Time To Get Online

This week were set the task to create a working website/online portfolio. 

While I have always wanted my own website, it is something I have put off, fearing I didn't have enough work to showcase on this platform. The task forced me to finally commit to creating an online  platform and really consider how I want to communicate my practice to others through digital channels. 

I wanted the home page to very much focus on my work, and therefore opted to feature a full width automated slider gallery, showing large-scale photographs of a range of projects. These images are also able to be viewed via arrows to both the left and right of the screen.

My 'Not Just For Show' (NJFS) studio identity sits in the header of the website, positioned top left, away from any potentials of interference with the imagery. This is a permanent fixture across each page of the website for consistency and presence/reiteration of the 'studio's' visual language.

Positioned at the top right of the page, also within the header, is a burger menu. Similarly to the Not Just For Show studio identity, this also holds a permanent, consistent position across all pages of the website for ease of navigation by visitors.

The menu opens from the right, revealing a NJFS blue box. This box covers around 1/3 of the screen, allowing the sliding project images to continue and remain majoritively visible. The menu provides links to the other pages of the site, which include an 'info' page, 'projects' page, and 'contact' page. Also present is a link to the 'home' page, allowing users to navigate the website fully from any page. Additionally, at the bottom of the menu is a direct link to email, as well as links to all associated social media platforms (instagram, twitter, facebook).

The 'info' page communicates to visitors of the site the premise of the 'studio,' being my own practice. It delivers the fundamental principles of my practice, focus and specialism.

The 'projects' page exhibits a grid of images, each being a link to overviews of the projects, with further information and images. Hovering over the images reveals the project title. 

The 'contact' page of the website provides contact information (studio email), as well as a contact form should any visitors wish to leave a message this way. The NJFS wax seal makes an appearance here in the background to reinforce the notion of contact/correspondence.

The website uses a consistent visual language informed directly by the Not Just For Show identity, using a colour scheme of blue, white and gold, and variations of typeface Georgia.

In an overtly mobile climate, the site has also been optimised for smartphone devices:

I have registered the website with a personalised domain, notjustforshowstudio.com, and also connected a custom mailbox stephen@notjustforshowstudio.com

Web Clinic

A session on how to achieve the best website/digital presence.

Tips

• Images - ensure they are cropped correctly.
• Consider how site will work across multiple screens/sizes.
• Work out lead image dimensions.
• View Page source (HTML) and look for f-jpeg.
• Images need to be ideally less than 1MB, most ideally half that.
• Avoid repetitive images.
• Mail-to links - ensure working correctly.
• Test website in different browsers.
• Test Website on multiple platforms (desktop, tablet, mobile etc.).
• Chrome is most popular browser.

Matt Essam - Be Remarkable: A Freelancer's Guide to Working Less and Earning More

Matt Essam is a freelance consultant to creative individuals and companies that do meaningful work, teaching them how to achieve creative fulfilment and financial security. Having seen Matt speak before at a Glug event and taking an interest in his story, his workshop for freelancers at Duke Studios seemed very much worth attending.

After quitting his job at a big marketing and advertising agency in London in 2013, Matt went freelance full time. He took on every project he could, working all hours possible, earning just enough to get by while living with his parent. While not the lifestyle he had envisioned for himself, Matt continued working over several years, during which time he built up a solid client base and reached his goal of being able to travel the world and run his business with nothing but his laptop. He stresses that while this sounds like a dream, he still wasn't doing work that he loved.

Matt expressed that he was sacrificing his values for a lifestyle he thought would make him happy. His projects lacked purpose, and financially, he wasn't any better off than he was when working his 9-5 job in London. 

After an unexpected loss in the family, Matt decided to make a change, finding the purpose in his work and re-aligning his projects with his values. He studied creatives with meaningful businesses, noting their ability to stand out from competitors by recognising their value. Having applied this to his own business, Matt now teaches others how to do the same as a career.

Matt detailed a 5 step formula to becoming 'remarkable:'

1. Identifying Your Values - Your values are the most important things to you in the world. If you don't clearly identify them, you'll find it difficult to achieve consistent fulfilment from your work. By knowing your values, you are better equipped to identify which projects to take on and which to decline. This helps you attract and work with like-minded people.
2. Your Niche - Most people make the mistake of trying to be everything to everyone. They aren't clear who they want to work with or who their target market is. The cost of this approach far outweighs the benefits. Once you identify your niche, it becomes much easier to find high value clients and win creatively fulfilling work.
3. The Problem - What problem are you trying to solve for your clients? If you aren't completely clear on this it can be very difficult to communicate your value and guarantee a return on investment. Being clear on the problem you are solving, and how, allows you to become much more valuable to potential clients. Don't take what your client thinks the problem is at face value, dig deeper and really identify the true problem your client needs resolving.
4. The Solution - Most freelancers and businesses focus on offering just part of the solution to their clients, making them comparable to others and making pricing competitive. By providing a full solution that solves a significant problem, you can add more value than anyone else, which you can charge accordingly for.
5. Your Clients - The quality of your life is based on the quality of your relationships and therefore if you don't love working with your clients, you and your business will suffer. Identify you ideal clients and work out how to add significant value to them. Once you become clear on the problem and solution, it becomes much easier to find rewarding projects, both creatively and financially. 

Additional Notes

• Use your values as your compass.
• Know which problem you are uniquely positioned to solve.
• The more specific you can be, the better.

Colours May Vary - Phantasm

To celebrate independent design store Colours May Vary's 5th birthday, 'Connoisseurs of Make-Believe' Lord Whitney were invited to co-curate an exhibition of work exploring the concept of Magic and Illusion.

The show features, prints, original paintings, ceramics, and textiles - featuring the work of Anna Peaker, Double Dagger, Tom Doggett, Lord Whitney, Passport, Dominic Kesterton, Louise Madzia, Jack Hudson, Tom Hudson, Lucy Sherston, Luke Drozd, Bronte Hall, Georgie Gozem, Joel Burden, Egle Zvirblyte, Akvile Magicdust, JooHee Yoon and Plæy.

Having visited Lord Whitney's studio in first year, this was a great opportunity to see their work again in a new environment. It was also interesting to see how the range of contributors responded differently to the theme, showing a range of varying interpretations and perspectives.