Starting a Merch Revenue Stream
April 22 at 1:30pm
A beginner’s workshop for nonprofit organizations, small businesses, and publishers who have been thinking about diversifying their organization’s revenue streams or who are curious about developing merch product lines but don’t know where to start.
Designer and illustrator Samantha Wood-Gaines and Austin Stanley of Print Hole will lead this beginner’s workshop to:
explore your organization’s mission and brand
help identify what designs and products might be aligned with and can help amplify your brand
brainstorm and sketch out early ideas
discuss first steps to design, development, production, and pricing
You will leave the workshop with a better idea if merchandising is right for your organization and some design concepts and production tips to get you started on the path to developing a product line (or two or three!) to boost your revenue, brand, and mission.
Workshop Leads:
Samantha Wood-Gaines
A true artist at heart, Samantha Wood-Gaines is a working illustrator, graphic designer and muralist. She left university after writing countless sociology essays and decided to pivot and focus on her art. She bought a pro tablet and never looked back. Booking friends to create for their small businesses, word of mouth travelled and turned her 2019 business, SW Creations, into something that would carry her through COVID and beyond.
She’s now a mother of a toddler, and balances chasing her dreams while focusing on family. The majority of her illustrative work reflects a mix of whimsy and political statements such as her “more justice more peace” statement work. Samanthat always has a fun time collaborating on personal branding projects and she uses her research skills to get down to what makes your brand you.
Austin Stanley
Austin Stanley is a screen printer, illustrator, and owner of the print studio Print Hole, based in downtown Victoria. Drawing inspiration from Japanese ukiyo-e and Eurocentric folk art traditions, his work is defined by large-scale, densely detailed, and highly impactful graphic compositions.
His practice centers on creating bold visual work designed for print—balancing intricate illustration with strong readability across apparel and merchandise. Austin’s work has received international recognition through juried exhibitions and illustration awards, reflecting his ability to merge fine art influence with commercially driven design.