ZELARTS LLC. Brand Expansion

ZELARTS LLC. is a personal brand that holds a special place in my heart. I founded it in June of 2021 and since then have been able to utilize my skills and knowledge from both SJU and beyond to create a wide range of content for my social media pages and provide creative services to clients. As a child, I always dreamed of sharing my art and designs with the world in some way, and ZELARTS is the embodiment of that passion, showcasing my digital art, visual design, and graphic design skills. While I’ve previously sold posters online and collaborated with “Poster Invasion,” I’m now eager to take ZELARTS LLC to the next level and expand my brand by offering a greater range of merchandise (Posters,T-Shirts, Possibly Stickers) and being more consistent with my branding.

I aim to improve my social media presence by creating and posting more content regularly across various platforms, such as Instagram, Tik Tok, and Youtube. Additionally, I plan to launch my merchandise during this semester and increase my revenue. Through this process, my ultimate goal is to establish a consistent online presence and monetize my brand. As of today, I have 870 followers on Instagram 176 followers on Tik Tok and 12 subscribers on Youtube.  I aim to hit the 1000 followers milestone on Instagram and double my followers on other social media platforms by the end of the semester. I’ve already made a few sales of posters, but I’m yet to launch other merchandise. Each I will be creating new artwork and promotional posts using  Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects.  My place of sale for merch will be primarily online via Shopify, with multiple pop-up shops on SJU Campus (Spirit Days and Art Fest ).

 

Target Audience & Intention

My target audience is primarily College Students. I believe that many college students enjoy buying posters to decorate their dorm rooms and stickers of their favorite pop culture icons to personalize their laptops. My secondary audience is high school students, but honestly, the art and design I create can appeal to people of all ages. Art is a universal language, and certain pieces can resonate with anyone, regardless of their background.

 

Prior Experience

I’ve been creating art for most of my life, and for the past 2.5 years, I’ve been doing it under my brand, ZELARTS LLC. I’ve received a lot of positive feedback on my various art pieces, and I feel confident that I know how to create an appealing work of art. While I’ve sold some of my art in the past, I’ve never really pushed myself to sell it to the extent that I’m currently doing. I’m motivated to promote and sell my art because I believe I have a lot of potential, and partnering with Poster Invasion has motivated me to do this expansion. Some of my posters are now being sold in colleges all over the country, and I’ve been able to sell my art to over 150 people. I want to build on that success and expand my sales. Although this will be my first time selling other types of merch, I’ve been fortunate to work with various clothing brands over the past 2.5 years. I’ve created graphics and different artworks for their merch, and one brand, Onyx Apparell, stands out. I designed multiple graphics for the brand’s clothing, and multiple of my designs helped the brand gain over 10k followers and hundreds of sales.

Onyx Apparell Brand

https://www.instagram.com/onyxapparell/

Some of the designs I commissioned 
https://onyxapparell.com/products/oa-white-crop-top-full-zip
https://onyxapparell.com/products/ecnelis-shhh-long-sleeve-12-1

Reflecting My Education

I want this project to showcase all the technical and media knowledge I have acquired during my time here in the Communications and Art departments at Saint Joe’s. This capstone project represents the culmination of my hard work and dedication to learning. Over the past four years, I have taken a variety of courses that have equipped me with the skills I need to succeed. Some of these relevant courses include Commercial Design, Advanced Design, Visual Design, Image Manipulation, Illustration, Typography, and the B. Social Community Course. Each of these classes has provided me with a solid foundation in the principles of design, messaging, and how to evoke emotion through art and design. I have also learned how to leverage social media to promote causes and run campaigns. Thanks to SJU, I have gained real-world experience and industry-standard knowledge that will serve me well specifically with this capstone.

Research

To complete this project successfully, I’ll need to conduct extensive research on similar brands and tap into social media trends. I’ve been watching various YouTube videos to gain insights into how I can market my sales effectively. Additionally, analyzing my posts’ performance will help me identify the best art pieces to release and merchandise to offer.

Obstacles and Resources

One of the main challenges for my project is obtaining adequate funding. I need to secure funding to purchase materials, such as shirts, to sell when the time comes. Additionally, I need to purchase a table to display and sell my artwork. Balancing other classes and responsibilities, I must allocate time to promote my project on social media. If necessary, I may need to print posters in Boland. I’m not sure whether SJU will provide funding for manufacturing costing costs.

Timeline *Subject to Change*

Week 5: Promotion

-2-5 posts on Instagram 
*Promotional Reels/Animitions *
*Artwork Post*
*Announcement Post*

-5 posts on Tik Tok 
*Promotional Animations*
*Promotional Slide Shows of Mockups and Artwork *

Week 6: First T-Shirt Drop(Online) + Added Prints

-Additional Posters of original Artwork will be added to the shop for purchase  

Week 7: Spirit Day (March 1st) Print Pop-Up Shop  Table Setup

-Table Set up with a selection of posters from the collection
-Possibly T-Shirts will be included *Depends on if shirts can be shipped in time* 

Week 8: Promotion

-2-5 posts on Instagram 
*Promotional Reels/Animitions *
*Artwork Post*
*Announcement Post*

-5 posts on Tik Tok 
*Promotional Animations*
*Promotional Slide Shows of Mockups and Artwork *

-Possible Photoshoot with Clothing in Boland Studio 

Week 9: Promotion

*Promotional Reels/Animitions *
*Artwork Post*
*Announcement Post*

-5 posts on Tik Tok 
*Promotional Animations*
*Promotional Slide Shows of Mockups and Artwork *

-Possible Photoshoot with Clothing in Boland Studio  

Week 10: TBA
Week 11: Spirit Day (April 5th) T-Shirts + Print Pop-Up Shop  Table Setup

-Table Set up with a selection of posters and shirts  from the collection

Week 12 or 13: Art Fest T-Shirts + Print Pop-Up Shop  Table Setup

-Table Set up with a selection of posters and shirts  from the collection
*Not sure when is the date *