Education & Consultancy:
5ml offers affordable, quality and reliable services for emerging talent and education establishments. All three directors have an abundance of experience working with students, Mike and Ilsa are qualified schoolteachers, examiners and published academics working with organisations such as the Design Council, DATA AQA and QCA. Ilsa and Tom have lectured and ran design courses in HE and FE throughout the UK for a combined total of 19 years. All three understand the compromises that passionate educators face when trying to satisfy government requirements alongside exposing students to the best possible opportunities to keep them one step ahead and in touch with commercial realities.
As practicing designers ourselves, each with our own companies we also empathise with the financial burden and lack of specialist knowledge placed upon some graduates when attempting to become established independently. We offer 5 services in an attempt to overcome barriers to both designers and educators in striving to refine the work and understanding of talented students and graduates. Having experienced the pitfalls firsthand, we can assist young creators so that they are able to realise their ideas and commercialise their work more affordably, professionally and effectively.
Working in this way, we have already seen a number of prototypes into finished products and then onto larger scale production. We have found buyers internationally, raised the profile of our designers and put them in touch with major buyers such as MOMA and John Lewis as well as widely recognised companies looking to commission new items such as Tate and Jamie Oliver.
Our trade partners (show organisers) have quickly caught onto the design quality and industry popularity of the inventive work that we present and we have been headhunted to participate in more shows than we can currently manage, we work with UKTI to spec out the most widely visited and prestigious shows abroad for future expansion and have partnered with ACID to assist the protection of our designers intellectual property worldwide.
5 ways to design:
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Level 5 –
For emerging and established designers: Test the market! Variable fees and commission
Test the market with your prototype at International Trade and Public events. An affordable opportunity for emerging and established Designers alike to be represented at major events on the International Design calendar and have their work seen by the worlds most important buyers. Membership offer also available, which includes exposure in our catalogue for direct pitching, a profile on the website, discounts on show fees and commission and potential licensing to our sister company “REthinkthings”
COST - £100 to £400 + 10-15% commission on sales generated. email ilsa@5-ml.com
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Level 4 –
For newly graduated designers: Make your product reactive!
1:1 support charged by the hour 1:1 assistance from leading design professionals to support anyone (student, graduate or individual) who is looking to take a product to market. We can advise on product refinement, suppliers, pricing, routes to market and opportunities for further development. Suitable for designers whom have a near sound, production ready, prototype but require support with the finer details before it becomes market ready for retail purposes. We can even help source suitable suppliers for printing, packaging and carriage to suit the products budgetary requirements and advise on business models that may suit the products development.
COST: £35 per hour - email tom@5-ml.com
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Level 3 – For Universities:
Design for the real world! Four half-day professional development sessions
Design for the real world! For any education establishment wishing to set a brief for students relating to a real world context. 5ml staff will offer two days of their time over four half day sessions over any number of weeks to set a brief and write a design specification which will stretch students and push them into addressing areas of their professional development related to realising a design in quantity production. 5ml will brief students in the first session and offer resource points, then assist them to refine their ideas in the second session, pointing them towards places to seek quotation and component parts. In the third session 5ml will expect to see a prototype and will then advise on how to cost it, price it and pitch it so that in the final visit, students have the opportunity to pitch their ideas and potentially come on board with 5ml exhibiting their product in a trade environment in front of serious buyers to launch a business opportunity.
COST: £750 for four half-day sessions - email tom@5-ml.com
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For Universities, Colleges and Schools: Inject life into your idea! 2-day workshops to give a flavour for becoming an independent designer
2 day workshops for students aspiring to become independent freelancers or wishing to set up their own businesses. Aimed at students in their second year of study, 5ml can offer insight into the real world of being a designer and the skills needed to succeed. Students will have the opportunity to see and hear real life case studies and talk to practising designers about their experiences. 5ml then offer tutorial sessions to small groups in the second day to assist students to develop a design through to concept stage and then consider areas of development which may not easily covered by design based programs of study such as supply, costing, planning, pricing, marketing, target groups logistics, PR and production.
COST: £750 - email tom@5-ml.com
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For schools and colleges: Feed that seed! 2-day workshops for schools or colleges
For school pupils and post 16 college students who have an interest in the creative subjects but often under perform in Science, Maths and English. 5ml are on a mission to assist at the early stages of career choice to show young people aspiring towards a career in art and design, the equal value in the core subjects in becoming a successful creative. As design professionals each with our own businesses, 5ml are offering 2 day workshops for schools and colleges which bring together selected students with creative practitioners to discover the fun in design and think about what an important and rewarding career it can be.
COST: £750 for two days - email tom@5-ml.com
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