Behind the Scenes of the Bird's Tail Design Process
“I can design and create all I want, but it doesn’t mean as much until I see someone living in something I created. That’s powerful. That's beautiful.” — KB
As consumers, we often don’t think about how an individual item was made. We don’t think about how many steps and how much work went into producing the item and getting it into the hands of the consumer.
At Bird’s Tail, we love being transparent and open with you about our products. We share where we source our materials. We like to think it’s important for you to know that each piece of jewelry you purchase from us has been handmade with great care and love. So, we thought it would be fun to share our start-to-finish process with you!
Phase One: Brainstorming
In this phase, I begin researching trends. I look at our current collections - what are we missing? What have our customers been asking for? Here’s where we ask you, our customers, what you want to see in a new collection. We brainstorm what would compliment and fit well with our current pieces. You, as the customer, are always our primary focus. We ask ourselves, what is her life like - where is she going? What is she doing? How can we make her life less complicated? What would make her feel beautiful?
Phase two: sketching
Once we’ve brainstormed some ideas, I start sketching out designs (currently in this beautiful leather-bound book!). This step involves hardcopy paper and pencil in hand. Admittedly, I’m not a great drawer, but this is still my favorite part. I love the feel of the pages, the pencil in my hand, the smell of the leather. This is truly the good stuff - and it feels SO good to get all of my ideas out of my head and onto the page!
Phase three: Creating
After sketching, I work with raw materials to hammer and fuse different shapes together. In the design phase, I’m trying to bring the sketch to life. As I work with the materials, I am continually editing, revising, rethinking, and inevitably, new designs emerge at this point. Sometimes the end product is actually totally different than the drawing. And sometimes I have to let go of the idea altogether because it just doesn’t come to life the way I had hoped it would.
Phase four: Editing and Testing
In this phase, I make samples of the pieces and then wear them in my real life to see how they move and feel. Since I'm an active mom, I want to make sure that the pieces I make and sell are realistic and can move with me as my day goes on. I want to see if the piece can transition with my life transitions from the office or a playdate to a date night or wherever else! I often even have my friends and family members product test the pieces, too.
I am also thinking about pricing at this stage. It’s crucial to me that we offer unique and high-quality pieces, but also remain reasonably priced. I used to work in a high-end jewelry store and could rarely afford the pieces I was selling - which is one of the main reasons I started Bird's Tail. I want to create jewelry that looks and feels expensive without the high price tag. Sometimes I make a piece and I think the price point is too high, so I'll often table that design and rethink on it another day or even for another season.
Phase five: Photography
After we have carefully edited and curated our collection, it's time to get some photos! Photography is an important step that takes time and careful planning; and it's a huge investment, which can be really scary for a smallish brand like us. But, the photos are how the majority of consumers are going to see the products (especially now!), so they need to be beautiful and capture the true essence of the pieces. And our photo shoots are SO much fun!
We do two photography sessions per new launch:
1. Product Shoot: this is when we hire a photographer to get flat-lay photos of the pieces for the website and promotional materials. It's these photos that really capture the details of each piece.
2. Lifestyle Shoot: this is when we get to showcase the pieces on real women. Here we need to think about clothing, setting/location, hair, makeup, props, and our vision for the collection.
Phase Six: website design
Phase seven: marketing and selling (finally!)
At this point, we are exhausted but so ready to share our pieces with the world! Now we get to announce our new collections on social media, via our email list and blog. The marketing phase is always so exhilarating for us. This is the most exciting phase because it’s finally time to get our jewelry into your hands.
In this final phase, we are contacting stores to partner with on sales and working in-person (hopefully!) at market events.
And, while the marketing and selling phase is exciting, it’s also nerve-wracking. What if a designs flops? What if we can't reach enough people - get enough eyeballs on our pieces?
These final steps are a culmination of all the hard work that went into creating each piece. Seeing the jewelry we made on people out at a coffee shop or the grocery store is truly the BEST part! That’s what motivates me and brings me true joy.
I can design and create all I want, but it doesn’t mean as much until I see someone living in something I created. That’s powerful. That's beautiful.
Thank you for all of your support! I am deeply grateful.
And stay tuned! We will be announcing the launch of our New Releases soon!