Designers chime in

[littlekiwi]

what sort of things do you look for in a CT application?

I'd love to get on one CT here at SSD but haven't succeded yet

[littlekiwi]

here is my gallery if you want to make comments about what I do specificallyhttps://www.sweetshoppecommunity.com/gallery/showgallery.php?ppuser=5981

btw ct members/babes feel free to chime in too

[jacinda]

Jennifer, if there's a specific designer you would apply for, I'd take a look at her gallery, and at the style of layouts her team does. If your layouts have a similar feel (e.g. shadow work, cluster style, layering etc), then your chances of getting on the team would increase I would think. If your layouts are not of the standard her team produce, then work on whatever area you need between now and the next application. That's my 2 cents anyway.

[littlekiwi]

I'm mainly thinking Libby, Shawna & Traci (I've just applied for Traci and not got in) and if Janet had a CT her as well

[KateD]

This is a list of things that Traci looks for (from her "no, thanks" e-mail 6 months ago).


√ Stellar photography and/or post processing skills. Layouts can be gorgeously balanced and show off the kit well, but stellar photography is usually what draws the viewer in to click and see the full size.

√ Basic saving for web skills. I know it sounds silly but how you save your layout for the galleries can make or break it. If layouts are blurry/low quality because of how they are saved, it makes them unusable for advertising purposes.

√ Full use of the kit. I realize that there are a ton of scrapbooking styles out there, but I believe that every style has the ability to really showcase a kit, even the most simple styles. Did you often use more than one or two papers? Do you use a wide range of the elements included in a kit?

√ Mastery of basic layout design principles such as balance, flow, relative size.

√ No distortion of elements or photos on a page. Do you hold down Shift when resizing? Making elements bigger than they're supposed to be lowers the quality and detracts from the layout as well.

√ Shadowing: Does the layout use effective shadowing techniques and look realistic? Curly ribbons cast different shadows than papers!

[Jenn Barrette]

That is a great list from Traci. I will add positive attitude, active in community/blog/facebook etc, and a consistently active gallery.

[jessica31876]

Another thing I think designers may look for are the amount of layouts you make (so if you only make one or two layouts a month they might say you would not be able to keep up). I think they also might want someone who is active in the forums/gallery at the store which they sell at (not sure if that makes sense LOL). In other words you might get overlooked if you rarely come onto the forum/gallery. I think another thing that might make a designer overlook someone is whether that person uses their designs without being on their team. So basically if I was a designer I would go to a person's gallery and if I saw a lot of my designs being used to make layouts that would be a plus for me. I of course am not a designer BUT those are things I think would be important to a designer as well as what has already been mentioned above.

[jessica31876]

Jenn I think you just pretty much said what I did LOL only alot more concisely

Originally Posted by Jenn Barrette

That is a great list from Traci. I will add positive attitude, active in community/blog/facebook etc, and a consistently active gallery.

[taracotta7]

I love that list from Traci and Jenn's add on.

Okay, I am speaking from my personal experience and just chatty convos with designers I am friends with......

I will say.........don't apply to everyone just for the sake of getting on a team. You need to be a raving fan of those designers you work for. If you can't be excited about what they do then how are you going to market them? So only apply to those that you LOVE and leave the others alone. It will just distract you from your goal and you might not do your best work with "just okay" digital supplies. It is okay NOT to apply or to turn down an opportunity. The designers want that honesty. They DESERVE that honesty.

Another suggestion.........work hard on improving your skills. Shadows were a big hurdle for me. I had to really take the time to learn them before my pages got noticed. You don't have to be a cluster queen or do a million layers to get noticed either. Just find your style that YOU love and make it look the best possible.

Also, do the work of a CT member. Seriously. Be a great customer, rock LO's with their products, upload to several galleries and share their new releases on twitter, FB, ect. If they see you excited about their stuff and doing the hard work.........they might give you another glance.

And last but not least.......this sounds so cliche' but it is SO true......scrap for you. You need to love your pages. You need to use all the goodies you love. You are the reason you are doing this hobby. Being on a team is just addition to that. Don't ever loose site of what or who you are doing this for. I know that is what EVERYONE says but it is so true. When I finally understood that and really starting loving scrapbooking again.....THAT is when I started getting noticed by some of my designers that I adore.

Jennifer, you will eventually get on a team. Don't let it get you down. Just use this as a stepping stone to improve your skills. Sorry you didn't make the team. I wish you the best of luck in the future.

[littlekiwi]

Thanks everyone for your advice - I did think the fact I scrap sporadically would count against me - I tend to scrap in spurts when I am not studying but could get into the swing of 2-3 layouts a week

[Ginger_79]

Jennifer, I think scrapping in spurts is not automatically excluding you from CTs. Of course they want active scrappers, but many designers also know, that some scrappers do deliever their work regulary when they are on CT gigs and scrap more periodically when not. That's a question of how convincing you explain, that you are able to do that.

I think the main "problem" of your pages regarding CT work is they don't show off much of the kits. While CTs are meant to showcase different things and styles you can do with a kit, they still all need to transport that "vibe" of the kit. When I look at your gallery, I mostly wouldn't be able to tell what kind of a kit has been used. Which is just fine for scrapbooking, but a problem for CT work.

Let me give you an example. I scrap for Lynnette and everyone knows one of her big things is the use of paper blocks. On the team we all do completely different things with her templates. From cartoonish to realistic, cluttered or more clean. Kid photos or landscapes. But if a template clearly features paper blocks as a key element, we only in a few cases delete the paper layers. It would strip the template of a certain characteristic people will likely look for, when they buy from Lynnette.
So if Traci for example has a fun, quirky, element heavy summer kit, you likely won't be able to transport that just using two neutral papers. Even minimalistic scrappers on CTs usually choose at least patterns that will show the theme of the kit.

I hope this rather long post makes some sense.

[littlekiwi]

It sure does Ginger - thanks

[Traci Reed]

Great advice from everyone! That list is what I look for indeed and Tara added to it perfectly, especially the part about "acting like a CT" before you get the job. I notice the girls who share my statuses and updates, products, tag me in posts and stuff on FB and it gives me the warm fuzzies

[Ginger_79]

Originally Posted by Traci Reed

Great advice from everyone! That list is what I look for indeed and Tara added to it perfectly, especially the part about "acting like a CT" before you get the job. I notice the girls who share my statuses and updates, products, tag me in posts and stuff on FB and it gives me the warm fuzzies

Heh, Traci now you probably got yourself some more marketing workers.

[Libby Pritchett]

The other girls have already given some really great advice (and I agree with everything posted so far)! I don't have a whole lot to add, but I'll just say that I don't usually do calls because I hate turning people down. So, when I'm ready to add a new member, I tend to browse the gallery here at SSD and look for people who use my products in a really awesome way. The best way to get noticed is to make sure you're loading your layouts with my stuff in my designer gallery here. I also like to add people who have a positive attitude and who are a part of the community. I prefer to have a variety of styles on my team (I have everything from "paper scrapped" style to clustering to very minimalist... I like a variety!). So, while I do want exceptional pages, the style of the page isn't as important to me as the execution of whatever style you do.

Also, this part is a biggie for me... I REALLY need people who can scrap with all of my products. So, if you only like 1/2 of what I put out or think you'd have trouble scrapping (for example) with really themey stuff, I'd rather know that up front because nothing hurts more than having to let a team member go when things don't work out. I count on my CT to promote my business, so I absolutely need team players who are willing to tackle whatever I throw at them.

Like the other girls have said though, just keep at it! If you're doing pages you love, it'll show to the designers when they're looking for team members!

[Libby Pritchett]

Originally Posted by Traci Reed

Great advice from everyone! That list is what I look for indeed and Tara added to it perfectly, especially the part about "acting like a CT" before you get the job. I notice the girls who share my statuses and updates, products, tag me in posts and stuff on FB and it gives me the warm fuzzies

TOTALLY agree with everything Traci said here.

[Libby Pritchett]

Originally Posted by Ginger_79

I think the main "problem" of your pages regarding CT work is they don't show off much of the kits. While CTs are meant to showcase different things and styles you can do with a kit, they still all need to transport that "vibe" of the kit. When I look at your gallery, I mostly wouldn't be able to tell what kind of a kit has been used. Which is just fine for scrapbooking, but a problem for CT work.

Definitely agree with this, too. While I know that not every single themed kit I release is going to work for all of my team members, I do expect the kit to be shown to its full potential in all sample layouts. It's ok to occasionally do a non-themed page with a themey kit, but even then, I want to really see the kit shine. I use my CT pages as samples in the shoppe and on my blog, so for some customers, this is the only use of this kit that they'll see. It can "make or break" whether they buy the kit. So, I tend to only take on scrappers who really have a knack for showcasing a kit (even if their gallery is filled with mostly other designers' stuff... ) If they can highlight a kit, I take notice.

[Happy Now]

Originally Posted by Libby Pritchett

Definitely agree with this, too. While I know that not every single themed kit I release is going to work for all of my team members, I do expect the kit to be shown to its full potential in all sample layouts. It's ok to occasionally do a non-themed page with a themey kit, but even then, I want to really see the kit shine. I use my CT pages as samples in the shoppe and on my blog, so for some customers, this is the only use of this kit that they'll see. It can "make or break" whether they buy the kit. So, I tend to only take on scrappers who really have a knack for showcasing a kit (even if their gallery is filled with mostly other designers' stuff... ) If they can highlight a kit, I take notice.

Interesting! I actually love it when a scrapper uses a themey kit in a non-themed way -- shows the versatility of the kit, papers, elements and increases the value of the kit in my eyes.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts (and best of luck to Jennifer and everyone with your scrapping goals!)...

[littlekiwi]

Originally Posted by Happy Now

Interesting! I actually love it when a scrapper uses a themey kit in a non-themed way -- shows the versatility of the kit, papers, elements and increases the value of the kit in my eyes.

thats initially what I thought too

[Traci Reed]

There's a lot to be said for scrappers that can take a themed kit and use it in a non-themey way. I think I make even my themed kits very versatile. I just think Libby means that she wants girls that are able to use the kit for its theme too since most scrappers will or won't buy it based on it's theme.

[adrianka]

I think everything people said makes a lot of sense. I just wanted to chime in with my piece of advice... Scrapbooking is a hobby, it should be enjoyed. It's not a competition in skills or a popularity contest and it doesn't stand or fall with CT membership. As long as you enjoy doing the pages and love what you have done, you're a good scrapper. That's what it's all about, IMHO.

I know people want to get on teams, but not being there doesn't mean you're not good scrapper or whatever. I know I'm probably not saying anything new, it's just something that I wanted to mention (and you can believe me, because I'm on no team nor do I want to be, for several reasons).

Of course, if you *really* want to be on a team, do what the girls said while still enjoying your creative work, and you'll be there one day. Good luck. :-)

[Ginger_79]

I didn't exactely mean the theme, but the style of a kit. I realised it might be good to give an example.

This is a very versatile kit from La obviously meant to serve for the thanksgiving season as well.


And here is a layout by Gemma, showcasing it perfectly in my eyes:


Even without the thankful paper strip I coulds instantly tell the feel of the kit. I can tell it has a mix of realistic and doodled elements. I can tell it has soft colours together with a crafty grey shade. I can see it includes one of La's famous journal mats, even if it's not used for journaling here. I also see it has enough variety in the elements like flowers and buttons. And that prominently placed glittering paper rose might just sell the kit to me. It all says feminine, soft with a touch of crafty.

To me as a customer that's what I expect from CT pages. I like the look of a page, go to the shop and find the kit's feel is exactely what I've seen on the layout. Then it's likely I'll buy it. When I see a layout that makes be wanna look at the kit for example because it's so whimsy and then kit is not, I will be slightly disappointed. I will admire the layout, but I wouldn't buy the kit unless it REALLY rocks in another way. It's not because that kit needs to be ugly to me, but mostly because it's not what I came looking for. So I will ignore it.

[adrianka]

Originally Posted by Ginger_79

To me as a customer that's what I expect from CT pages. I like the look of a page, go to the shop and find the kit's feel is exactely what I've seen on the layout. Then it's likely I'll buy it. When I see a layout that makes be wanna look at the kit for example because it's so whimsy and then kit is not, I will be slightly disappointed. I will admire the layout, but I wouldn't buy the kit unless it REALLY rocks in another way. It's not because that kit needs to be ugly to me, but mostly because it's not what I came looking for. So I will ignore it.

Exactly! Being a CT member requires an ability to "sell" the kit, to show what it is all about, the "essence" of it if you want to. That's what I appreciate a lot as a customer (and that I feel I mostly don't do, so if I was a designer, I wouldn't choose myself as a CT member - and this has zero to do with whether my LOs are pretty)... 90% of times I buy a kit based on CT layouts and not on the kit preview, so CT work is very, very important to the designers.

As some people have mentioned, it's also very important to be a real fan of the designer's work, because then you won't have a problem to use most of their kits for CT work and also, it shows a lot in your LOs. I believe that the best advertisement is done for products you yourself are enthusiastic about.

[misfitinmn]

Originally Posted by adrianka

I think everything people said makes a lot of sense. I just wanted to chime in with my piece of advice... Scrapbooking is a hobby, it should be enjoyed. It's not a competition in skills or a popularity contest and it doesn't stand or fall with CT membership. As long as you enjoy doing the pages and love what you have done, you're a good scrapper. That's what it's all about, IMHO.

I know people want to get on teams, but not being there doesn't mean you're not good scrapper or whatever. I know I'm probably not saying anything new, it's just something that I wanted to mention (and you can believe me, because I'm on no team nor do I want to be, for several reasons).

Of course, if you *really* want to be on a team, do what the girls said while still enjoying your creative work, and you'll be there one day. Good luck. :-)

I TOTALLY think this is sooo important - and I admittedly get lost in the "Oh I wanna be on that team soooooo bad" sometimes, or sometimes I just feel like I get lost in the talent and it can feel so good to be noticed, you know? I struggle with this a lot - but then I pull myself out of it and remember that in the end, it's the albums I'm creating for my family that really matter.

Posts like this make me kind of wish I were more involved in the FB/Twitter universe...I mean, I am active at FB but don't have a lot of scrap friends, so sharing some of the things the designers post would be completely lost on my friends list. Which is pretty much the only reason I don't really post pages or anything, I'm afraid it would go unappreciated. I need to start getting better about that.

[KateD]

Originally Posted by misfitinmn

I TOTALLY think this is sooo important - and I admittedly get lost in the "Oh I wanna be on that team soooooo bad" sometimes, or sometimes I just feel like I get lost in the talent and it can feel so good to be noticed, you know? I struggle with this a lot - but then I pull myself out of it and remember that in the end, it's the albums I'm creating for my family that really matter.

Posts like this make me kind of wish I were more involved in the FB/Twitter universe...I mean, I am active at FB but don't have a lot of scrap friends, so sharing some of the things the designers post would be completely lost on my friends list. Which is pretty much the only reason I don't really post pages or anything, I'm afraid it would go unappreciated. I need to start getting better about that.

This.

I don't have many scrappy friends on FB either, so I don't tend to share many of the product/ad kinds of things. When I think of it, I'll post layouts to their fan pages, but I'll admit that I don't think of it very often. What I started doing very recently, though, was pinning some of my layouts on Pinterest. I figure that there are a lot of crafty folks there and everyone who looks at the "crafts" category will see them.

[heathergw]

you can put your scrappy friends in a list... and then only share to that list on FB... tho, I find that even my non-scrappy friends are curious, especially when there's a big sale

[NeverendingJen]

Originally Posted by heathergw

you can put your scrappy friends in a list... and then only share to that list on FB... tho, I find that even my non-scrappy friends are curious, especially when there's a big sale

this, plus I've actually gotten quite a few people interested in scrapping this way, and back when I did S4H on a regular basis it was a great way to get more business.

[ayaandjudah]

Originally Posted by misfitinmn

I TOTALLY think this is sooo important - and I admittedly get lost in the "Oh I wanna be on that team soooooo bad" sometimes, or sometimes I just feel like I get lost in the talent and it can feel so good to be noticed, you know? I struggle with this a lot - but then I pull myself out of it and remember that in the end, it's the albums I'm creating for my family that really matter.

Posts like this make me kind of wish I were more involved in the FB/Twitter universe...I mean, I am active at FB but don't have a lot of scrap friends, so sharing some of the things the designers post would be completely lost on my friends list. Which is pretty much the only reason I don't really post pages or anything, I'm afraid it would go unappreciated. I need to start getting better about that.

first off, I think you're an amazing scrapper, Sara!

Secondly, I agree with so much of this post. <3

[taracotta7]

Yep, I do the same as Heather........when I add some of my digi friends or designers to my facebook I put them in my "digi friends" list. That is where I do most of my advertising. I will say that several of my real life friends are scapbookers (digi or paper), card makers, crafty........I go ahead and add them to my digi friends list also to enable them when there is a great release or sale. And then there are times like the Sweet Shoppe GGG sale that I just send out to ALL of my friends. You never know when there is someone that wants to be new to the hobby.

And I will say...........I love my digi friends. I am so glad I have them on FB. It has really given us a chance to get to know each other better. I know there are the select few that I can count on when needed.

[Libby Pritchett]

Originally Posted by Traci Reed

There's a lot to be said for scrappers that can take a themed kit and use it in a non-themey way. I think I make even my themed kits very versatile. I just think Libby means that she wants girls that are able to use the kit for its theme too since most scrappers will or won't buy it based on it's theme.

Yep, that's exactly what I meant. I am not at all discounting using a themed kit in a non-themed way. Even then though, I still like the kit to "shine" in the sample layouts. Using just the solid colored papers, alpha, and 1 general flower from the kit aren't really showing the kit to its full potential. Ya know? But yes, I do think it's important to be able to use at least some of the themed kits in a themey way because like Traci said, ultimately a lot of scrappers are going to buy the kit based on the theme. So, having killer samples to go with that theme is important.

[KateD]

From a scrapper's perspective, I love seeing a themed kit used in a non-themed way, especially if it's a theme that I'm not likely to want to make a ton of layouts with. I like seeing that the kit is versatile enough to be used many times!

[misfitinmn]

See, I'm just so shy that I feel strange adding people on FB - even if I do recognize names and faces from the forums. I am even this way about people that I KNOW - like old friends from high school. I am always afraid that people are going to forget me or not know who I am and then just think I'm a crazy weirdo. (Which, if we're just being honest, I am pretty weird! )

Anyway, I am kind of derailing this thread, sorry Jennifer!

[SmallMoments]

I've actually recruited a few scrappers to the dark side b/c of the layouts I post on FB!