Arts Market December 2015

A friend had seen some of the prints I had been working on for my About the Author project and said I should sell them at the Arts Market, which is a small market that runs in the upstairs of the Belgrave while the feast is on downstairs. The weather was pretty dire that weekend (12th and 13th of December), so I said to myself I'd be happy if I sold just one thing - as I wasn't sure what kind of people would be coming in and whether my work would really be suited to the demographic that visit the belgrave. 

I got some older drawings printed out on nice paper and made extra lino prints of images I was doing for About the Author. I also made some badges from DAS air dry clay as I thought since a badge is a tangible product more people might be interested than in the prints. 

I could't really afford proper business cards so I just did some makeshift DIY ones instead. Hey all of them will be unique! 

Not many people came along because of the weather, but I did manage to sell a few items (as well as some online too) which gave me a bit of an ego boost. I would definitely like to to more tabled events as I think even if the demographic isn't right you can still hand out business cards and get people looking at your work. It also gave me some more confidence in the marketability of my work, as I sold more than I thought I would! 

Business Concept & Manifesto!

Business Concept Personal:

What is your business idea?

'Visuwallise' - A collective of artists offering wall paintings, temporary installations etc for a range of purposes such as events and interior decoration. 

How did you come up with it?

We thought it would suit us as it is a versatile practice & any of our styles could be applied to it. Tom has software that aids the making of mockups too. 

What excites you about it?

It's different to anything I would have considered doing individually. Working as a group but being able to keep your own voice is great! I am excited but the prospect of seeing my work on a much larger scale than I would have ever considered before. 

What industry does it belong to?

Service

What improved features / services do you provide?

Something new? Something better?

Reinventing/rejuvenating wall space, offering interesting and varied designs that are exciting and fresh. Since there are five of us there are different styles and designs to choose from. 

What is your market - who are your potential customers?

Anyone who needs a wall filling with pictures. We want to keep our options open and not limit ourself to one target audience, our business is versatile so we should keep an open mind about customers. Potential customers could be events organiser, venue owners, homeowners etc.

Which companies or types of companies do you think of as potential competition?

Freelance mural artists

'Urban Canvas' and other such mural artists who specialise in graffiti art. 

Illustrators who will design for wall spaces (Mr Bingo etc) - Anyone who's been hired to do a wall for Byron Burgers. 

Business Concept (Global)
What is your business idea?

'Visuwallise' - An Illustrative collective specialising in the rejuvenation of interior and exterior spaces

How did you come up with it?

We identified a gap in the market and filled it with a business that can celebrate our differences

What excites you about it?

Seeing out work on a grander scale, there is a sense of freedom (of process and ideas) as there are few restrictions. Also it's versatile

What industry does it belong to?

Service

What improved features / services do you provide?

Something new? Something better?

Can cater to a multitude of audiences, as we are a varied collective. No job is too big or too small!
We are not just 'mural artists', we are rejuvenating these spaces (with more edge) 

What is your market - who are your potential customers?

Mainly businesses and events, however there are no limits - if there is a demand for something we will do it!!

Which companies or types of companies do you think of as potential competition?

Freelance mural artists

'Urban Canvas', Wallsauce, etc

Illustrators who will design for wall spaces (Mr Bingo etc) - Anyone who's been hired to do a wall for Byron Burgers.

Business Manifesto (Personal)
Core business concept: Visuwallise; a collective of illustrators specialising in rejuvenation of interior and exterior spaces
Core business values: creative differences are there to be celebrated
Core business goals: hire our services out to businesses / events / establishments etc and gain recognition through our work
Core financial goals: profit from our work after expenses
Corporate Culture: Individuality is good!


Business Manifesto (Global)
Visuwallise this, a collective specialising in rejuvenating interior and exterior spaces. A dependable, creative service providing unconventional solutions to like minded businesses, events and initiatives.

Life's a Pitch - Market Research

http://www.susannahbrough.com/

Susannah Brough is a London based mural artist and furniture painter. With her murals she does not
limit herself to a particular kind of space, she will do most anywhere.
Her site does not specify fixed rates, it seems the pricing is mainly based off the space and what's to be done. Maybe there's a base rate that she works from though.

Urban Canvas

A collective specialising in murals and graffiti art, for  "a range of creative products". You can tell the work is very urban and graffiti inspired, it's got the aesthetic and vibe - probably appealing to a younger audience. Their style doesn't seem to have held them back from anything though as they have worked on a broad range of things including Kids Bedrooms and Home interiors - places I would not expect to see this kind of thing.

Mr Bingo

While I don't think this is a way of speaking to potential customers we could employ on a website, I think it's pretty funny. (and a reminder to not underprice work just to attract customers, your work and time is worth something). Below is a piece of work Mr. Bingo did for Byron Burgers - which shows that it is a feasible project for an illustrator to undertake and is not just for specialist groups / people. (this broadens the hypothetical competition for 'visuwallise' though)

I googled the rate of this kind of thing and this was the first estimate that came up on google, it translates to £13.49 - £23.62 PSF. The artists websites I checked did not have a rate shown, as it generally depends on the size of the space, I'm wondering if it would be good to have a base rate though? This will need further research for sure.