This book serves as a Senior Capstone Project dedicated to putting into practice everything I have learned as a Social Strategy and Management major at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Twenty weeks went into creating Dead Petals and curating this book to be the best that it can be. Thank you to Oscar Betancur for mentoring me throughout this process.

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA 2022

Introduction Executive Summary Behind the name Inspiration

7 8 9

Research Secondary Research Primary Research Consumer Research

The Playbook

12 24 26

Product The Big Picture Learning Curves Final Process Finished Pieces

33 34 36 38

Marketing Crowd Funding Social Media Website Analytics

42 44 46 48

Final Takeaways Summary About the Author Bibliography

52 54 55

Introduction

Executive Summary Jewelry is often a go-to for those who want to make a statement with their attire; however, many brands tend to copy and paste their designs. Dead Petals consists of affordable, handmade, flash tattooinspired jewelry for those who love to go against the pack. The designs are created to make YOU feel special and unique, just like you already are!

Introduction | 6

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I’ve been waiting for the day that I get to bring one of these random ideas to life, and now I finally have! Dead Petals fits the jewelry niche and tattoos pretty well (and it rhymes with death metal, which is pretty cool too).

Introduction | 8

Behind the Name

The name Dead Petals came from a compiled list of almost 150 random band, album, and brand names I’ve thought of over the years. Most of them originated during conversations about who-knowswhat and me saying, “wait, that’s good! I’m gonna add that to the list!”

Inspiration I believe beauty is in all bodies, minds, cultures, and artistic expression, and one of the most extraordinary combinations of these is tattoos! This belief inspired me to create Dead Petals, a unique tattooinspired jewelry shop!

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Research

Industry Trends

When it comes to jewelry and accessories, gender-fluid studs, chains, mixed media, and hard-edged aesthetics are on the rise with Gen Z.

Hey Stud

Utility Chic

Studs are back! The punk aesthetic may be mainstream, now but a surge in innovative gemstone use showcases studs in a new light.

“Utility chic” sees two styles: utilitarian items with a jewelry-inspired spin on them, and functional items that no longer serve their original intended role and are purely decorative.

Cute Goth

Tattoo Talk

Bold colors, skater aesthetics, cartoon icons, and bondage-inspired jewelry summarizes the look dubbed “cute goth.”

Traditional tattoo art from skulls, anchors, hearts, thorns, and swords are challenging the ordinary and influencing design.

Secondary Research | 12

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Industry Trends

Tattoos are gaining acceptance in mainstream society, and people aren’t afraid to get unique tattoos in visible places now.

Colorful Palms

Knive Frames

Painted Skulls

Red Ink

This location is very tricky, but it’s a big new trend for those who are brave enough to try it.

These knives act as frames for other designs of varying styles and subject matters.

Skull tattoos are one of the most popular tattoo designs, but the painted look has been on the rise.

Red ink tattoos are unique, elegant, and, some might even say, bold.

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Market Research Etsy Etsy has three core sections: handmade, vintage, and supplies, but almost 90% of sellers are represented in the handmade segment. The most popular categories among handmade Etsy sellers are home & living, art & collectibles, and jewelry. In 2020, Etsy’s annual gross merchandise sales volume amounted to $10.28 billion.

Operations As of 2020, there were 19,300 operating jewelry stores in the US. Though Tiffany & Co. is arguably the biggest name in the world of jewelry, Signet Jewelers led the way with over $5 billion in sales in 2020.

2018 $791.06 Billion Spent

2019 $775.59 Billion Spent

2020 $775.59 Billion Spent

US Jewelry Market The US is the fifth leading jewelry export worldwide in 2020, with a value of $5.3 billion. US jewelry stores industry ad spend in 2020: $1713.82 million.

Secondary Research | 16

*Findings based on a survey of advertising spending in the US jewelry stores industry in 2019 and 2020.

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October Darlings Original Digital Vector Artwork in Handmade 3D Printed Earring Form Sales: 1,174 Designs for sale: 84

Full Circle Gift Handmade earrings and unique charms Sales: 69,260 Designs for sale: 1,017

Iamsonotcool

Quirky wood jewelry for awesome people Sales: 18,252 Designs for sale: 504

Bespoke Danglers

Competitor Audit Etsy is one of the top sites to sell handmade jewelry, especially for the weirdest of the weird. Here are some sellers within a similar niche.

Secondary Research | 18

Bespoke, fun, funky, and original dangle earrings Sales: 14,619 Designs for sale: 294

EndearingEarringsCo Earrings for everybody Sales: 676 Designs for sale: 36

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Surveying What type of jewelry do you like to wear?

Why do you enjoy wearing jewelry? “It elevates every outfit. Even if I’m in gym clothes, a chain and earring make it look like it was intentional.” “Some of my pieces are sentimental and others express my mood.” “Cultural significance.” “It feels like a second skin, a lot of personal pieces, and it just overall looks good” “I think it’s pretty, my jewelry mostly consists of ear plugs for my stretched ears though!” “Self expression” “Honestly I dont know. I have always just done it and like unusual pieces.”

How often do you wear jewelry?

*Findings based on an online survey of 108 people.

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Do you have any tattoos?

Would you purchase jewelry inspired by tattoos?

Do you find tattoos on yourself and/or other people to be cool or attractive?

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Interview

Key Takeaways

I invited handmade Esty jeweler October Darlings (Elena) for an online interview to discuss her brand, process, and what inspired her to start her business! She gave me some incredible insights into what it’s like to create a brand from scratch– from the initial learning curve to getting her first sale. Here are some points that stood out to me:

Running an Etsy shop is a business and not just a side hobby. There was a decent learning curve in finalizing the style of her earrings and what material is best. People appreciate the details when it comes to shipping. Sending extra goodies, such as stickers and themed packaging, showcases your gratitude for their support. Inspiration can be found EVERYWHERE: from books to art to tattoos and movies.

Primary Research | 24

Based on my survey results, I concluded that a fair amount of individuals would be interested in tattoo-inspired jewelry. It is a unique proposal that many other brands have not done, and people were excited to see more!

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Consumer Research Target Demographics All genders and nationalities, aged 18-30

Primary Audience People who love to express themselves through unique body art.

Alex Lesulie Secondary Audience People who love tattoos and body art but are hesitant to commit.

Tertiary Audience Online journalists and bloggers who share trends and new products.

Consumer Research | 26

Primary Audience

Interests

Personality

Punk rock Skating Tattoos Jewelry

Ambitious Creative Outgoing Independent

Main Goal

Pain Point

To find jewelry that is new and different and fits her aesthetic.

Gets bored easily and feels like brands are getting static.

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JJ Lucas

Angelo Lehman

Secondary Audience

Teriary Audience

Interests

Personality

Interests

Personality

Art Jewelry/Piercings Yoga Travelling

Adventurous Freethinking Passionate Caring

Art Writing Running Fashion

Empathetic Charismatic Curious Intelligent

Main Goal

Pain Point

Main Goal

Pain Point

To embrace her interests without them being permanent.

Loves body art but is afraid of the commitment and potentially regretting it.

To find products and trends to showcase on his blog.

Often has writers block and has been looking to start a new project.

Consumer Research | 28

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vvvv

Product

The Big Picture Dead Petals is an online jewelry shop dedicated to inspiring customers through a unique combination of interests, creativity, and authenticity! We emphasize fearlessness towards being yourself.

Product | 32

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Learning Curves Jewelry Evolution

There was a lot of trial and error when printing the designs. First, I had to learn Blender (an entirely new software), build a 3D printer, and then convert it to a printable file. The initial print was stringy, too thin, and the nozzle would drag the piece around while printing. I solved this by leveling the bed, changing the

Product | 34

pried it off with a metal spatula (cutting many fingers in the process).

This dried perfectly. No discoloration, no wet ink, no smears.

Finally, I learned a fantastic trick: print on wax paper!

After gluing it on the 3D piece, I realized it needed to be varnished. Initially, I tried a matte spray, but it stripped the design of most of its color. Finally, the glossy spray did the trick!

Now that I settled the 3D printing, I needed to find the right paper. I tried transparent acrylic sheets, matte sticker paper, vinyl sheets, and more. But, unfortunately, the printer ink would not dry correctly on any of them... until I discovered inkjet matte photo paper.

The finishing touch was to add the jewelry bits, which was easy breezy.

bed temperature, and printing a plethora of pieces until I got my desired depth. From there, I made adjustments to the design to make it more comfortable to wear. Then the prints began adhering to the bed in a way that felt impossible to get off. I raised the bed to 200° F and

In Memoriam 35

Final Process Design

3d Print

Product designs are created fully in Adobe Illustrator. These outlines are vector graphics, filled in with a digital stipple brush.

The design is printed on a Creality Ender 3 3D Printer. Designs typically don’t take more than 2025 minutes to print, (this one took about 10)!

3d Model

Design Print

The design is exported as an .svg file and imported into Blender to create a 3D model. Each design is 1.5mm in thickness.

The vector design is printed on matte photo paper and glued to the 3D print, making sure to leave an opening for a jump ring.

Product | 36

Slicer

Jewelry

The model is exported as an .stl and imported into Ultimaker Cura, which converts it into printing instructions for the 3D printer and makes a .gcode file.

To finalize the jewelry, I spray the piece with a glossy varnish and then attach two jump rings and a fishhook earring. Now they’re ready to wear!

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Finished Pieces Peace Hands Grim Apple Peek-A-Boo Kittens

Ghost

Candy Lips

Product | 38

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Marketing

Crowd Funding GoFundMe The first and necessary step in marketing Dead Petals was crowdfunding. I needed funds to bring the jewelry to life and promote social media posts.

I came up with the $1,000 goal by asking my peers and professor what we thought was reasonable.

I used my personal Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat to get the word out, and I raised $500!

Since I bought a 3D paper and lots of trial and error paper, these donations were extremely helpful. See below for a breakdown of how I used the donations.

$581.39

Total

Marketing | 42

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Social Media Instagram Since Dead Petals sales are entirely online, the primary marketing tactics are also. Instagram is the central platform used, as that’s where most of the target audience is. You can find the brand at @deadpetalsjewelry.

shot in sunlight and included a bit of red so they would look consistent. I took all of the product shots on a white background with lighting directly above the product.

There are three primary forms of content that are pushed out: models wearing the earrings, product shots, and behind the scenes. I shot all of the content on iPhone, and every piece of content with a model was

Marketing | 44

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Website I created a tab for Dead Petals on my personal website and linked the Instagram and promoted posts to it. It can be found at paytonheyman.com/deadpetals. However, the point of the website wasn’t to make actual sales or a profit; I was interested in website traffic and surveying those who visited. When users click the link, they’re instantly met with transparency. I take the time to explain the project and let visitors know that the jewelry is not available for purchase, but I thank them for their support. Initially, I was considering publishing a website solely dedicated to Dead Petals. However, I felt like listing all of the “products” was misleading, and it would be harder to be upfront about the brand’s purpose. Once the project is wrapped up, the website tab will be reworked as a portfolio piece, rather than how it is set up now as a replacement for the shop link.

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Analytics

I found that there was a dramatic difference between sponsored posts and regular posts. This includes not only overall engagement and reach, but a drastic increase in website taps, which is the main metric I am interested in. The highest performing post featured the hand earrings, with 25 website taps and 29 profile visits. It focused solely on the product, rather than fundraising or photos with models.

Marketing | 48

This was somewhat of a surprise to me, as I expected the modeling photo to be more successful, especially since I spent the same amount of money on promoting each of the two posts. There were no website clicks on any of the non-promoted posts. This proved my presumption that boosting the content would be instrumental in increasing results and brand awareness.

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Final Takeaways

Summary Dead Petals was truly a passion project for me and not just a final capstone for school. I took this initiative with full intentions to put my heart into it and build the brand in its entirety. I hope to put the earrings up for sale online soon so others can share my passion and wear these designs too! I already wear my earrings almost every day, and it excites me so much to think that people who love tattoos can sport them too.

A few other steps are being finalized by April 2022, including a 3D shop design, app design, and a multichannel marketing campaign. You can view them, along with a summarized version of the book, at paytonheyman.com/ dead-petals.

Before putting them up for sale, I want to make necklaces and different size options for the earrings.

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About the Author My name is Payton Heyman, a current Social Strategy and Management student graduating from SCAD in June 2022. Since I was a little girl, I’ve been drawn to all things, art, design, fashion, and more. When I was only five years old, I started taking art classes and haven’t stopped since. Flash forward to now, my passions have transformed into a deep love for social media, digital art, and nontraditional aesthetics!

I grew up right outside of Richmond, Virginia. After having a desire to live somewhere new and exciting for so long, I decided to move eight hours away for college. Along with social media, I am passionate about health and fitness. I‘m a 200 hour certified yoga teacher after completing my training at Savannah Yoga Center in July 2020.

Bibliography • “Hey, Stud!” Adorn Insight, https://www.adorninsight.com/insight/cat__insight/ atcl_game_on_2/. • “Street Style.” Adorn Insight, https://0-www-adorninsight-com.library.scad.edu/ subscriber_reports/street_style_gallery/. • “Cute Goth.” Adorn Insight, https://0-www-adorninsight-com.library.scad.edu/ subscriber_reports/style_alerts/cat_street_style/atcl_cute_goth/. • “Utility Chic.” Adorn Insight, https://0-www-adorninsight-com.library.scad.edu/ subscriber_reports/trend_flash/cat__trend_flash/atcl_utility_chic/. • “Tattoo Talk.” Adorn Insight, https://0-www-adorninsight-com.library.scad.edu/ subscriber_reports/trend_flash/cat__trend_flash/tattoo_talk/. • “15 Tattoo Trends to Try in 2020.” Inked Mag, https://www.inkedmag.com/originalnews/tattootrends2021. • Shaulova, Esther, and Lodovica Biagi. “Jewelry Market in the U.S.” Statista, https:// es.statista.com/study/68962/jewelry-market-in-the-us/. • “Jewelry Market US - statistics and facts.” Statista, https://es.statista.com/ topics/5841/jewelry-market-in-the-united-states/#dossierKeyfigures

Website paytonheyman.com

Email [email protected]

• Pasquali, Marina. “Etsy: Number of Active Sellers 2020.” Statista, 7 July 2021, https:// www.statista.com/statistics/409374/etsy-active-sellers/. • “Top 10 Factors Influencing Marketing.” Your Article Library, 19 Mar. 2016, https:// www.yourarticlelibrary.com/marketing/top-10-factors-influencing-marketing/74060. • “Advertising spending in the jewelry stores industry in the United States from 2018 to 2020.” Statista, https://es.statista.com/statistics/470623/jewelry-stores-industryad-spend-usa/ • “Subculture Power.” Statista, https://0-www-adorninsight-com.library.scad.edu/ subscriber_reports/market_intelligence/cat__market_intelligence/cat__marketing/ atcl_betty_the_relevance_of_sub_culture/. • “Fine Punk.” Statista, https://0-www-adorninsight-com.library.scad.edu/subscriber_ reports/trend_flash/cat__trend_flash/fine_punk/.

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Payton Heyman 2022