BLOG/FULL REPORT

CKW6- Individual project Full Module Title: Fashion Marketing and Communication Module Level: 5 Module Leader: Zakir Maqsood Class: Fashion & New Media Teacher: Zakir Maqsood Student: Emelina Nyqvist

Executive summary The purpose with this paper is to describe the making of the artistic blog (www.sketchmode.com), from the starting idea, development of strategy, spreading and use of social media platforms. The blog that was created is part of an individual task, handed out in the subject Fashion and new media. The task was to integrate the market of blogging with a unique selling point, using various types of medias.

From creating a name (brand), to creating a clear strategy to follow, it was also important to analyse numbers and information regarding the site in able to adapt and adjust to its followers. This paper will guide step by step how sketchmode.com was created and developed. The paper will include pre-, as well post- blogging elements such as evaluation and future directions.

The challenge Seeing that blogging in general, especially fashion blogging, is a rather large-scale market, the competition is huge. Not only are there numerous of different platforms, but also the times are changing and technology advances fast. Not only is it important to find a proper USP, but also manage to keep it together with evolving with the reader’s interests and demands. Not to be forgotten, the own interest in the project is crucial. In able to maintain an up-to-date and constant posting, not only does one need the time, but also a personal interest in the matter. (Have fun with it.)

The thought To start the project, a name was created. The thought behind it was to get a sense of the content, as well use wordplay. Sins the core focus would be on illustration and art with a fashionable feeling, the word

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sketch was decided. To associate the name with modern fashion, Mode was selected, together the name of the blog was to be: Sketchmode.

The second step was to make sure that the name was not already taken, not only in the blog community but also on other platforms in order to expand later. Not only was it important that the content of the blog had a USP, the name also had to be unique as part of the strategy, yet simple enough so that it could be remembered. After it was clear that the name could be registered, a domain name was bought (www.sketchmode.com), the choice of having a .com address was based on the (personal) opinion that .com sounds more serious than a tumblr.com, i.e. to enhance the seriousness of the blogs perception by others. As well a twitter account was set up, in this case sketchmodeBCN along with a fan page on Facebook.

Strategy The blog: Sketchmode.com is a blog about art in general with a focus on illustrations. The posts are about events and happenings but mostly specific work-of-arts and re-blogs mixed with smaller biographies. The UPS is the highlighting of a mix of underground, as well mainstream artists who focus on illustrations and visual art. Combining a visual appealing blog with a core in colourful illustrations and facts about the creators.

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The target: People of all ages with an interest in art and are being active online using various platforms. The target will be further specified after proper statistics from Google analytics can be generated.

Online: The platform used for the blog is tumblr.com with a custom domain name. Tumblr was chosen based on the following features:

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Aesthetic layouts

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Simple photo/video support

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RSS – easy to follow and spread

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Visual appealing

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Free hosting

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Re-blog option

Sources: To have a firm and consist basis it was important from the beginning that a wide range of books is being used within the subject of contemporary art and illustrations. This to construct a serious and correct distribution of posts. A list of artists and creators of different kinds, have been organized, together with contact information in able to approach for interviews and also to spread awareness about the blog within the same subject area. The list also work as a calendar or help to structure the different posts. However, additional re-blog posts and spontaneous blogging occurs too to create some variation in the blog structure.

Online platforms: Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and Tumblr.

Looking at the first statistics from analytics, it was shown that the majority of new visitors came from Facebook. The twitter account sketchmodeBCN is connected with sketchmode.com will be used to

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spread the awareness. As mentioned, a couple of illustrators have been approached via e-mail, as well on art forums and art agencies.

Online behaviour: The online behaviour is crucial regarding maintaining returning visitors, as well gain new ones. Analytics show that a percentage of new visitors comes from Googling specific search words, therefore are all posts marked with hash tags. On Tumblr the behaviour will revolve around re-blogging, liking, following, i.e. socialising online. It is also very important to give credits to all artists featured on the blog, both for their benefit but also in able to use hash tags in a greater extent.

Google analytics were installed from the beginning in able to follow the evolution of the blog. The main focus was on number of visitors and a market analysis, i.e. countries, language and search words that brought the visitor to the page.

Evolution After the structure and goals of the blog had been set, the next step was to actually “get the ball rolling”. The decision was made that the interaction between the different platforms would wait until the blog it self had started and established itself online. From the beginning, the majority of the traffic came from pointed directions from Facebook, however after a few posts, the re-blogging from other tumblr blogs started to generate visitors. Seeing this as an opportunity, all bloggers where added to the following list in hope to get additional followers on sketchmode.com. The blog grew along with the interaction of platforms. Not only books where used as sources for the content, but also contemporary art forums and information pages. A number of trend searching sites where also a main part of the content gathering.

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SWOT Strength: The strength with sketchmode.com is that it has a clear image and selling point. The layouts are simple and the material is broad but with a cohesive theme. Blogging on a platform such as tumblr with integration from Facebook fan page and twitter is free (at most extent) which is economical.

Weakness: The downside of the production is the time spent on maintenance, in able to search, find and create interesting content one need to be devoted and give the blog the right amount of attention needed. The interaction between different medias is adding time, as well establishing a new blog on an already crowded market takes time before a wide audience is achieved.

Opportunity: New media = new chances. Open/online markets are available to anyone who has an idea and is willing to devote time and energy. More social medias are creating a web of spreading and sharing between one and others. If one has a USP and is perceived in a positive way, everything is possible to achieve. The interest for illustration blogs has shown to be wide.

Threats: Copying and steeling other peoples work is very easy and hard to track on the Internet. If a lot of time is dedicated, it may all be lost if someone else claims it, and most important of all: BIG competition.

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Metrics

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Future directions Seeing that the most popular post were the ones with both images and biography of the artist behind it. The future directions will be to focus more on research and interviewing, although the re-blog posts generated a lot of new followers and spreading on Tumblr, for this reason the re-blogging will continue (this information is confirmed by the analytics sources that ha large number of visitors came rom Tumblr.). The need for translation of the blog is at the moment not necessary seeing that close to 80% of all visitors (11oct 2012 – 6feb 2013) had English as settings. Twitter showed to be a quick way to spread and was the platform that expanded the quickest, this in combination with updated posting will hopefully create a word-ofmouth that has proven to be the most sufficient and trustworthy way of communicating. (Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business, by Erik Qualman.) The blog will continue on creating visual appealing and interesting portraits by talented people all over the world, with more intense posting and collaboration between the different platform, a bigger expansion can be expected.

The list of Illustrators previous mentioned Lovisa Burfitt liselotte Watkins Illustrated by Em Cassandra Rhodin Agent bauer Spiros Halaris holger lippmann James Jean Jenny Almén Gunnerfeldt Kristina Hultkrantz laura laine, sabine peiper anne luck nao naja conrd-hansen david bray

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makiko sugawa stina person Ingrid baars silja Goetz margot mace david despau

Bibliography http://www.illustratorcentrum.se/medlem/anna-nilsson#img2 http://shumanvivienneli.blogspot.com.es http://www.artbook.com/fuel.html http://www.anna-skoog.com http://illustratedbyem.tumblr.com http://www.elvirathart.com/index.xhtml http://www.anothermag.com http://www.marcallante.com http://trendland.com http://chanel-news.chanel.com/en/home.html http://cargocollective.com/yoni http://www.mustafasoydan.com http://www.vogue.co.jp http://www.chloe.com/#/en http://www.keirarathbone.com http://yu.vodafone.es/#!/ http://www.rorstrand.se/index.php/nyheter/mademoiselle_oiseau/ http://edfairburn.com http://www.liselottewatkins.com los cuadernos – bocetos de disenadores, Ilustradores y creativos (Richard Brereton) Swedish illustrators 1 (Anci Karlsson) contemporary illustration part 1 (Robert Klanten) contemporary illustration part 2 contemporary illustration part 3 Illustration now! (1,2 & 3, Julius Wiedemann)

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