Merely a designer

      When it comes to the making of a company based on the printmaking experience, a business suited to what is popularly referred to as the “experience economy,” all I have done is make a nice design for an etching press. The design is so successful that people who buy my etching presses say they are “works of art.”

While I may eschew the label, work of art, when applied to a little mechanical device—the customer is always right when you separate art from business. People are willing to pay twice as much for a press that is beautiful as well as functional. I proved this, several times, and I have real life stories to support it.

The printmaking experience is partly made up of owning your own press. In the past there was no alternative to a big, heavy and expensive machine. This fact has been the death for many an aspiring printmaker—because after they got their exposure to the art and craft of printmaking and the history of it and left school, they had no access to a press. A few used alternative, less cumbersome methods, such as relief printmaking with wooden spoon or a Japanese-style printing baren.

Those who wanted to continue intaglio or lithographic work were out of luck. If they lived in a large city, there might be a printmaking club nearby. Or, they could re-enroll in a school as a part-time student, and thus get access to the press in evenings and other scheduled open studio times.

The small press changed all that. Now, for a price under one-thousand dollars, a person could have a press large enough to print their etchings and engravings—and even processes similar to lithography—yet small enough to fit in a cabinet when they weren’t using it.

The mini press is a boon to those who like the printmaking experience, whether it is a hobby and they only do it during seasonal greeting card times, or the professional with a bona fide market for their prints. Other artists, crafts people and designers use the mini, also, such as book artists, graphic designers and photographers.

Business or bust

The end is near, for me. The facts are in: I have been losing money on this “business” for ten years and in consideration for my family and my own future I must admit that I am merely the designer in this venture, and the real business can now be established. You might compare me to a hired designer in a company that produced a wildly popular model because of its beauty. For my design I might get a raise in salary, or even shares in the company, as my reward for doing a job above the norm.

In my situation, I am not only a fair designer, I am also a subject matter expert and therefore I could make design changes as needed based on my knowledge of printing processes. Moreover, as an art teacher, I could lay out my own promotional materials, design a Web site, and make demonstration videos.

As a tinkerer with hi-tech, I could introduce ways to add value to the press by making it “smart” in the sense of onboard instruction. All these innovations give me the title of Designer, but not CEO, CFO, or COO. As a result of my having kept these processes to myself, the very profitable idea of a printmaking experience for all ages, at all times, in all places, is at risk.

My artist’s imagination and vision make me a valuable player on the team, but not the quarterback. In fact, I am not really a “good team player” when it comes to making value judgments. And, as an artist, I do make value judgments and this propensity gets me in trouble at times. For example, in the strategic plan to let the company grow to its proper proportions, one critic said that my teaching aspirations were “admirable,” but she implied that this ambition would stunt the growth of a plan aimed at professional photographers seeking ways to improve their graphic art.

Business solution

The solution—and the plan for June of this year—is to turn over the company to a CEO who knows how to finance and coordinate the growth of the company. In the process, I can strive to maintain a share in the company in the form of royalties or shares—akin to a retirement pension.

If my persona is worth it, then I could also participate in customer support materials, such as the short lessons that customers want and need to go along with their purchase. These are considerations in describing the Halfwood Press value proposition.

Strategic design

As a visionary, however, I am worth still more. For example, the continued use of the press is important to word-of-mouth promotion. This is where the printmaking world meets the Internet of Things (IoT). In my opinion, this is crucial to the long-term life of the business, and a CEO would have to understand this and work for its realization.