i’m a hustler baby…. (how to sell what you make)

We hustle, it’s what we do.

It’s my intention to post not only about the creative process of graphic design, but also about the business side of it:  getting work, getting your work out there and eventually making a living off of your work.

One of the best things that I have decided to do is to create work that resonates with the general public. Designs that folks can buy to wear or hang on their walls that is both affordable to them and provides me, the designer with both a small income stream and exposure.

Right now, I spend my work-days on client related projects, getting more client work, and creating and distributing my own designs. So far I’ve produced a line of t-shirts and two posters that are being sold in stores and online. Here is some information about how I got started getting my stuff out there.

T-shirts

One of my t-shirt designs.

It went something like this . “I love t-shirts. I love designing. Wouldn’t it be cool if I created t-shirt designs that I, my friends and others would wear, thus getting my work “out there” and maybe even making some money?”

Then I researched what t-shirts I wanted (American Apparel for their labor standards for now), and some screen printers that I wanted to check out (locally mostly).

You can see my collection of t-shirts on etsy.com by clicking here. I didn’t do any ‘market research’ before getting my shirts printed, but I did ask friends what they thought. It’s hard to know what’s going to do well, so I started out with creating smaller batches (50 or fewer) of each design. Once I sold out of a design, that was my cue to order more the next time. Shirts that didn’t sell, obviously got the axe and became sale shirts during street festivals.

Prints

I never actually intended to create poster-sized works for consumption, but once I started, it became addictive. My Obama poster that some of you are familiar with, was a project that I did for a class. The positive feedback that I received from friends, colleagues, and other students was enough to convince me to print 600 from Greener Printer. I have about 40 left. Not bad for my first time. I also signed and numbered the prints as a way to know how many were sold, and as a way of making the prints authentic.

In order to sell them, I basically became a hustler, a salesperson. It helps when you believe in whatever you are selling. I started off in my neighborhood and went to stores that I thought might be interested in carrying them. Book stores, home décor stores (where they did the best, by the way), frame stores, stores with other Obama gear, or places  that I have supported in the past.

My strategy is still the same. I walk in with my portfolio, introduce myself as a local artist and take my print out, and ask them if they are interested in selling it. My approach is very relaxed and nonchalant and I try to be as confident and non-arrogant as possible. Getting a ‘yes’ becomes addictive and has propelled me forward. Stores either buy the prints out-right, or take them on consignment, paying me as they sell. Of course I prefer money up-front, but I know they will sell and am ok with leaving some prints at a store to prove it.

After such success with “Obama”, I printed a Harvey Milk poster that I made to honor the man that is, in many ways a hero of the GLBT movement.

Timing is everything and I got started a tad late – getting them printed just barely before gay pride celebrations. And thus, the process has started all over again. A girl walks into a store and says…..”excuse me…im a local artist…….” Except this time, I started with the stores that knew me and my work and had purchased and sold many Obama prints. Thus, the initial exposure really helped me get my foot in the door to certain stores and they were more likely to be interested in selling my work.

Notes for starting your business,  and things that I’ve learned along the way:

1. Get a list of upcoming street fairs that you might want to participate in so that you can get a jump start and give yourself a time related goal for

My Obama print in the store window at Nathan and Co.

initial exposure.

2. Really focus on timing and do not procrastinate/delay or get nervous that things won’t sell, especially so if your items have dates on them.  My Obama poster was printed literally less than 1 month before Inauguration Day. If I had really prioritized it, I would have made sure they were out in stores as soon as I designed it, in November.

3. More “market research” with friends and family.

4. Keep a good stock of the shirts that sell well. You never know when stores are going to want to order more.

5. Lastly, for now : You might need to be a hustler, but do yourself a favor and give yourself enough time so that you don’t get burnt out while going from store to store. It can be tiring to try to sell anything, especially something that bears your creative tag and name. Be kind to yourself.

Overall advice:

While its true, I can’t say that I’m definitely doing things right, believing in your work is the first step. Once you have that, you start out slow, introduce people to you and what you do and that gets your foot in the door. Make sure to have tons of well-designed business cards and any other signage of your name/image or business. I can’t tell you how many people have complimented my portfolio with my Pushcart Design logo.

My Portfolio

If you have the time or money to do focus groups, do them. My focus groups have solely consisted of querying friends in person, via email or surveymonkey.com. They are all free and just take some time. The other way (that can be risky) is to get your stuff printed and THEN see how it sells. I did this with my t-shirts. Some sold very well, others not so well. But, in the end, this is how we live and learn. As my very wise grandma Gladys said about leaving the lower east side for her first apartment in Brooklyn (back in the 30’s), “you gotta start somewheres.”

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