Trends for 2016

Here is my mood board of one of trend I will be following what do you think?

Me as a Designer

here is some of my work inspires by nature what do you think?

The importance of social media

The use of social media within your online presence is a good way to showcase and promote yourself due to that way that we live in a world dominated by the desire of want to know what people are doing and thinking with us a society glued to our phones to see what the instant news is within social groups. We are a nation of gossip hungry people and all this so found within our social media networks easily and instantly. Therefore the use of these free platforms allow us to really promote what we are doing either in everyday life or within a brand successful due to the way that they are widely used every minute of the day and night. As a result build up views for your product and helping build up a support system for yourself as a designer. Its also key to know that you need to have a professional clean online profile in all area so that people are able to build up a positive image of you as a person and therefore want to follow you/support you or higher you as you give a professional and therefore reliable feeling about you that people will respect and therefore help you go further in the industry as nobody want to work with someone that is going to be problematic, therefore by keeping a clean professional profile it can advance you. The use of an online presence also gives a customer or employee a first image of what your personality is like, therefore you need to keep it professional as first impressions really stick so are everything.

What platforms have I chosen to use

For my online profile I have chosen to really use facebook and twitter with my main platform being my blog on the well know bloggers website blogspot.com I have chosen these for various reasons stated in the next couple of visual pages. By using these three I aim to build up a kind of support system for myself as a designer and brand so that within the future when I sell some of my work or start working for a business people will know little about who I am as a individual and therefore will be interested in what I do resulting in my support system turning into potential buyers making me as a designer desired within this competitive industry and successful. Without the use of social media now-a-days this would be impossible to do as you would be unable to keep up with the current market needs.

Why am I only sticking to three different platforms?

At the moment I am only doing to use the three different platforms stated above as due to that way that I am still studying the majority of my work is going to be uni based with me experimenting my style to find what as a designer I specialise in and therefore posting these on social media showcases my work yes, but it could also be confusing to my audience due to inconsistencies within my work as I am still a developing designer. By only using 3 different networks I am catering for a number of different people (as some may not have certain social media accounts or may use one less than the other) making me able to show my work to different people in different markets (as some ages and customer type may only use one area of social media) but at the same time by using only three allows me to hold back a little so that I have time to develop myself as a designer with a certain constant style therefore when this happens I will be able to send a clear message of my brand identity to the followers I have already obtained and the new clients that will approach my work and then I would feel more ready to go full power with my promotion on social media, then I would both improve and add more social media /online presence as I will be able to clearly showcase my brand identity as a consistent designer and not one that is still trying to find her footing.

Conclusion

In conclusion I have created a online presence as you will see in the following pages, these samples are my original but current profiles but with my development as a designer they will adapt and change to be able to showcase my development and hit my target market directly (something that may also change due to that way in which I am still a developing in my style and individuality as a designer) overall I feel the use of social media is so important to me to easily display my work due to the wide use of the networks mixed with the way that I am still a student so do not have the backing and finance to really promote my work, making the use of it so important to help me build up a support system as a developing artist so I can gain peoples interests and comments to aid me direct my work and therefore be as successful as possible in this competitive industry as they are able to express their likes and desires to me leading me on the right path needed to make myself saleable and the most current I can be with my style of work and speciality.

How can I improve my profile?

My portfolio at the moment is a very basic version of what you can do with the power of LinkedIn and therefore there are a lot of different thing that I can improve upon from the little pieces to the bigger issues that I need to address to make my profile reach more people within the professional industry. Below are some of them that I have created an action plan to help my portfolio within the future:

·         build up my experience – as I have stated before my experience element is lacking therefore what I need to do is add to this section, therefore the way that I can go this is by gaining some internships with companies that work in print which is my chosen area of the market. Therefore the action plan is to apply to different companies to see if I could gain some experience under within the summer holidays where I will have time to commit to them. This in turn would help me develop more knowledge and understanding about the industry which is useful to hold as it will aid to my skills to make me as good as possible within what I do.

·         add my connections – I need to be very focused and forward on adding to my connections to build up a network of expertise that can help me within my development as a designer, therefore the action plan is to look at different people that appeal to me and that I identify with in my area of the market (both deign based and also on the more business side) and add them to my connection list if they allow me to do, resulting me in the build up of a collection of people that can help me develop.

·         follow more people –again I need to add more contacts to the people that I follow as these will showcase the area that I identify with while giving me some feedback/documents that can aid me build myself as a professional designer. The plan is to look into different groups that I feel will be beneficial to me and follow what they are doing to see if it can help me or if it effects me in any way, resulting in me moving forward in the industry where others may struggle as the people that you follow can be very insightful to the industry I am going into.

Promotion of LinkedIn

For the promotion of my LinkedIn profile it is harder to figure out due to the way that you want to appeal to the right people and not just everyone. The way that the profile is for the use of professionals and people within the industry the way to promote it is not just as simple as leaving a comment on someone’s page. Here are some of the things that I am going to do to promote my profile:

·         Social media – the use of social media may not be the most professional promotional technique for me to advertise my LinkedIn on but it is a way that it could work as everyone does use it. Professional people may look for people on professional websites such as this one but they do also own a twitter and facebook therefore if I tailor/manipulate my social media to hit these professional people they may see me/ identify with me and therefore make it a point to go look at my LinkedIn page when they have more time on their hands (as social media is a quick and easy more visual platform where lined in is more document like so takes longer to look at) therefore I need to really make sure all my profiles are clean and clear to send a consistent positive brand identity to them and also cleverly use the programs especially twitter due to the way in which hash tags work to link people to target these individual that I want to view me as a professional designer. It may be a long process but hopeful this will allow me to make contact with them and open up communication with me and also the industry

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·         Keep on commenting on professional pages –by leaving an array of different comment frequently on different professional individuals pages (blogs, social media ect) hopeful they will open up communication with me by replying to my comments. By doing this it will build up some kind of recognizing so that if they are doing something and need help they will think of me and therefore get in contact by looking at my social media or finding me on my LinkedIn and therefore promoting me as I am building up a contacts that recognize what I do and that can communicate with me, which can lead to different opportunities being presented to me allowing me to gain experience and move forward as a designer.

·         build up portfolio and online presence – by keeping all of my profiles linked up it may by chance direct people to my LinkedIn profile, by doing trade shows and handing out my business card with me LinkedIn address on it can leave the professional person able to visit my page at their own convenience or even if they place it in pile for future need at least they have got it for future opportunities. Sending the company emails as well with a link on it could also help act as a electronic business card but easier as they are able to just press a link and not type in the address. All in all anyway you are able to get people to look at your profile is good no matter what weird way you do it.

Conclusion

In conclusion the use of this platform is really key to present yourself as a professional in the industry with the use of key words important to build up a trend for my page to help me gain views. I do really like this networks easy and clear way of showcasing my details but I will have to make sure that I keep it up to date which may be harder due to the way that unlike social media it is not something that I use in everyday life and is not a network you do have to post things on regularly like twitter. Therefore I need to make it a point to check this profile once a week to reply to any messages I may have and so forth, but overall I think it is a really good site for the use of promoting yourself in a professional manor to the industry. 

What I like about Linedin

There are several reasons why I like this professional platform and some reasons why the moment that I do not like the platform here are some bellow:

·         like it because it is clear – one of the reasons that I do really like about this platform is that the profiles are all set out in this really clear way that makes it easily readable and useable to gain a great deal of knowledge about individuals on a professional level, you are able to see their development within the industry and see the elements that they have that lead them to the role they are in today meaning that you can look at yourself in comparison to see what you can do to reach their level, therefore manipulate their road to success to help develop myself further in the industry. It is clear in the way that it is all sectioned and headed so that you always know what you are reading about with the use of the key words making it understandable about what they are focused on, overall making it clear to see and to use on a professional aspect.

·         like it because it is good opportunity to connect with people in the industry – this as I have mentioned before allows you to build up a professional network of people that are already in the same market as yourself that will overall help me develop and move forward while showcasing what I can do, therefore it can really open doors for me in my career as I need different opportunities to be able to succeed in the market and networking is a way in which these present themselves (due to open communications and knowledge of what is going on is presented through talk on platforms such as this one)

·         One of the things that I am unsure of so do not like about the use of LinkedIn is nothing to do with the network but it’s with me as a designer myself. Due to the way that I am still studying I feel that I am a designer that is still developing so feel that I am not refined enough to be placing myself on this professional website that people do use to gain jobs on as a professional that has already succeeded in the industry and have a strong identity where I am still someone that is trying to figure out mine, but I could feel this way forever as due to my nature of being  a perfectionist I feel that I will never be good enough to present myself professionally. Therefore by doing it know I have something that I van build upon when I develop and at least have a presence so that when I feel ready I already have the different elements needed and the knowledge how to use it. Also you never know what will present itself to you (job interview or opportunity) that could change everything for the positive so I know its important to just do it even if I feel I’m not ready as its always a starting point to put your foot into an industry that is so hard to get into.

For the promotion of my LinkedIn

For the promotion of my LinkedIn profile it is harder to figure out due to the way that you want to appeal to the right people and not just everyone. The way that the profile is for the use of professionals and people within the industry the way to promote it is not just as simple as leaving a comment on someone’s page. Here are some of the things that I am going to do to promote my profile:

·         Social media – the use of social media may not be the most professional promotional technique for me to advertise my LinkedIn on but it is a way that it could work as everyone does use it. Professional people may look for people on professional websites such as this one but they do also own a twitter and facebook therefore if I tailor/manipulate my social media to hit these professional people they may see me/ identify with me and therefore make it a point to go look at my LinkedIn page when they have more time on their hands (as social media is a quick and easy more visual platform where lined in is more document like so takes longer to look at) therefore I need to really make sure all my profiles are clean and clear to send a consistent positive brand identity to them and also cleverly use the programs especially twitter due to the way in which hash tags work to link people to target these individual that I want to view me as a professional designer. It may be a long process but hopeful this will allow me to make contact with them and open up communication with me and also the industry.

·         Keep on commenting on professional pages –by leaving an array of different comment frequently on different professional individuals pages (blogs, social media ect) hopeful they will open up communication with me by replying to my comments. By doing this it will build up some kind of recognising so that if they are doing something and need help they will think of me and therefore get in contact by looking at my social media or finding me on my LinkedIn and therefore promoting me as I am building up a contact that recognised what I do and that can communicate with me, which can lead to different opportunities being presented to me allowing me to gain experience and move forward as a designer.

·         build up portfolio and online presence – by keeping all of my profiles linked up it may by chance direct people to my LinkedIn profile, by doing trade shows and handing out my business card with me LinkedIn address on it can leave the professional person able to visit my page at their own convenience or even if they place it in pile for future need at least they have got it for future opportunities. Sending the company emails as well with a link on it could also help act as an electronic business card but easier as they are able to just press a link and not type in the address. All in all anyway you are able to get people to look at your profile is good no matter what weird way you do it.

In conclusion what I really need to do for the whole of this section of online presence is to keep on working on these platforms in a number of different ways, to overall state my brand identity.

Plan to promote

My online portfolios will not be a success if there is not any evidence of them being online and the public do not see them, therefore I need to promote them as suggested in the following graph

Online media	objectives	why	How am I going to achieve this
face book	To use this platform to promote myself to a circle of people within my friendship groups and a wider network of people on a more social way (opposed to professional way) I will use facebook as a kind of stepping stone to promote myself as a upcoming designer and to get people generally interested in the things I do, mixing this use of social media with others such as twitter to help me create a well rounded portfolio of followers to help me go in the right direction within my future career.	The reason why I plan to do this is due to the way that this will make my work reachable to the public and not just the professional market, as everyone is able to access this website. Facebook is one of the networks that you are able to access it anytime of the day making it perfect for people to look at, while they are on the go fitting into their every busy lives, with them accessing the network through their phone to see what the instant news is.	·         I will promote my brand by boosting my page while advertising it on different networks as well both my own such as my twitter feed and also on others blogs (by commenting about others works and inviting them to my facebook page so that they can leave their comments and see what I am about/ my individuality as a designer ·         to keep my posts as current as possible and therefore I should aim to post something new every day, being either something about me or my work, links to my profile with an invite to visit/leave comments or a article that I find particularly inspiring within a brand that fits into the same kind of identity that I do (feminine, women’s wear, floral sect..) ·         is keep on posting links to my blog as this is where the vast majority of my work and written documents will be posted due to the type of online presence it is being one where you are able to show off your brand, work but also your personality with the platform being able to feature more information about yourself then the other social medias where it is more a quick thing.
twitter	To promote my social media pages within my tweets and use the different tweets to spark conversation between me as a designer and the public, opening  up communication and therefore making me able to build up a network of comments and a support system to aid me with the development of my work/style	Twitter is one of the networks that is very quick and simple to use with short statements that allow the public to get an insight about what you are up to, the use of the Hash Tags as well will help me target the right group of people for my brands and makes trends with these words to move my statements to the top (become popular)	·         In every tweet I will include a number of hash tags with 3 at most so that they are able to link to the relevant groups ·         post something upon my twitter feed every couple of days to show that I am active as a designer and therefore suggest a strong online profile to help get people become interested in me, for one of my posts I will tweet a sentence or survey ect (writing) about what I am doing or something that I really like within the fashion industry to show what inspires me as a designer and to look as current and knowledgeable about what is around me (this will tell the audience that as a designer I am aware and generally interested about other things that may affect my style ect...)
BlogSpot	On my blog I have posted the different items that I am studying at the moment and how I feel about them along with research into shops, different trends found within WGSN and other elements that identify me as a brand and helps me create an identity/image of what kind of designer I am	I will use my blog as a visual and written diary of my though process and my development as a designer with the mixture of both document and a link to my back page so those can view my work and see my design style promoting myself in a more professional way then the other social medias. All in all gaining me recognising of what I am doing and the process I am going through in my career path inviting those to leave comments on my page to aid in this development route.	·         Keep on posting both my work and thing that inspire me – to keep my blog the most current I want to use it as more of a diary about my own development and also place in some of the different things that inspire me as these items help people recognise what makes me and influence within my work so that they are able to understand me.   What I really want as well is people to add their own comments on my page about either my work (likes, dislikes and improvements needed) or my dairy like blog so that it opens up communication and gets people to talk about it, by keeping going with different blogs and pages to them I am doing everything on my end to be the most up to date and current so it allows them to see that I am moving forward within this industry and not just stuck amongst the others. ·         Add more designs and collections in my profile area – another thing that I can think of to add to my blog is to work on my background portfolio linked on this page so that people are able to see the different work I have produced, allowing them to see visually what I have done and my refined style within different subjects (not just floral designs) they are able to see the same style but in a variety of contexts which is good as it shows I am a rounded designer, but due to the way that I am more focused on my natural prints as identify with floral designs in my brand identity I need to make it clear that I value my prints in this area more and therefore my plan is to place them at the top (in front) of my other work with the use of the bold colour pink to draw attention and boarder the designs in that area and by doing this hopeful it will make clear about what style I am targeting within my whole body of work. But i feel that it is important to showcase not only florals as this doesn’t appeal to everyone where if I post different styles people may find something they like in my style and therefore like me/support me due to my “handprint” individual style and not only based on the subject matter. ·         Advertise on my other social media outlets – due to the way that people do not have a lot of time to seek out and read blogs the use of social media is key as they are able to look at this on the go and them make a mental note if they like what I am showing on this quick look networks to look at my blog when they do have some down time and therefore building up views on my blog and hopefully followers.

What will attract hits?

What will hopeful attract hits to my online presence is people liking my style and wanting to see my development as emerging designer into a professional. Therefore the thing that will attract them I feel will be the thought processes I have to build myself up which may help them as well if they are within the same kind of stages I am in and therefore allow them to go through with me step by step the different elements needed to move into the industry. The way that I will gain people and attract them to my online portfolios such as my blog is the way that I include them in my work by asking their opinions and questions that make them feel personally connected to me as a designer and my development include them and making them feel that my brand is a friendly positive one to follow.

What makes me different?

What makes me different?

What makes my online profiles different to showcase my unique work is that in these platforms I am including imagery that I have designed and have used the networks as a public working diary of my though processes in what I do. I have also try to encourage people to leave comment by asking open questions and by including survey to aim to open up communication  with people and gain connections this way, building up a network of people (public and professional) that are able to help me tailor my products due to feedback. This makes me different from others due to the way that I am using my online profiles to not only promote myself but to listen to what people are saying to make my portfolio better, where other designers only use it to show off what they have done  and to sell their products. By opening up talk I aim to become more approachable as a designer and broaden my knowledge where others are confident in what they do so don’t feel that this is needed (which to me is wrong as to be able to succeed you need to take into consideration others desires)

Promotion of Online presence

My portfolios and the plan for its promotion

What’s my USP?

My unique selling point I feel is that unlike other designers I try and stick like glue to my brands identity and unlike the current market that favour fast fashion with a edgy feel to it, I offer a different kind of market area. What my brand identity is completely opposite to then once dominating the high street as I aim to offer my client a more timeless take on fashion textile. Taking into consideration trends from WGSN my style nature inspired with printed imagery that oozes femininity and therefore are piece that make the wear feel special and desire when wearing. My online profiles are basic at the moment but are developing into a established online presence that promotes this unique style of my work and therefore my Unique selling point is the way in which I am different from many in the current market with my individual “handprint” being one that is not frequently used in the high street at the moment.

Blogger Research

What is the blog and whose is it?

http://www.the-frugality.com/

This blog is really different then the other two in both the way that it is laid out and the subject matter itself. This blog is more tailored to home wear and directly focused on fashion design which is my area of studying. I have chosen to look at this blog as this is different than all the others I have researched so far therefore will be interesting to look at it and compare due to these differences of topic and also target markets, this intern can help me direct my blog to the right marketplace as I will know what to do and especially not what to do.

What do I like about it?

What I like about this blog is that it is more of what I would say is a traditional one with the name at the top as tile and the different entries you can click on down the right hand side, this mixed with the way that the posts have a bordered edge with the date of when they were posted makes it more classic in style as this is the original look of a past blog, this format also makes it very simple to understand due to the way all the information is gathered together in a clear way. What I find is very interesting is within them all the they have a plain neutral coloured background of a light colour of a white or a cream even when they are showcasing different area, I feel that they may do this as the light colour doesn’t detract away from the items they are showing and is an easily colour to read off. This added with the way that white has a light elegant colour theory to it makes the blog feel very sophisticate in one way but in another it to me does leave it a little cold feeling as it doesn’t have that injection of personality in it that is needed to showcase yourself as a designer (your style, ideas ect...) therefore within my own blog I have used a colourful but feminine design on my background to showcase how I am, but this may change when I develop more and refine myself in this industry making my blog a work in process but I will note these features as they may be key for my future success of my blog and be the deciding factor that can help me gain followers.

What works well and that I could use within my own blog?

Looking at this blog the elements that I want to include is this classic clear blog format due to the way that it is easy to see what you are posting and therefore you’re though processes and influence allowing people to get to know you. In my blog as you are able to see in the following pages I have applied this to my blog and I feel that it does work well as not only does it make it easily to understand but it also fits into my brand identity being one that is more classic and vintage/timeless in style so the use of this format that is like the original blogs ones helps me as a designer send a consistent message to the viewer.

Conclusion

In conclusion from looking at all three of these different blogs I have been able to pick out a variety of different features that I feel work well and that I can (and have) put into practise to improve my basic BlogSpot online profile. This I feel will help me gain views to my blog as it will move it forward and develop it into something that people have a desire to read.

Researching bloggers

What is the blog and whose is it?

http://garypeppergirl.com/

In this blog it is a visual display of Gary Peppers experiences and though processes with the blog being more about her views and less about the work she does working more like a fashion diary and advise book then away to promote yourself therefore is a different take on the use of a blog than one that is needed to be able to act as a portfolio of your product making it interesting to look at and compare tom see what is different about it to make it successful

What do I like about it?

This blog has a different kind of set out then the previous one with all the headings being placed at the top of the page which I feel looks better than having it down the side as it makes the headings seem clearer some who as to me it doesn’t make a list of things but is instead acts like a shop website in the way that it is a column/title (which is also suggested through the way it is placed at the top as this is where you would place a title in a document) one of the other things that I like but didn’t really notice as much on the other blog sites is the way that this blogger has placed links into her different outlets such as social media sites and therefore adding some more context to the blog as it allows  you to look at different networks she has (which there may be one that you associated with more) overall stating to the viewer that she is active on all platforms and not just focused on her blog which is always good as it is them not so one directed but broader.

What works well and that I could use within my own blog?

What I really love and works well in her blog is her use of photos and the way that she has a summary sentence under the image then a link where you can read more of the article so it’s not all out and looks really text heavy. By it not being very text heavy it makes the online presence feel more refined and less like a jumble of different words all in all making the blog clear and easily usage. That in term would encourage people to look at more of her blog posts as they are able to see all of them before you sit down and read the mass of text so people are aware of the different documents she writes and therefore they may become interested and make a point in reading that article later when they have more time to do so, this results in more views as people will not be put off by having to read lots as it is all hidden from your first look, giving it a more positive first impression about the online presence that you can then go into and explore.

What will I use for my blog and how have I applied it?

In this one what I really wanted to do is used the way that she has the read more button to hide some of her text to make it less text heavy and visually appealing, one of the main problems that I know that I have is the way that I do write a lot to explain myself in the clearest way but this can be off-putting. Unfortunately within my blog (at the moment) I didn’t find a way in which to do this, this may be just due to the way that I am new to blogging so have yet to figure out how to do this but it is defiantly something that I will look into within the future as it works really well to give the blog a really refined elegant quality that my blog is lacking at the moment. It may be something that is not available on my blogspot platform therefore in the future I may need to move over to a different network to make it work in the way that I desire, I just need to research more into how to make this happen.

Researching bloggers

Blog Research

http://www.eunsukhur.com/#/nomadic_wonderland/recent_project:_about_normadic_wonderland/image_4

What is the blog and whose is it?

This blog is the one that Eunsuk Hur uses as her online presence this is one of the designers that I do have an infinity with due to the way that she uses florals within her design to create these really feminine looking statement pieces which is also something I aim to do, therefore I thought it would be interesting to see what she does and what she uses to represent her style online to compare with myself as we have the same kind of influences and style.

What do I like about it? What works well?

Looking through her blog what I like the most is the way that it is set out with the changing slides of images of her work. This really showcases the different items that she creates within that one style giving you as a viewer a well rounded image and idea of who she is as a designer and not just a one hit wonder. I also really like the way that the background is plain and doesn’t show her posts but has links into them on this home page itself so it is not too text heavy when you first see it, everything is in neat headings making it very clear and visually pleasing to look at, therefore I feel that by doing this it looks more inviting for the viewer to look at raising the number of people that will visit the page which is always a good thing. Lastly one of the many things that I like about this profile is that the everything is simple with the plain background (which is good as it doesn’t draw attention away from her images of her designs) mixed with the minimal text works really effectively together to create this really refined quality to the whole presentation making her as a designer look more sophisticated and professional, highlighting the positive feelings towards her and helping build her brands identity as one that is elegant and doesn’t need all the bells and whistles to be successful in the industry.

What I could use within my own blog?

Looking at the elements that work well in her blog it has made me think about the way that I could take inspiration from her format and style to apply it to my own blog that I need to create. One of the things that I defiantly want to look at that she includes is samples/photos of her own work in hers she is posting her imagery at the front so the blogging part takes a back seat from this, but for me the whole point is for a blog to act like my online professional diary of my thoughts and work so even though I really do want to include my own work maybe for me it will be more fitting to have it on a more background level. Therefore I will look into using my own photos and images in the background of my blog or within a link that directs you to another side of my blog where you will be able to see my work as a designer.

What have I done to my blog in reflection?

In my own blog (on the pages to follow) I have been able to place a link on the side panel to take you to a profile of my own work in different collection headings allowing the viewer to see my work an like eunsuk Hur does gets to recognise what Kind of artist I am, working well as the blog is the main item so it’s at the front with my past work taking a back stance as this is not what I am currently doing but people can take a look to see my style and therefore know what Kind of look my new designs will take on in the future, hopefully making them stay tuned to see what is to come from you as a designer alongside my though process as a person that is developing within their fashion textile identity. In time as I get more advanced like Eunsuk Hur I may decide to change this Blog style around to be more of a promotion for my work but this does depend on my development in the industry/ career path.

Using LinkedIn

LinkedIn profile

The importance of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a really important profile to posses as it allows you to make contact with and be viewed by professionals and businesses within you chosen area of the market. It is a professional online document that allows you to showcase your own personal style as an artist with the skills that you have for succession within the industry. to me on the hardest things about this network is actually making it, it was really easy to place in all my detail and so forth to actually create my profile the thing that I found a challenge was the ability to add to my connections as I had no idea of how this program worked being do new to the website (I didn’t know it existed before the class) but when I figured it out (after time) it was simple to use and apply to make myself look as professional as possible while helping establish myself in the industry, making it one of the most important thing to have as it is one of the elements that can move you forward and gain you opportunities and a job in the industry that only wants the best.

My profile

In my profile in LinkedIn I have filled out only certain details that I feel are relevant for the professional viewer to see taking into consideration the different comments made within my class about the element that I need to include and the way to promote myself within my profile here is a summary of my profile:

·         Title page – in my title page I have placed information about who I am and my current position in the fashion textile world as being a student over time this will change dependent on where I end up at the current moment in my career path, on the background of this header I have place one of my more successful digital design from my past collection so that the viewer can see what style or work I produce making my profile not just information based but have something supporting what I say in my profile allowing them to build up a visual image of me as a designer as well as a knowledgeable one. The photo of me on my profile I feel needs to be improved as it is small and even though it’s a photo of my face it is not very flattering at all so doesn’t send out this positive image as well as a lighter bigger photo would produce.

·         Summary – in my summary I have written about my style as a designer and the different skills I have that help me do the work I do. When looking at different profiles there was not a set way to write it as everyone’s had a different way of writing about themselves to promote them, therefore I decides to write like I would normally do about someone else if I was reviewing them as by doing this I am stepping away from myself somewhat meaning that it was more comfortable to write about myself as it doesn’t feel like I’m boasting about myself as I’m detached. the way it is in third person also makes it sound more professional as the language is not so personal, it also works well due to the way that it makes my name one of the key words used so it almost places a trend of my name within the profile to grab people attention. Overall I feel though it could be better but the more I do as a designer the more I’ll be able to talk about myself and skills and therefore naturally develop my profile page within time from this basic original one where I do not have a lot to talk about.

·         Experience - I haven’t got a lot of experience but I have placed in what I have done on my portfolio with the most relevant one at the top, in these experience examples I have placed a brief summary with the trend in the word print (which is also in my summary) to draw attention to this aspect I want to go into within the market therefore stating that I do have experience in my chosen path. But this really needs to be build up as it just looks poor compared to others therefore it really highlights the need for me to gain more experience resulting in it being added to the list of things I need to do within my near future to help me in getting into the industry.

·         Education – for my education I have placed on it that I am a current student and some of the things that I am going to study within the course so they are able to see some of the different elements and skills I will gain within this part of my education. I have also placed on my HND and the items I did in this especially the printed aspect and the more textile passed techniques I used to say that I am knowledgeable about the textile processes needed and frequently used. What I didn’t want to do is add my other educations and achievements as I feel that they are void now that I have achieved more and developed more then what these other qualifications show and therefore are not really relevant anymore. One of the things that I am unsure of is the way that within my HND I had to do a lot of different projects to add together for that one qualification, each module was for a different element with some being about print while others being about fabric manipulation or embroidery and we were given grades for each, therefore I am unsure if I should chose some to write about in detail to show the viewer I have experience in different areas of the market, but in the end I have decided to leave this off the original profile but in the development of my profile in the future I may add this on for the reason stated above dependent if this is relevant for me as a designer in the future as I develop.

·         additional information – in the added information section I have added my interests and items that are not necessarily needed in a professional document but that do say something about me and my personality. By doing this I feel that it opens myself up as not just this design robot but as a human that is not perfect as she loves gossip and the such, It also makes me look more rounded as a person as it stated that I am not so self contained but I am interested in other things as well. in the future of my portfolio this section may not be relevant as it is very personal to me meaning that I may take it out, it all depends really on what I feel about it then as someone that has developed into a designer and not just a student who aims to crack the market.

·         Volunteer work – volunteer work is one of the areas that I do have a lot of experience in so am able to write loads about, the only thing that I am concerned about is the way that my volunteer work has nothing to do with the fashion textile industry. but overall my volunteer work showcases that me as an individual an trust worth in what I do and responsible and therefore build up a positive professional image of myself that I feel doesn’t really need any improvements within. The only thing that I may add is some work within the industry to make it more in keeping but I need to obtain that first making it something I could look into within the future to make myself look better on this area.

·         Awards – for my awards section I have placed the award I achieved within my HND using empathizes on my key word of print to gain recognition of the way that I was able to do well in the chosen path of the career I want to go down. On my CV I have place some other achievements that I have done but due to the way that I didn’t gain any certificated documents for this I kept it of my profile as this may not be as important as the one I have named. To develop this area more I really need to get some more awards so that I can add to this area therefore over the holidays (due to the way that I will have more time to put toward it) I aim to look into little projects I can do within fashion textiles to build up my achievements so that a potential employer or a viewer can see that I am moving forward in the market and am involved and current and therefore meaning that I may be more appealing to them.

·         Language – languages is one of the area that I am lacking in as I only speak one so compared to others that are very involved in different languages and therefore am at disadvantage as this is a global network so I would not suitable in some locations, but the fact is that I am very bad at learning new languages so it would be nearly impossible for me to say that I’ll learn a new language to make me more appealing as that just would not happen, therefore in this are I’m just doing to leave it as a disadvantage for now.

·         Skills – the skills section is really key as it showcases all the things that you can do therefore you need to add all of the elements that you can do relating to the area that you want to build your career within. People can then endorse your skills linking you to them and to the industry needs as well. at the moment I have not go any endorsements due to the way that I only have found out how to add people so have not got all of my replies back so have limited amount of connections that I will develop more to build up a good network of professionals within my profile for me to link back to.

·         Connections – again connections is another thing that I need to work on as I have invited people to connect to my page but have yet to yield a response from them, but I know it is a major part of this documentation so I will keep on with it so I can make a good broad network of people that are within my chosen aspect of the market that can take a look at what I do and promote myself further to look positive and developed as a designer.

·         Following – the people you follow can really help you get an insight about different items that may affect me as an upcoming designer and someone working within the fashion textile and business market. Therefore I will keep on following different people and groups that will be influence to me as they will be able to help me in my development as a designer. The people I follow as well will help me gain attention from others as they will be able to connect to me if they have similarities and identify with myself, therefore link with me on a personal level as a designer.