Thursday 7 January 2016

OUGD502 Taking Care of Business - Studio Spaces (Study Task One)

We decided to research into studio spaces. Cameron found this poster in uni that we found very helpful with finding out about studio spaces that we have never heard of before. Although this was quite helpful, the only gem on this sheet was Patrick Studios.


Duke Studios



Duke studios is quite an expensive design studio, however it is very light and airy which is a plus, as I tend to struggle to work when the room has fake lighting. It's close to the city centre and it is well known within the design industry of having a lot of great designers and artists working within it. Duke studios would be a great place to work as there would be a lot of opportunities for networking, and it is also based above Leeds Art Gallery, meaning there would be a lot of famous artists coming through its doors, and therefore it would be great exposure; for example Joan Cornella. The main problem with this studio is the price; it is very expensive for the limited space available, and it wouldn't be enough space for all of our equipment at a low budget. As we would be a starter company, we would like to keep the price to a minimum, however Duke Studios is very expensive considering the fact it is made out of wood. 

Patrick Studios



Patrick Studios seems like the perfect place to hold our own studios! It is incredibly cheap, ranging from #90-250 per week. The studios (from images) look huge and would definitely be enough space to host a screen printing area and also general desk space. It would definitely be beneficial to have a huge space as it means we could all be very experimental and do as our business intends; not work like most design studios work, and do a lot of analogue and experimental prints. This studio space is also really great as it is based in the centre of Leeds City Centre, meaning that travel wouldn't be involved within the costs of the business as it is within walking distance. This building is great, the only downside that we have found out is the fact that it doesn't come with any furniture. However, we have worked out that it would cost around #600 to get all of the furniture that we need, meaning the bigger upfront payment would work out a lot cheaper than paying for a studio that already comes with furniture; it also means that if we were to ever work out of our own homes, we would already own all of the furniture and wouldn't have to purchase it all then.


The Corn Exchange



Personally, I had the idea to set up our business inside of The Corn Exchange. I had this idea as all of the shops within The Corn Exchange seem very welcoming, local and friendly. I thought it would be a really obscure and yet successful idea to start a business within The Corn Exchange as it would mean that a lot of people would find out about our business and they would also have a bigger opportunity to visit us. I had the idea of setting up a studio that would also double up as a print fair/shop. There would constantly be prints available to purchase for passersby, and we would also work within the shop. The only limit to this idea would be the spacing; the shops within The Corn Exchange are very small, meaning we wouldn't be able to get screen printing equipment in there, and we would also basically be limited to digital prints. The idea, however, I think was very strong, and once our business gets off the ground, it would be an ideal place to set up a shop/part-time studio.

In the end, we decided the most beneficial place to set up a design studio would be at Patrick Studios. We decided this as it was the place that gave us the most space, meaning we would be able to fit a lot of screen printing equipment and other analogue print methods in it. It would also give us all a lot more space in general and it is central in Leeds, meaning it is a local and easy place to reach.

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