OUGD502 - SWOT

STRENGTH
WEAKNESS
OPPORTUNITY
THREATS

When marketing yourself it is important to establish the four facets above. It is important to determine what your strengths are. These are what will make you stand out from the rest of the competition within the creative industry and really are your own selling points. I feel that my strengths are in manual processes within the area of packaging and branding design. I am also very particular about my work and won't finish until I am proud of the work and feel I have done the most I can. These two strengths are what I am selling to any client. I consider my practice more traditional in technique and anyone looking for that style would hire me. This style won't be as readily available as digital design because of the trends and needs with the digital age, making my work a unique selling point. 

I am not so strong when working digitally. I will try to start with a manual process and bring the work together digitally. Considering one of these as my weaknesses may deter potential clients from their desire to work with me. However, one of my strengths being particular and not resting until I feel I have done the best I can, I will push myself to learn new digital skills. Particularly in this digital age, clients will be looking for web or app designers and designers that focus on digital production. Digital design is an area that I will need to push myself in order to remove this weakness.

There are still many areas within the industry that look for more traditional techniques of design, including editorial design in magazines, journals and books. Packaging design is very much hands on and an area I feel confident in. Branding can also become part of the more traditional side of design when creating signage or interior design. These areas of design are an opportunity for myself as the style of design is where I feel most comfortable and find most successful at pushing my own skins further in.

Potential threats are the competition within the industry, there will be hundreds of other designers trying to be hired by the same clients that I will want to work with. Even though I feel most designers will be using digital techniques and my own approach is a unique selling point to the client, there will of course be competitors out there. As well, with the digital age, the need for traditional manners of design are becoming fewer and fewer, making this field even more competitive. Having a strong portfolio and a positive range of experience will make me more attractive and clients will want to hire me.