One of the issues that seems to always come up when discussing the Indie Craft scene is a discussion of quality. It featured prominently at the Crafting a Nation conference, and also in the comments of last week’s Open Letter to the American Craft Council.
And as we debate who does or doesn’t appreciate quality, I realized we’re missing out on the only person that truly matters when it comes to quality – the customer.
I believe that as designers and makers we have a responsibility to provide a quality product for our customers. But here’s the tricky part – not everyone defines quality in the same way. And to further compound the issue, people privilege quality in to different degrees when making a purchasing decision.
Take shopping for a new car. Some people view quality as high-end workmanship and detailing, and will be drawn to a luxury sedan. Some people equate quality with reliability, and they’ll purchase a car that’s dependable and reliable – but maybe doesn’t have all the high-end details. And for some people, quality might be a secondary concern to getting a good deal and they’ll go for a base-model car that fits their budget. (Or for the carmaker offering the biggest sale.)
Each of these definitions of quality is different, yet none of them are inherently wrong. That’s why different carmakers have evolved to meet different peoples’ definitions of quality. And carmakers know this and base their idea of quality on what they believe their customer base wants.
And you should do the same.
Instead of worrying about how other makers perceive quality, it’s time to start thinking about how your customer values quality.
Are they looking for a display of technical virtuosity?
Do they want a product that won’t fall apart at a fair price?
Or are they more interested in uniqueness, and so view wonky stitching as a badge of honor?
When you understand how your ideal customer perceives quality, all those other discussions become secondary. When you make products that perfectly fit the needs of your ideal customer, you’ll have a much easier time marketing your brand and growing your business.
So the next time you find yourself in an argument about quality, ask yourself if you’re thinking about the one person who truly matters – the customer.
If you aren’t, move on. Because in the end, the customer is the only person who truly matters.
Megan Auman is a designer, maker, educator, and entrepreneur who has built a multi-faceted business around her passion for great design and sustainable business. Her 
I have to strongly disagree with this one. “ask yourself if you’re thinking about the one person who truly matters – the customer. If you aren’t, move on. Because in the end, the customer is the only person who truly matters.”
I hardly think there would be any art and creativity at all if our only goal was to please the customer, adapt, even, to the “only person who truly matters”! Of course, making a good product matters, but hell will freeze over before I choose cheaper materials to lower my prices even more, for instance. What matters the most to me is my vision, integrity and creativity, and I find that when I – as a full-time artist, by the way – listen to myself and my own standards, customers follow.
Maria,
I would never suggest lowering your own standards or using a cheaper material just to try and sell more product. Part of understanding your ideal customer is finding someone who values the level of quality and craftsmanship that you provide.
What I think is important is to pay attention to how your ideal customer views quality, rather than getting bogged down in how the craft establish or other makers tell you to think about quality.
Maria, I think the distinction here is *your* customer. If your ideal customer wants a product made from the best materials available, then you would never have to choose cheaper materials to lower the price. It’s about finding your audience, not catering to the lowest common denominator.
I love this! I know my audience isn’t the customers who gasp “$150 for that!” but rather the ones who value the thought, love, and time I put into every piece. I don’t have to lower my prices with cheap materials because that wouldn’t make my customers happy.
Caitlin, I totally agree! In fact, it’s a bit cynical to think that people only want lower prices. There is a whole market (in fact, the people with the fast majority of the money in the world) that is looking for higher quality products, with better materials, more customization, etc… They’re looking to spend more money on higher quality.
I find that artists & crafters too often discount this market as viable!
I read the final point in the article differently than Maria. Sometimes as an artist or crafter you find yourself defending your product and it’s value to other makers not your customer. I think the point to move on is very valid in that context.
I work full time making my jewelry and I take pride in the quality of my work as well as my aesthetic. There is a ton of jewelry like everything else out there for different customers. My ideal customer might be a totally different person than say the customer for a button ring made with glue and an adjustable base metal band. However for me to say that my button ring is of better quality because it is sterling silver and fabricated may not be true for every customer out there. My $55 ring just might not seem worth it compared to the $5 version because that customer is shopping with a different idea of quality in their mind.
I think it is important to stick to your own vision and creativity like Maria said, but I feel I am able to do that in my work whether it is priced at $10 or $500. I created a price point line to stay competitive in a down market but I didn’t sacrifice what I believe my particular customer defines quality as.
Just my opinion.
Thanks, Amanda – that was exactly my point! It’s time we focused on our customers and what they want, not the standards other makers tell us we should have.
If all I made was commissioned work, I might agree with you…., but I don’t (to either).
I gotta agree with Maria on this one…, unless all you care about is the money, you (should) make whatever it is that – deep inside you – makes you create something that gives YOU that satisfaction of YOUR “vision, integrity and creativity”.
It’s what YOU want to make that matters, and if YOU have the integrity to do it well, you’ll take the time and effort to do whatever it takes, to make whatever it is you’re making, the best it can be. With a little guidance (offering your work at the appropriate venue), the “customer” will find you.
I know Artists who have shown their work for years before establishing a customer base. These are people who would never let the market dictate what they should be making just to be financially successful. They don’t do it to fulfill some old myth about being a “starving Artist” either. They do it because they know their work is good, original, innovative, ahead of its time, etc., etc., and they will eventually find success staying true to their ideals.
Isn’t it a great feeling when after you’ve work hard to perfect a line of original work, refined it technically, and have that true sense of pride for what YOU’VE created – that someone comes along and says “Wow, that is sooo beautiful that I simply have to have it (and, there’s no chance that I could ever come close to such perfection myself even if I tried)”?
Most of us don’t get into this business because we have a plan to offer a product to the masses based upon whatever it is that seems to be hot this season. If that were true, based on what I see in the fashion ads, everyone would be making plaid whatever-it-is you make, that wasn’t plaid last year, because plaid wasn’t in last year, because something else was in last year….
We make whatever we make, because there’s an inner force that drives us to make it. The quality comes from within, not from the customer. In theory, if the quality level isn’t up to par, there shouldn’t be any customers (sadly, this is not always the case).
This relates back to several points I’ve already made on the “Open Letter to ACC” thread – such as, “what may be the best you can do, may not come close to the ability of a more seasoned Artist”. In reality, you have two different sets of customers buying from the two different Artists of the two different ability levels, and their decisions for doing so may not have anything to do with the level of quality. They (the customers) may simply be unaware as to any difference in quality between the two and are more focused on price (e.g. Neiman Marcus vs. TJ Max).
I might concede that if a given group of customers are buying from your competition because their quality level is higher aaand, there’s no difference in price – you would then have 2 choices. One would be to lower your price to attract a different customer, or (2) you could take it upon yourself to improve your skills and the quality of your own work to stay more competitive to the same customer base.
The latter would be my choice. What would yours be?
I think this is a really interesting article and a great question. I would say that I think the ideal customer is the one who knows their budget and wants to find the best product that they can afford. They are realistic about what they get for the price they are willing to pay. My background is in architectural design and for me design is about being able to create a design idea to meet the needs and budget of your client/customer. Unfortunately all customers do not have the same budget, but I think even a customer that can only buy at a lower price point can be an ideal customer if they understand your design vision and appreciate that you have made it work for them by providing a product they can afford. And who knows, someday their budget may change and they will be back for more–truly making them the ideal customer! This doesn’t mean using bad materials or lowering your design standards, but instead being very creative about the what you create. At a lower price point, maybe it is less of a “good” thing- less material used, or a more simplified form– but the design clarity should be intact. Sometimes “less is more” and the challenge of having to provide a product that is truly just the very “refined” essence of your original design idea can help provide clarity for future ideas. The most important part is that you have customers that are realistic about their budget and are not trying to get quality design and craftmanship without paying for it!!
Good article I just posted a link to it for other innkeepers to read.
I also said: Good food for fodder for innkeepers. As we often say “sleep in your own beds! Test the quality, the accessibility, the whole stay and see it from the guests pov.” We also have the comeback of “then I have to clean the room again and I am too tired” or is that MY comeback to that?
This morning guests from Glasgow hugged me good bye and said “You have thought of everything! This was spectacular” which really made my day!
So yes, if we are selling something, anything, it is the customer we need to keep in mind, not dictate necessarily, but keep them in mind!
As someone mentioned, I think the important thing isn’t so much defining “quality” as defining “your ideal customer.” Quality CAN be defined somewhat objectively… a technically amazing gold and platinum pendant with rubies is objectively of higher quality (defined by materials, craftsmanship, etc.) than a button-ring with an adjustable band. However, purchasing and style aren’t about objective judgements of quality. They’re about what the customer desires.
As an artist / crafter / maker, I think it makes the most sense to define what I want to make, then within that range think about how to reach the ideal customer who wants to buy what I want to make at a price that makes us both happy. I do completely agree though, that you shouldn’t be made to feel inadequate by watching others who make something “better” – they’re appealing to a different market! That may be something you aspire to later, and it may not. I really like what KAV Designs said about the design being clean within your market.
I agree with Shy Violet and feel that Megan’s point was taken the wrong way. An artist needs to first create what they are passionate about, using materials that allow them to create their vision just the way they want to. Then they need to find the target market that will appreciate it. If, as an artist, you find yourself constantly questioning how to lower your prices or find a “cheaper” way to make something, then it may be that you’re targeting the wrong market for what you truly want to make.
However if you’ve chosen your market first, say 20-something, trendy, working women, and they aren’t buying your items, then you need to look at what that market really wants. If you want to keep or make them your customers then it is their needs and opinions that come first.
I would say that most successful artists start with the first scenario and then occasionally move to the second when developing a new product, line or show.
It’s great when such a simple statement can spark such a conversation.