We were to make a physical copy of our CV’s to accompany our digital ones and to perhaps send to any special employers that catch our eyes.
It’s not often we get the chance to play around with physical design so this is a new challenge. Daniels mentioned a few times how he had once used postal tubes to send out physical CV’s and that this worked well for him, even landing him a job I believe. There are lots of unique ways to deliver a CV but I want to find what works best for me and what I believe will represent me accurately and be eye catching enough to make an impression. I think if I were to do something like a postal tube or design an envelope it might get a little messy, imperfect at least. I am not the most technically skilled when it comes to the physical side of things like arts and crafts. This again could be a good challenge but for now I would like to think of something that feels a little more unique.
I think a good approach would be to identify some unique postal vessels/containers, unsure how to phrase that best. After doing a bit of web research I came across this article which uses a t shirt as the packaging which I thought was really interesting. I think what draws me most to it was the actual fabric of the t shirt as it stands out as a parcel compared to paper/plastic packaging.
Straying from stand out, having a really pleasant looking package might be an alternative route to take with this. I feel this would help convey some talent and skill and maybe add a level of presumed ability to myself for potential employers. In the picture below I really like what they’ve done with the tape to create what could be a little logo mark that you’d have to tear to open, a kind of micro interaction with ones personal brand.
Upon researching I stumbled across a marketing technique known as “lumpy mail”. Lumpy mail is when post isn’t just a flat letter but a parcel. We all receive letters constantly, whether its bills or some kind of promotional material but lumpy mail acts as a hook to get the person more excited about what’s inside as it strays from the ordinary. I do quite like this idea as I know for a fact it would work on me. I think finding a good way to lump out my vessel of choice will help it stand out.
I had the idea to post out a printed QR Code as it feels as though it could feel like a little bit of a mystery for the recipient. I think I would need to design the printed QR Code to assure the person it was safe to scan and to maybe showcase a little personality. I think there’s real value in blending both physical and digital when it comes to my CV. Sending something physical makes it stand out straight away, as it’s not just another file in an inbox. At the same time, most of my work lives online, so including a QR code feels like a simple way to connect the two. It means the CV can stay short and clean while still giving easy access to my portfolio and case studies. This approach makes sense to me because it shows a bit of creativity in presentation without losing the practical side of making my work accessible.
Whilst I like the idea of using a QR Code it feels like it might be straying from the objective a little bit. I would need to find a balance of the two. A unique way to send the QR Code physically. I could send it in the methods that I have mentioned previously such as postal tubes and fancy envelopes but they are speaking to me in the way that the QR code did. I found this poster of a qr code thats in a great big frame and it got me thinking if this could be a good approach to add that physicality. Maybe even sending the printed CV in a frame but that seems like it might be a little be vein.
I think something like this framed poster could work really well and add to that sense of mystery I mentioned before. That being said I would still need packaging for the frame itself.