Dreams come true for Stephanie at Printsource: Part 3

The Ultimate Portfolio Builder was the best investment I ever made for my business and it was worth every penny. What you learn on the course is priceless! – Stephanie Davies

Over the last two days we’ve been sharing some wise words and helpful hints from Stephanie Davies who was the winner of our Printsource competition as part of The Ultimate Portfolio Builder.

Today in our final post, Stephanie shares her thoughts about The Ultimate Portfolio Builder (our next class starts in just 10 days time on Monday September 5, 2016!) and generously shares her top 10 list of things she couldn’t do without at the show – or wished she’d taken!

Stephanie’s thoughts on The Ultimate Portfolio Builder…

I found my experience to be challenging, tough at times but so incredibly rewarding. I learnt from other testimonials that the more you put into the course the more you get out, and so I really wanted to put everything I could into it, and I’m so glad I did.

I found the Q&A’s with Rachael at the end of each week so helpful and Rachael answers the questions in great detail. The structure of the course really helped me learn at my own pace without feeling overwhelmed, but at the same time it always inspired me to want to work more and helped me push myself to where I want to be.

I would recommend this course to just about anybody who loves to draw and design. I graduated with an illustration degree and didn’t know how to sell any of my work or make money from it. I think if you’ve got an artistic eye and a passion for what you do then you are bound to love this course, as that is all you need to succeed.

I found the Ultimate Portfolio Builder to be one of the most useful sources of information, tools, tutorials and advice that I’ve ever had. The course helps you monetise your work and develop your business, which is something many artistic university courses don’t even touch on. I haven’t come across anything that I’ve felt the course has not covered in great depth, and still look back to all the endless information I have when I’m in need of professional advice and find everything I need.

I found the Ultimate Portfolio Builder to be one of the most useful sources of information, tools, tutorials and advice that I’ve ever had – Stephanie Davies

With my experience exhibiting at Printsource, I felt confident in selling my work and discussing the trade with others who had been in the industry for years, and I truly believe this is because the course teaches you so much and you can learn from Rachael’s extensive experience. It was the best investment I’ve ever made for my business and it was worth every penny, because what you learn is priceless!

Stephanie’s Printsource top 10 list of essential trade show items

Printsource New York was Stephanie’s first time exhibiting at a trade show, representing herself. Here she shares a list of some of the things she’s glad she took and items she will definitely take next time!

Business cards: I got mine from moo.co.uk and I can highly recommend them. They do all the foiling and letterpress techniques (which can get quite expensive) but they also provide a special feature which allows you to print up to 50 designs on to the back of each card at no extra cost. I found this to be really useful as I was able to say to visitors; “Please take as many as you like, they all have different designs on the back and so you can take a selection”. People were taking about 5 or 6 instead of just one, which means they would be a lot less easy to lose after the show! Everyone seemed to love the idea of picking a variation and many people wanted to know where I had them printed. Moo also give you a handy little box to keep them in with little dividers, I used this for storing all the cards I took from visitors and keeping them organised. I had 250 cards printed and came back with around 20, so it seemed to be the right amount to take.
Artwork Banners: I decided to go with banners in the end as I thought the layout would display my prints in the best way. They looked like a roll of wallpaper when displayed which helped get across the home market I was trying to appeal to. Exhibitors couldn’t attach anything to the walls unless they were hung from the top, and I needed something, which could be rolled up easily to take on the flight, so banners seemed like the most effective solution.
Portfolio: I had my portfolio printed as a book from blurb.com and they looked so professional. It was an exciting moment when they arrived! The portfolios gave me the chance to display my designs in the way I intended them to be used and to give the buyer ideas. I used mine to show various mock ups and to show how the prints can be co-ordinated with each other. I had two made because I found that when someone is visiting your booth, others want to look too to see what they are looking at. Having two portfolios gives you opportunity to talk to one buyer whilst entertaining another.
Ipad & Laptop: I took my Ipad with me to display my portfolio on and so that I could send prints to buyers. I stored all my prints on a storage cloud in layered and flat formats so that I wouldn’t have to take my heavy laptop with me – but I really regret this now! One buyer purchasing one of my prints needed the file in .tiff format, and I could only provide a .psd file, and so I had to call home and get someone to change the file for me. Some buyers need the prints there and then, so it’s a good idea to take a laptop incase they need any of the files changing last minute.
A3 Prints: At print-based trade shows I would suggest getting A3’s of each of your designs printed with a description and an I.D number. I saw these on just about every stand and it’s the way most buyers like to scan through them. A buyer took my print they bought away with them and asked me if I had anything to roll it up in, I’d not thought of this, so next time I would take some A3 tubes so that their print stays in good condition whilst they’re looking around the show.
Mock ups: I don’t think mock up’s at Printsource are as common as at a trade show like Surtex, but I think they are a great way to display how your print can be used. I had lots of comments about mine and they got a lot of interest. I brought three cushions with different designs on, and a lady who visited me said she could visualise one of them with embroidery on which is something that she does to designs she buys regularly for her products. I also had an Ipad case made with my design on the front. Many people spotted this and thought it was a great idea. I would recommend it for phone cases too if you can! If I had a bigger budget I would of had tote bags printed, as they are a great way of promoting your stand around the show. If people see the bags with a design they like they’ll be sure to come and find you. I would have liked to have had these as goody bags for people to take away, so it’s something to think about for the next show. Although designs are mainly printed on to paper, I think having a set of swatches helps as there were many buyers looking for women’s apparel interested in my work. They were handy to bring out if someone was struggling to imagine my designs on fabric. I used zazzle.com for my mock-up’s, the quality is very high and they provide a great service. They are shipped from America so I’d make sure you take delivery times into consideration.
Original Drawings/Motifs: I took with me some original drawings, which helped the buyers see the process in how my prints were made. My work is very detailed, and so many people found it interesting that they are all done by hand. I had people who were more interested in buying the drawings than the prints, as they could visualise them as placement prints on their products, which was more suitable to them.
Notebook: If I could give the most important tip of all it would be to write everything down! I wrote down every conversation I had with each person that visited my stand. I described what they looked like, what company they were from, what they were looking for and what they liked about my work. It was so important because I can now refer to my notes and send out emails to them after the show with my work on to refresh their memories. A notebook is also a good idea for those buyers who don’t carry business cards (there’s more than you’d think!) I asked them to write down their details in my notebook and left it open on the desk for messages when I had a quick loo break! A good idea if you are exhibiting by yourself.
Paperwork: I had a folder full of paperwork with everything listed so that I wouldn’t get flustered during a sale. I had a pricing list of each print (listed in U.S Dollars, Pounds and Euros just in case) and information about each print (tile sizes, repeats, resolutions etc.). I also had lots of copies of invoices, and when writing out an invoice I could easily refer to my information so that the client knew exactly what they were buying. I designed my invoice so that I could tick whether it was sold outright or by licensing, but some may prefer to have separate invoices. It’s really important to have your terms on an invoice too, so that you can make clear who owns the rights to your work and when payment is due. I’d recommend seeking legal advice for this, and ACID (Anti Copying In Design) offer lots of templates for these types of terms, which are really useful. I would definitely join ACID before the show too and store your designs in their databank. It is reassuring to have them on your side if any issues occur.
Freebies: I had mints on my stand next to my business cards that went down a treat! When discussing business, everyone wants to feel fresh and everyone loves a freebie!