#DoItForTheGram

I updated the profile for my Etsy shop's instagram today and posted it's first 2 posts. I updated the "profile picture" with my updated Etsy logo and really like how it looks.

My bio is a brief summary (emphasis on brief. The 150 character limit was challenging, but I'm glad that it is short so that it doesn't push the photos down far on the page or hide them altogether.) of my shop, what I sell and why. I ran our of room so I put a list of the things that I sell as my 'name'.

My first post was just an introduction, including some of the things that I left out of my bio due to length.

My next post is of my "Girl Power" button, and after that one I plan to post a photo of one of my vintage listings so that things even out. Posting now, I'm even more glad that I used props in my listing photos to make them more cohesive. I think that it really pays off on instagram.

My Beautiful Etsy Shop With 9 Whole Listings

I have all of the buttons and stickers from my feminist merchandise line up for sale on my etsy store (inkanddustshop). Iron-on patches are on the way and will be up for sale soon. 

I photographed all of the items over the weekend, with the help of my younger brother Brayden as a model for the buttons. I used my dad's vintage denim jacket as a prop to tie in the vintage theme of my shop, since some of the designs are quite modern. I also used a mustard yellow knit blanket and vintage inspired pillow as props since I have mustard in my shop logo and I think it is a nice vintage-looking colour as well. I kept those things in mind while photographing my products because my shop has a variety of items in a variety of styles, and I want them to look cohesive and still look nice beside the vintage listings rather than out of place. 

I am not happy with how the photos of my stickers turned out and feel that even though they are simple and straight forward, they lack interest when compared to the rest of the thumbnails. I may photograph these ones again with the denim jacket or mustard blanket behind them to add some more texture and interest to the thumbnail that buyers will click on, and add a more cohesive and professional look to my store front. 

I am really happy with how the rest of the photos turned out. I used natural lighting on a cloudy day, and couldn't find my camera so took the photos with my iPhone 6s. I think they turned out really well, not only because they focused and look crisp and appealing to potential customers, but I think that the lighting made the colours in my designs and props pop and ended up making really nice thumbnail photos.

I will likely re-do the photos of the stickers, but in general I am really happy with how my listings look and am excited to see how well these products do on etsy:)

The Fruits Of My Labour

MY PRODUCTS ARE STARTING TO ARRIVE AND ITS ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITING.

I designed 3 different stickers, 3 different buttons, and one iron-on patch and they are starting to arrive. Seeing my designs and ideas turned into tangible items is really rewarding, and I'm super happy with how they turned out;

I ended up using different manufacturers than I had originally planned, which I plan on writing a report about once my patches arrive. 

My friends who have seen the finished products have really liked them which makes me excited. I am really happy that the finished products turned out the way I had envisioned them, and I can honestly say that I would be buying these products if I had not designed them because I think they're really cute. This is the point in my project where things really get going, and I'm excited to see how sales go (which I think will start after winter break).