everything even if the shop itself doesn't look promising! 2. the maximum i've spent in a charity shop is £14 but usually it's around 5/7 quid! 3. it's varies- sometimes it'll take me an hour and i go round all the charity shops but most times i find something in the first 15 minutes! 4. not every time but 9/10 i find more than one thing 5. cheap prices and also money goes to charity so it's a win win

- Rosie


If you like it and it fits- buy it!! You'll never find it again Up to 15 pounds for a full outfit Could be minutes or days but I always check back in my local ones I dont find something every time but its good to always go and have a look! I love that the money goes to good causes and I like the thought of giving clothes more memories! Theyve seen someone else's life and now they cansee mine!

-Abi

1. Charity shops aren't like your average high street shops so try not to be disheartened if you don't find something you like first time around. My advice is to keep visiting your local charity shop, as staff constantly restock the shop floor with fun and exciting items. 2. I usually go for 1 or 2 items, and I don't entirely splurge (which is also a really large part of why I love charity shops), so around £4/5 but £10 maximum. 3. Visiting a shop it might take me 10/15 mins until I find something I like or until I wish to move onto the next shop. 4. Noo, it takes a good amount of browsing and even then you might not find anything. 5. Charity shops make me feel more welcomed by the staff, the items are always well priced, you can find really unique items and in the end, you're helping out a charity!

- soph

I'd say dont be afraid to go out of your comfort zone with outfits, dont go looking for things you see on social media / bigger shops - try new styles of clothes and dont be afraid to be different

for a full outfit around 10-20 pounds

depending on the shop and what I want to buy, but normally about 10-20 minutes

again, depends what shop but normally yes ! I really like ugly clothes so I have a lot of luck

Helping out people in need whilst finding unique and different outfits and of course saving money !

- ella

1. Don't rush right in to it. Find a local charity shop and just look through each section. Make sure to look in both men's and women's as you never know what you'll find. If you have a certain item in mind, then go to that section first. If you have time to try on the clothes, then do it. It's better to be certain that you're spending money on something that actually fits than something that's too tight or too baggy (unless you're a belt to tailor them yourself). Make sure to take at least £10 with you too in case you see multiple things that you like. 2. Tops usually average out at £2, bottoms and jackets at £3, and shoes are often £5-ish 3. Just going in once, it usually takes about 5 minutes depending on what I'm looking for because of the amount of clothes on the rack. 4. Not at all! It all comes down to luck most times. If you go once the store has just rotated the stock, then you're more likely to find better things. When it gets to the dead stock, it's a lot harder to find stuff. But what you don't buy in one store, you usually make up for in another. 5. I shop in charity shops because, most importantly it goes to a good course. But beneficial to both me and the charity, it is so much more affordable than high street and online brands- and most of the times, you can find replicas at cheaper prices. It's also because my taste (grandad shirts, trousers, etc) is easier to find in charity shops.

-ole

I'd say don't be put off if you think there's just a load of crap, once you start sifting through you'll find something. And be open minded to things that might look a bit risky or weird it's all about experimenting. I would say a full outfit should definitely be no more than £20. It varies sometimes you walk in and straight away see something amazing (usually when you weren't looking for anything in particular.) then other times you can scour shops for hours and not find anything. No I don't but that's ok it adds to the idea of it being sort of a scavenger hunt. And it makes it even more special when you do. Well I started shopping in charity shops when I was younger because I discovered even I, with the few pounds in my pocket could afford the majority of an outfit! Then as I got older I found it cool that no one else would have the same things as me. But also shopping at charity shops is also kind of an act of protest. It's me sticking two fingers up to large corporations like topshop and primark who tax dodge and use sweatshops out of pure greed. You are supporting a good cause and doing just a little bit to end fast fashion and protect the environment.
- hannah

What is the best thing you've ever bought from a charity shop?

Question: What is the best thing you've ever bought from a charity shop? 

- "The best thing i ever bought from a charity shop was a pair of new Doc Martens for £5"

- "A Planet Hollywood t-shirt from Barcelona that i cherish to this day"

-"A vintage ellesse windbreaker thing for £1"

-"A blue velvet shirt for like £2.50. And i want to keep it forever and hand it down to my son/daughter"

-"A cute lil floral summer dress which i wear all the time"

-"I have some Tommy Hilfiger dungarees that are defo my fave charity shop find"

-"A vintage Dior shift which is pretty cool"

-"A new unused tarte tarteist brush pallet"

-"A British Rail ticket collectors bag for £2 #traingeek"

Ideas: old to new

I often adjust items that i've bought from chairty shops, to make old items in to new pieces.
Below are some examples of clothes i've adjusted.

High Waisted Jeans: bought for £1

Cropped Ralph Lauren Trousers: bought for £1.50

I think it would be interesting to create a guide which shows how you can wear, adjust or style items from charity shops