Porte folio

Porte folio - for the finishing touches

The idea for this store is to have a place where artists and designers can go to document their work for display and presentation and can pull together a finished portfolio that suits their individual style.  I think for many artists and designers, the portfolio is a necessary evil.  The idea of photographing, displaying and organizing their work is seemingly less creative and far more methodical than the original work. Porte folio would house the necessary resources for photographing, editing and assembling a professional portfolio, while the professional staff would assist through the entire process.  It's like taking your big bag of receipts to the accountant at tax time...no one looks forward to it, but it's a heck of a lot easier than sorting through it by yourself.  

The process would start with a consultation during which the artist and designer would be asked questions about what kind of message and tone they want for their portfolio.  The consultant would assist the designer in narrowing down their ouvre.  The consultant is not there to express personal preference but to help the customer achieve a consistent message.

In addition to the consultation, there would be computer kiosks, matting areas, portfolio supplies, and other periferal materials.  The shop would be equipped to handle anything from single-project based presentations to comprehensive portfolios in both digital and physical formats.

To my knowledge, Greensboro, nor many cities have a place like this.  While we at UNCG are given all the necessary tools to create our own design portfolios ourselves, many artists do not have the means to own all the necessary software or equipment, especially since it changes so frequently.  This way they don't have to.  There is someone there who can help them deal with the guess work.  The idea is to create a product that is true to the artist and designer and not something that looks just like the portfolio before it.  The store itself might house a few, high-end portfolio products or provide high-quality printing services, but many of the items would be available for order.  The staff would bring expert knowledge of the latest available products and can negotiate more reasonable prices since the store would carry accounts with several dealers...

The store makes sense at the Shops at Buffalo Creek because it caters to artists and custom designers, and there is nothing like it in the vicinity.  The challenge will be how to "display" a seemingly intangible product: a service.  It needs to be about the brand.  And then the products available for sale need to be displayed accordingly.  There should be plenty to attract the do-it-yourselfer, like the students at UNCG or design professionals who are comfortable with creating their own presentations.

Perhaps this is a place to focus on software as well and provide training and tutorials?

I guess I need to really narrow it down and start to look at potential product lines.

A few places with supplies to peruse...

The most amazing art store in San Francisco...http://www.flaxart.com/pages/artsupplies.html

A boring archival documents store..http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com

Another idea would be to sell custom-made portfolios - ones that are custom screen printed or etched on the outside and would make beautiful gifts for an architect, designer or artist.  

A few portfolio products I've found:

Another idea would be to sell custom-made portfolios - ones that are custom screen printed or etched on the outside and would make beautiful gifts for an architect, designer or artist.