Contract opportunity for designer/illustrator!

We Make Good Textiles Project for Refugee Women

We are currently setting up a new project for women from a refugee background. This project involves training 5 women in machine knitting, textile printing and sewing/garment construction. We will be making products for WMG online and Christmas shops, for commercial partners and developing a tourist range. We are currently hiring a designer to design a range of tourist based products for sale in the three leading museum shops in Dublin. This position has been funded through a philanthropic donation.

The Role of the Designer

We are looking for a versatile designer to work collaboratively with us to create a range of designs for the tourist market with a number of these being primarily textile based products. These products will be sold in a number of high end museum stores. We are looking for the product range to be a modern design-led take on traditional tourist products, a step above – creating real treasures that can remind people of an amazing time in Ireland.

The products will be made in Ireland and ethically produced – an amazing selling point. The designers role is to:

• Create original designs in response to clear and detailed briefs, as listed below
• Identify additional products they would like to prototype
• Working with the WMG team to develop designs and once approved support the prototyping process and then iterate designs and production in co-operation with producers
• Engage with consultants related to the retail outlet
• Be in regular contact with our team and be able to engage productively in problem solving and creative thinking

The designer will be credited and named on product information and profiled on the We Make Good Website. All intellectual property will be that of We Make Good, who can produce these designs into the future. This job is an opportunity to create a range that is unique and supports recognition of your design skills and personal brand while also having and important unique social impact.

The products we need designed:

• 4 cushion designs[1]
• 5 or more print designs that can be used in - tea towels / art prints / bags / scarfs / prints etc
• 3 x Christmas decorations (wood laser cut or other medium)
• Input on packaging and labelling of products

We would also like three or more additional products, which could be anything:

• Magnets (screened or wood cut)
• T-shirts
• Leather products
• Bags - screen-printed
• Posters , art prints, postcards
• Placemats, coasters
• Other ideas

Within these ranges there may be three product families which have slightly different tones, we are looking in general for products that appeal to a mass tourist market and so speak to an idea about what Dublin is, and are beautiful. There may also be potential for a range which is more playful and fun.

Person Specification

We are looking for a person who is :

• Versatile in relation to materials and manufacturing processes
• Has experience in graphic, print, and ideally - illustration
• A font of ideas with the ability to execute and work on these until these meet high market standards
• Excited and motivated by the opportunity to be part of an amazing social enterprise
• Able to problem solve and find work arounds
• Able to design for the market place, i.e. has an understanding of pricing
• Highly productive and hard-working, and understands our organisation’s need to maximise this resource to the best effect
• Has a sense of humour and an ability to work to deadlines

How this Role Supports the Strategic Growth of We Make Good

We Make Good is developing a line of products that will allow us to sell products into the Tourist market. We have three museum/gallery shops interested in this offering and are excited about our products being a unique offering within this environment as the only ethically Irish made Irish products on offer. This repeat business will be essential to contributing to the sustainability of the textiles workshop, as well as contributing to earned income for our other producer partners in ceramic, leather and wood workshops.

What you should send us

• CV
• Examples of your work / portfolio
• A cover letter / email with any additional ideas or thoughts on the brief and stating what motivates you about this job 
• send to info@wemakegood.ie

When

Deadline for submission of CVs  - 9^th Sept

Interview for the role – Interviews 13^th Sept, in the afternoon, please keep free

The work needs to take place - Sept – Nov 2019

How much

€5,000 total, paid in two intervals at midway and end points - based on deliverables.

[1] Two of these to use archive images of old Dublin Viking maps from one of the museums