Design Event at designjunction 2014 - in pictures

Design Event at the London Design Festival 2014

In September Design Event exhibited at designjunction during the London Design Festival with ten designers from the North of England. 

It's a Great Opportunity...

Michael Armstrong established AFID Design in 2005, designing and producing original handcrafted furniture, as well as developing pieces for manufacture.

Michael worked within industry for several years before joining a product/furniture design consultancy where he developed his knowledge and understanding of design. He then went into full time education and graduated from the University of Northumbria with a First Class BA (hons) in Furniture Design and an MA in Design. After graduating he worked freelance for a number of years for a London based design agency before establishing Afid Design

Michael has exhibited with Design Event on several occasions and has taken part in both London Design Festival based collective exhibitions at 100% Design (2010) and Tent London (2012). 

Here are his thoughts on why it’s a good thing…

“Financially exhibiting as a collective under an umbrella brand is really beneficial especially to a designer who works alone.  The physical build, design of the stand and transporting the products to the show are all elements that are taken care of.  The camaraderie with the other designers is also something I enjoy, it’s a great opportunity to exchange experiences and get to know other people working in a similar field.

The mentoring and professional development programme that Design Event organise for the designers involved in the lead up to the show is really useful.  The main thing I’ve really taken on board is the importance of marketing and publicity and I keep in contact with customers via social media platforms and online marketing.

At the show the stand has real appeal to visitors because the collection of work is diverse and high quality, it draws people in and there is another dynamic to the conversations you can have with people about the wider collective, not just your work in particular.  It peaks people’s interest and appreciation of the products on show.

I’ve really benefitted from exhibiting at both 100% Design and Tent London with Design Event because it has raised the profile on my business and the work I produce.  Exhibiting at these trade shows has also resulted in sales and commissions from the public and initiated conversations with retailers and buyers from big brand organisations.

The experience I’ve gained from exhibiting at these shows has given me the confidence to explore the idea of showing my work on an individual basis. The main barrier to doing so rat the moment is the limited time I have available for planning, marketing and, ultimately, final production of the stand itself, which I would have to undertake personally while still fulfilling ongoing commissions and orders.  

I love doing what I’m doing, it’s a hard industry but I enjoy my work and want to keep doing it!”

Michael Armstrong, Afid Design

Psalt Design: Exhibiting as Part of a Collective

Sheffield based furniture and product design studio Psalt Design was formed in 2010 by Richard Bell, Tom McKeown and David Powell. The trio of designers wanted to take advantage of the wealth of industrial and creative opportunities the city has to offer to conceive, design and manufacture furniture and interior products.

Psalt Design has worked with Design Event over the last few years, first exhibiting at the 2011 Design Event MART at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art.  In 2012 Psalt were part of a collective of Northern designers that Design Event showcased at TENT London during the London Design Festival (LDF).

We had a chat with Richard Bell to find out more about their experience of exhibiting as part of a collective and how that has impacted on their activity.

Showing as a collective with Design Event at Tent London 2012 was hugely beneficial to us. It was our first experience showcasing at the London Design Festival and having business and product development, marketing and public relations advice and support in the run up to the event from both Design Event and the other exhibitors meant we were a lot more prepared than what we would have been.

Showcasing as a Northern collective provided a great platform to generate press interest and coverage and we were featured in a number of publications we may have missed out on if we had been showing by ourselves. Also the marketing, PR and design of the stand was very professional, meaning we could focus purely on our products and press kits prior to the show. 

I think the selection process (through and open call) was very important to the success of the stand and there was a wide variety of great products on display. This definitely helped attract more potential customers to the stand as people saw something that intrigued them, whether it be furniture, product etc., and then were more likely to browse the other work on display. The stand was a huge success for us and played a big part in helping to take our company to the next level.

The footfall at Tent London has been very strong for a number of years now and it attracts a wide audience. We met people ranging from students, design enthusiasts and boutique shop owners right through to head buyers for companies such as Habitat, Heals and Conran. This varied audience means there are endless opportunities to speak to people interested in your range of products. We tried to be quite pro-active in the run up to the event by initiating conversations with a number of people who we invited to the stand. We also organised a competition sponsored by RIBA Journal where visitors could win one of our 'Bubble Tanks'. This was a great conversation starter and through publicising the competition we generated a lot of interest. In the weeks and early months directly after the show we had a definite spike in sales from people who had seen the product on the Design Event stand. 

In terms of the location, the stand was in Hall T1, which I felt was the best hall to be in. I also think that TENT is considered one of the best locations nowadays along with Design Junction as an exhibition space.

After exhibiting at the show we received emails from people 12 months later saying they had seen our products at LDF and some went on to buy our products. These were mainly individuals purchasing for their home. The main benefit post-show was from press, which we met through the event. Many of these people have gone on to help showcase our work, which has, without doubt, led to indirect sales. 

Exhibiting as a collective has played a big part in giving us the confidence to showcase individually and in 2013 we exhibited at the same event along with Daniel Schofield (another designer who featured on the Design Event stand in 2012). Having experienced how well run Design Event’s 2012 stand was, we were able to apply what we learnt to our stand. Having to publicise the event ourselves took a lot of time but proved very beneficial for us and we managed to attract a lot of interested parties when we unveiled our full collection at the event. We owe a lot of this to the team at Design Event and I personally learnt a lot in terms of ways of getting the most out of the event. We also showed earlier in the year at 'Home London' as part of a shared stand which was a great experience and plan to do several more in the near future.

image by Colin Davison @rosellastudios.com

I think the most important thing we took from exhibiting at TENT was the importance of generating a buzz prior to the event. This was something we tried to replicate the following year and again it proved hugely beneficial. This came from various methods, many of which, I had seen from Design Events organisation of the collective stand. Some of these were, strong press releases, publicising the products and event prior to the show and inviting the right people to come see the stand.

Both exhibiting with Design Event and the mentoring provided in the run up to the show has enhanced the day to day running of our company and post-show we took the direction to market the products to a much higher level and really push negotiations with retailers and stockists. This has led to Psalt Design becoming a more successful and streamlined company.

  

In the last 3 years it has been astounding to see how far our company has moved forward. I think the unveiling of the full range last year initially at the 'MADE North' gallery in Sheffield and then at 'TENT London' 2013 was huge and it became clear exactly how far we have come as a brand.

We now have a range of products, which consistently sell, which has given us the opportunity to continue to develop new products.  

www.psaltdesign.co.uk

The open call for submissions for Northern designers to exhibit with Design Event at Design Junction during 2014's London Design Festival is now open.  Deadline is 10 March 2014. More information on how to apply here.