How my business began
By Jae Bostock
When someone sets up a business, there’s usually a lot of history behind it.
Something or someone plants the seed; it might take a while to germinate; and then one day, the green shoots appear …
Just over a year ago, after a change in employment status, I decided to set up Jae Design.
However, this wasn’t a random idea that suddenly popped into my head. I set up Jae Design after a varied and exciting career in the design industry.
My Love of Graphic Design …
My love of graphic design is shaped by my professional roles and my education. So, in a nutshell and with more detail to follow, I worked for a well-known local department store and then left this role in order to gain additional expertise in designing and sign-making. This was a great move for me, as I gained a huge amount of experience working alongside brand new companies, coming up with logo designs and branding, perhaps two of the most important aspects of marketing.
This exciting career choice highlighted that I really wanted to work for myself in the industry; I needed some decent ‘kit’ though! One thing a designer needs is an excellent computer and software to match. So, after a bit of floor pacing, I spent my final monthly salary on an Apple Mac and Creative Suite. I also went self-employed. Two big steps that have well and truly paid off.
The Benefits of Graduate Placements
Yet the build-up to setting up my business goes back much further.
I have worked all over Yorkshire and I now live in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Yet my design experience has taken me all the Yorkshire region.
After my graduation, I was fortunate to gain a graduate placement with Hallmark Greeting Cards in Brighouse, perhaps one of the UK’s best-known greeting card companies. This placement was truly inspiring, and I gained a lot of experience and skills. After the Hallmark placement finished, I then gained a placement with Marks & Spencer working on their Christmas card range. This was a fantastic opportunity and again gave me some incredible insights into graphic design.
Family-Run Business by the Sea
Yet there was something missing … the sea! Many people who are born or live near the sea miss it when they move away … and I’m one of them. So, I returned to Scarborough and worked for the well-known department store. I enjoyed my job there and introduced computer generated ticketing and point of sale for the company’s stores throughout Yorkshire.
Another aspect of my work there that I loved was creating artwork for key times of year, such as Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day, springtime, summertime and so on. I also had the enjoyable task of illustrating print advertising for the arrival of Santa on his sleigh … I think you’ll have guessed which store it is by now! Another project was printing the large format posters that you’ll see inside the store. This included working with an industrial colour Epson copier/printer that produced material up to A0 in size, which is huge. I also had to maintain all the machines which were part of a network and produced the printed posters for all the stores at the time.
Then if you see print advertising or digital retail listings, you’ll see images of the products, called ‘cut-outs’. These are essential tools in retail marketing and are produced in Photoshop, Illustrator and Adobe and most print and online marketing require them as a minimum resource.
Moving On …
After working with this famous family-run company I then worked for a local signage company for a year. These 12 months gave me another ‘string to my bow’ as I produced new logos and branding for a number of different businesses and sectors, including pubs, shop fronts and other clients. This helped me find my creative ‘streak’ and I began to form the idea of working for myself.
The great thing about working for others before you work for yourself is that you can spot aspects that you might do completely differently. Working for others also gives you the discipline needed to run your own business, which can be tricky at times. Also setting up Jae Design has meant I am close to one of my main inspirations … the seaside!
Jae Bostock - Jae Design (Graphic Design)
E: jaedesign2019@gmail.com
Website: https://jae-design.business.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jaedesign2019/