What Are My Options Again?
I’m not doing any commission work at the moment. I have too much other stuff going on, both in the shop and out, to devote the proper time and attention I feel it should receive. But once I get back into the swing of making things for others, one of my first priorities is to write up a semi-formal document that highlights the various options I make available to anyone ordering a box, like wood species, box design, and hardware options.
When I come across something that accomplishes a similar goal and has great visual interest, I take note of it. I’m not sure I’ll do anything this fancy, but I really love what the marketing team for FurnitureUK came up with for their site. It does a fantastic job of helping their customers have a better understanding of the materials used for their furniture. Honestly, a lot of beginning woodworkers might find some of this information useful as well, so I’m including it here.
They have several creative things on their website I really like, such as their Furniture Through The Ages page. Unless my four year old suddenly turns into a programming savant, I’m afraid I won’t have anything that fancy. But it’s fun to look at.
If you sell commissioned pieces, do you already offer information on what choices a potential customer is able to make? If so, what kind of information do you provide? If you don’t have anything like that, you might consider writing something up!