Ceramics designer
Ceramics designers create designs for a range of pottery objects that are then made by shaping and firing clay. These objects can include ceramic sculpture, domestic and commercial tableware and kitchenware, giftware, garden ceramics, jewellery and wall and floor tiles.
Ceramics designers who work for large companies interpret a product brief and turn it into a commercially successful design for mass production. Ceramics designers/ceramicists who are self-employed or work for small companies are more likely to both design and make their own, one-off or limited edition, designs.
There is, however, some cross-over and some self-employed designers/ceramicists may also undertake design commissions for major companies, where they provide the design and the object is then mass produced elsewhere.
Ceramics designers working for large companies in industry produce designs for mass production. Typical work activities include:
Typical work activities for self-employed designers/ceramicists, or for those working for small companies, are likely to include:
Self-employed designers/ceramicists also need to promote their work to generate business. Typical activities include:
Although a career as a ceramics designer is open to graduates of any discipline, in practice, nearly all will have studied an art or design degree - ceramics, 3D design, applied arts or design. Search the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website for a list of relevant undergraduate courses. If your degree is unrelated, you may choose to continue your studies at Masters level.
A specific pre-entry postgraduate qualification is not required, although may be useful to hone practical skills and prepare for professional life.
There is also a wide variety of part-time courses in further and adult education institutes that provide the opportunity to develop ceramics skills. Visit Studio Pottery to find a list of pottery courses and workshops or use the Next Step course search facility to find a list of local courses.
Ceramics designers/ceramicists will need to show evidence of the following:
Setting up as a self-employed ceramics designer/ceramicist is hard work and competitive. There are, however, bodies that provide support with grants in order to help buy equipment and set up studios, e.g. the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust . Search the Craft Directory under ‘opportunities’ for details of awards and competitions. The Crafts Council Collective runs the Hothouse programme aimed at emerging makers. The course provides successful applicants with a programme of business skills and creative development.
It is vital to document your work professionally, using the skills of a specialist photographer or developing your own photographic skills, to create high-quality portfolios and websites that illustrate different aspects of your work.
Making speculative approaches to prospective employers (e.g. heads of design at the major ceramics companies) for in-house design positions or freelance commissions is essential to your job search strategy. Include work in your portfolio that demonstrates you can work in the company's existing style as well as offer new ideas.
Entering competitions and applying to exhibit/sell work at trade shows and craft fairs is also essential. Employers, retail buyers, galleries and the design press attend these events to look for new talent.
Self-employed ceramics designers/ceramicists also have to learn how to run a small business. Ceramics degree courses increasingly include basic business skills' development. After graduation, you can find business skills training through organisations such as Business Link and creative workspace providers such as Craft Central and Cockpit Arts .
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Continuous professional development (CPD) is essential for both employed and self-employed ceramics designers/ceramicists. Keep up to date with trends and markets by:
In larger companies, training is often organised in-house. For self-employed ceramicists, short courses can provide opportunities to learn specialist production techniques and new technologies. Visit the Studio Pottery website, a portal for information about contemporary ceramics artists, for a list of pottery courses and workshops, as well as details of relevant exhibitions, galleries and museums.
Some courses are targeted specifically at ceramics designers and ceramicists, while others, such as web design or photography, offered by further education colleges or universities, may also interest ceramics designers. Specialist courses are advertised in trade magazines, through business support agencies, design networks and relevant e-newsletters.
As a self-employed ceramicist, you may also need to take advantage of short courses and informal training opportunities (such as mentoring and peer advice) to develop entrepreneurial, business and practical creative skills in:
The Crafts Council Collective is a CPD programme for makers, including ceramicists, and includes networking events, opportunities for business and creative growth and support for new businesses.
How your career develops as a ceramics designer/ceramicist will depend on your specialism. Many aspire to self-employment in the ceramic craft/studios sector and concentrate on design and production of individual styles and products. To help with this, many develop a 'portfolio' career, combining self-employment with teaching, arts management, community arts work or gallery management. Combining varied roles may spark creative ideas and keep you motivated.
It is vital to showcase your work in order to promote your ideas and there are various organisations online that can help with this. Studio Pottery , for example, is an online information service for contemporary ceramics which showcases selected ceramicists’ work. It enables purchasers to contact designers directly and provides galleries with a window into new designers and their work. Design Nation is an organisation promoting new designers’ products, including ceramics, internationally.
For those employed in larger companies, career progression comes from working with production teams, liaising with external clients and seizing opportunities to be innovative. There may be opportunities in research departments or for promotion to managing teams of designers within the studio. Increased responsibility will inevitably bring an increase in non design-related tasks.
If you opt for self-employment, career development will come by building your reputation through exhibition success and your visibility through networking, writing articles and giving talks about your work and techniques. You may exhibit or sell work abroad with the support of The British Council or organisations promoting international trade.
With further study, it is possible to work in higher education as a lecturer in ceramics.
Many ceramicists are self-employed, working to commission or selling work directly from the studio, through websites, at craft markets, through galleries and at specialist retail outlets.
Many in-house ceramics designers work for long-established companies such as Denby, Royal Crown Derby and Royal Doulton. The British Ceramic Confederation (CeramFed) website includes a list of member companies that may be useful for speculative applications.
Companies are concentrated in areas linked with the traditional West Midlands potteries. Numbers employed in these companies have declined in recent years, but employers see design as a way to compete in global markets and hold design skills in high regard. Therefore, opportunities for in-house designers and freelance commissions continue to exist.
Limited employment can be found with smaller companies (see The British Ceramic Confederation website).
Design opportunities may also be available with major homeware retailers such as Habitat, Ikea and British Home Stores for ceramic designers with experience.
The Craft Directory is a one-stop shop for those wanting to make, see, collect and buy craft. Ceramics designers can also find details on fairs, retail outlets, commercial galleries, funding sources, studio spaces and a vacancies listing.
There are few advertised vacancies for ceramics designers. Self-employed ceramicists need to promote their own work through fairs and exhibitions and online. Networking and applying speculatively for freelance commissions may lead to opportunities.
Teaching positions may be advertised in the educational press (The Times Educational Supplement (TES) and Times Higher Education (THE) ) and on university and college websites. Advance notice of short-term teaching contracts and workshop leader opportunities can be circulated informally, so it is helpful to develop a network of contacts in colleges and universities and make direct approaches to heads of department.
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