Designing the Book - Start & Grow a Profitable Jewellery Business with Jessica Rose
As well as being the jewellery designer/maker here at Narratorium, I also work part-time as a graphic designer & digital marketeer for the lovely Jessica Rose at Jewellers Academy. So I thought it might be interesting to share a bit more about a very exciting project I’ve been involved in - designing Jess’s fantastic new book on how to Start & Grow a Profitable Jewellery Business and show you why it’s such a great book for any jeweller wanting to run or already running their own jewellery business.
As you can imagine, writing and designing a book is a pretty big undertaking, so the project actually began a few years ago. Jess had very clear vision of the book she wanted to create for her community of jewellers, and she asked me to help her bring that vision to life as her resident graphic designer. An opportunity I was very excited to take on!
THE VISION
The motivation behind the book was essentially to create a comprehensive guide on how to run a profitable jewellery business, with emphasis on the word profitable - something that Jess has always felt many jewellers struggle with. The book would educate jewellers on all the essential elements required to do this, from learning how to price your jewellery properly, to developing your signature style, creating a brand identity to marketing your jewellery business online.
Jess also knew that she wanted to book to be inspirational and easy to digest, designed in a way that jewellers (as visual, creative people) would find easy to understand. So rather than the book being structured or designed like a manual or text book, she wanted it to feel more like a coffee table book, full of big beautiful imagery, helpful drawings and diagrams with smaller, easy to read sections.
And actually when we did a little bit of research into what was already out there in terms of a book about running a handmade jewellery business, we realised that there wasn’t anything quite like the vision she had in mind.
Above: A double page spread from Start & Grow a Profitable Jewellery Business
Above: An example of page layout in Jessica’s new book
THE DESIGN PROCESS
So whilst Jess worked on the structure of the book, compiling its content and writing copy, I was set to task on its design - a dream project for any graphic designer!
First thing was to work out the size of the book. We knew we wanted a large, coffee table, style book so something around A4 in size was going to be right. We also knew that there would be quite a few pages with all those lovely big images from Jess’s super talented photographers Karen Young and Vicki Knights.
Next, I gathered some design inspiration and then started sketching out my page layouts - thinking about the way I’d use white spaces, images and graphic elements as well as how I might present different types of information such as a diagram showing a simple photoshoot set up, or the style of the planning templates for marketing tasks.
Above: My layout sketches to help me plan out/design the contents page
Above: How the contents page turned out
Above: The handmade illustration style we decided to use for diagrams
I then set up my InDesign file and started developing a cohesive look and feel for the book, sharing with Jess along the way until we’d worked out what felt right. Then once we were happy, the big task of transferring all the content and copy over into the design began!
FINISHING TOUCHES
Once everything was in and the copy had been proofed internally & externally for flow, spelling and grammar, we then needed to design the cover and make lots of decisions on printing, from which kind of paper stock we wanted to use to the quality and finish on the cover, such as a gold foiling detail on the book titles and a matte laminate finish on the outer cover. This involved getting lots of samples and quotes from different printers.
Once we’d received all the samples and had a chance to go through them together, we made our decisions, chose a printers to work with and then arranged for a dummy book to be printed, for one final proof. We made a few final tweaks, then took a huge leap of faith and pressed the big button to print a very big batch of copies! And ta da - the book was published!
Above: The section on perfecting jewellery photography
Above: Learning how to master your money in your jewellery business
WHY IT’S SUCH A GREAT BOOK
Well of course, you might say I am biased because I designed it! But, the creative, visionary brain behind it all is with no doubt the lovely Jessica Rose. And believe me, it really is a fantastic book for any jeweller looking to start or grow a handmade jewellery business, let me explain why…
It is packed with knowledge and wisdom from years of experience on how to run a profitable jewellery business, it couldn’t be more comprehensive.
There’s something really lovely about being able to browse all of this amazing information in a book, and flick backwards and forwards to chapters you want to revisit.
It’s super easy to digest and incredibly inspirational, I dare anyone to read this book and not want to start a jewellery business!
The book will not only show you what you need to do, but also how to be effective with the many hats you need to wear as a small business owner.
The case study jewellers that also feature in the book really add an extra special touch. They are the proof in the pudding, the real life example of how to make your business a success.
The Profit Kit that accompany’s the book is full of valuable tools, resources and templates that will help you no end in the running of your business and save you a huge amount of time!
So if you’re passionate about jewellery making and would love to start or grow your own profitable, handmade business, then I absolutely recommend you grab yourself a copy, it is a number one bestseller on Amazon, with 94 five star reviews…
'If' you're setting up a jewellery business, this is the only book you'll need!' Sarah
'A definite must no matter how far along in your jewellery journey you are' ELT08
'Of all the books on jewelry business, this is what gives me the most courage and confidence' Cyndi
'A gorgeously illustrated and highly informative gem of a book!' ATB61
'The must-have, go-to book for all jewellers' LA
'This book is worth every penny' Karen
'The only jewellery business bible you will need' Miss J C
'The book I wished I'd had when I first started my jewellery business' Horgy
Thanks for reading!
Emma x
Me & Jess with the finished copy of the book!