Prospective clients (Which Magazine)

Where I went

I went to the centre of London as part of my design practice to see prospective clients. Whilst I was down there I had made an appointment with a friend to meet Judy, who is the art director of the Computer Which Magazine. I intended to go and see her to show her my portfolio, and see if I could familiarise myself with what it is like to meet a client who is interested in my work and would be willing to use my illustrations in her magazine.

About Which

Which Magazine compare prices for products in the High Street. I think my illustrations would be suitable because they would add a spark of fun to their corporate designs. Judy said that the magazine mostly uses photography but she is interested in using more illustration in the future. Judy also told us what type of illustrations work best, such as diagrams.

My findings

I found that a positive influence for me was the understanding of how interviews are carried out in the work placement/work environment. This was a new experience talking face to face with a client. My objectives were: to have the opportunity to pitch work and portfolio to clients, to review the relevance for the client, to obtain feed back and gain practise talking to clients, to see if I was prepared to meet clients in a working environment, to identify any problems that may have occurred preparing me for the next time, to inquire what is best to wear, are business cards required and finally is my portfolio professionally presented.

Learning outcomes

I found that Judy was well spoken but aloud time for me to say necessary things about my work, which helped me as I struggle to say what I mean sometimes. Pitching is not a struggle if you have the correct tools: Preparation of list of questions, business cards and I should have gathered background research on the company or client base, because the client will not only talk about business cards and portfolios. Upon reflection I should have asked about some of the difficulties that occurred with using illustration the short time frames, due to the fast tempo of business printing times. As a last note I have learned to be confident and have a clear mind when meeting someone new and to speak clearly and calmly and reply as best as you can to questions asked.