MEGAN AUMAN

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online catalog

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Today is the first day of the Museum Store Association Expo, and other than the cozy/cuff catalog, I didn’t get a print catalog finished of all my work.  I’m a little disappointed, but I just didn’t feel settled enough with my images to spend the money on something that felt as final as a print catalog.  Instead, I completely redid my online catalog.  Now, all my current work is available to view in one place.  And its helping me move closer to the full redesign of my current website.

gift fair wrap-up

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I took yesterday off to decompress and relax after a long gift fair week (not to mention a stressful few weeks getting ready for the show).  

Now that I’m back, it seems like I’ve got even more work to do than before.  I didn’t write the number of orders that I was hoping to (the show was painfully slow) but I feel like I really learned a lot in the process.  In fact, I was amazed at how much I didn’t know when it came to the difference between selling jewelry and selling the new home collection.
So here are some of the things I’ve learned or am considering for next time, in no particular order:
Give people visual cues about the way a product is used – Buyers really didn’t seem to understand what some of my items were, or how they were meant to be used.  What I think is so obviously a basket or a wall panel was not so clear to others.  I need to do a better job of staging the objects so that people immediately recognize how they can be used.
Use the booth space to create an experience/tell a story – Even though my booth was visually clean, it didn’t really communicate anything special about my brand or my products.  In addition to better staging my objects, I need to create an environment for them.  There are two directions I could go with the booth – one being a home/domestic environment and the other being a focus on design.  I certainly think one commands a higher price point than the other.
I need to do a better job of communicating the ideas behind my brand – there are certain values that are important to me as a designer, such as producing goods locally in small batches.  These things make the prices higher, but can also command a higher price when communicated to the right audience.  I need to figure out a way to communicate these ideas without cheesy “made in the USA” stickers.
Make a catalog – everyone wants a catalog they can pick up and carry around with them.  The fact that I haven’t done one yet is bad.  On the flip side, members of the press seemed totally ok with me sending them a digital press kit once I was home.
Ship my work – this is absolutely the last show that I drive and deliver my own work to.  It was a nightmare!
Speaking of which, I guess I should finally go unload the car…

my "wow" moment

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Day one at the gift fair – I think I finished setting up about an hour after the show opened!  But at least its finished.  Then I spent most of the rest of the day thinking about how I could redesign the booth.
Traffic was a little slow today, but I generally got a good response to the work.  Not a lot of orders, but I really think right now people want to look around the show before they buy.
This afternoon, I walked by the Jonathan Adler booth, and Jonathan Adler was actually in it.  It was such a crazy “wow” moment – I’m exhibiting in the same section of the show as Jonathan Adler.  Now if only Tord Boontje would pop by the Artecnica booth, I might just die.

setting up at the gift fair

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I spent all day in the Javits Center setting up my booth, and I’m still not quite done.  (And the show opens tomorrow!)  Here are some pics to show the progression of my setup.  I spent the extra money to get the package booth, which included hard walls and lights.  It saved so much hassle – all I had to do was paint the walls.




I’m not 100% happy with the outcome – I think the platforms in the front of the booth are a little low, and in retrospect, the black and white seems a little boring.  But this is my first booth with this new work, and I know how long it took me to get a booth I was happy with for my jewelry.  So now I’ve got lots of things to think about for next time.

hang tags

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I’m wrapping up some last minute gift show prep before I head to New York on Friday morning, and it feels like I’ve still got a million lose ends.  
Its no secret I love promotional materials, so I made these little hang tags for the new home collection.  They are actually business card size, cut in half on my paper cutter and then rounded with my corner punch.  I purposely kept them simple – just my name, web address, and a space for my retailers to put price info.

the final result

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Thanks to everyone for your wonderful comments on my new collection.  I feel like it was a momentous effort, and I’ve got so many more pieces I’d still like to make, but I’m really happy with the results so far.
Today I pulled out the good camera to take a few promotional pictures of the new collection.  I’ve got lots more pieces to photograph, and a lot more work to do to launch the new collection on the web, but that will have to wait until after the gift fair. 
For now, you’ll have to settle for these few pictures.  

Oh, and if you’re going to be at the gift fair, please stop by my booth (Accent on Design #4055) to see the new work and say hello!

booth model

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I’m having a hard time figuring out my display for New York Gift – especially because I haven’t gotten my pieces back from the laser cutter.  So I made a scale model.  Which still isn’t quite helping me – hence the jumbled pile in the front.  
I guess its back to staring at my model…

hooray!

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I’ve got my computer back! And to celebrate I thought I’d share some more patterns that I’m working on plus some good news.

I got into Accent on Design at the New York International Gift Fair! I’m so excited for this new opportunity, but I’ve got a lot of work to do. Back to sketching and planning…

another crazy nightmare

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Last night I dreamed that I showed up to set up for New York Gift (which isn’t until January) completely unprepared. I didn’t know what booth I was in, started setting up in the wrong space, and still had to start (and finish) samples of my new collection. Not only did I wake up completely panicked, but with a serious case of déjà vu. Haven’t I had a dream like this once before?

Sure enough, after browsing my archives, I had a similar dream last September. What is it about the fall?

So today I’m working on a little gift fair prep, including an application to the Accent on Design section. Above is a prototype mini-catalog I’m working on. I’ve got to mail my application on Monday, wish me luck!