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Ceramists at Zermatt Keramik

CERAMIST at ZERMATT KERAMIK

A flair for art and design is essential for a career as a ceramics designer. You'll also need a commercial mind to identify what customers find appealing

We are looking for:

  • domestic and commercial tableware and kitchenware
  • garden ceramics like bonsai pots
  • give courses to general public
  • fluent German & English language is compulsory, French basic
  • an attitude for business development and desire to achieve customer satisfaction and quality of service

Responsibilities

As a ceramics designer working for Zermatt Keramik, you'll be responsible for creating designs together with our chefs and customers and may carry out the following activities:

  • interpreting and working to a brief - including the materials to be used, e.g. bone china, porcelain, earthenware or stoneware, and the amount of money available - to design a new collection
  • creating designs, liaising with clients and condusting production to ensure the brief is met
  • deciding on decorative techniques and glazes
  • conducting market research to find out what competitors are producing and how well existing lines are doing.
  • Stock control and profitability of the studio

Often tasks, are likely to include and subjected to agreement and your capabilities::

  • designing and producing one-off objects
  • selecting materials appropriate to the design
  • shaping clay by hand, thrown on a wheel or in a mould
  • loading kilns, glazing, decorating and firing products
  • preparing work for sale and exhibition and marketing activity
  • selling products directly from a studio, market stalls or crafts fairs, online, by mail order or through specialist craft shops and galleries
  • developing clear artistic objectives and a business plan together with the head office
  • attending appropriate courses to learn new techniques and to keep up to date with current trends
  • teaching in further education and running community workshops.

Typical responsibilities(subject to agreement) and your capabilities:

  • networking to connect with buyers and suppliers in their specialist market
  • researching trends, markets and prices by visiting craft exhibitions
  • demonstrating skills at craft fairs and exhibitions
  • photographing designs for a portfolio, for websites and for catalogues to promote our work
  • learning appropriate software skills to develop publicity materials and websites
  • collaborating with other designers in a shared studio, joint exhibition, cooperative, craft guild or artists' organisation
  • entering competitions and applying for funding for the community.

 

Salary

Salary reward will be decided and proposed based upon your experience and how well-established you are, and how actively and skilfully you promote your work.

  • Starting salaries for those in an employed position are starting at 3400 brutto
  • Starting salaries for those in an self-employed position are rewarded hourly

 

Working hours

  • If employed, working hours are usually regular as per Gastro Suiss contract, although you may need to do extra hours to meet deadlines
  • Self-employed designers can find that their hours fluctuate to meet the demand of our studio

 

What to expect

  • You will work from the Zermatt Keramik studio based in Aroleid Kollektiv in Furi or our office in Zermatt.
  • You will be responsible by yourself to commute to and from work although from time to time you can join company vehicle transport if there is one available.
  • Fashion, culture and rapidly changing consumer tastes influence ceramic design. Self-employed designers need to be prepared to adapt their original designs to what the client wants. You may develop a niche market appealing to specialist interests, promoting their work as unique, handmade, high quality and contemporary.
  • Working as ceramics designer can be isolating. At Zermatt Keramik we do our very best to provide work and play balance. Given the fact of our surroundings it is essential you love outdoors and active life of the mountains.
  • Although the industry has suffered significant decline in recent years, working as a ceramics designer for our company give you more job security. Despite current challenging trading conditions, we see good design skills as essential to the future success of our concept.
  • As an in-house designer you're more likely to work in a team, liaising with external suppliers, clients and managers
  • Travel to meet clients and manufacturers or to research, exhibit and sell work at exhibitions, trade and craft fairs is likely from time to time.

 

Qualifications,

Although a career as a ceramics designer is open to graduates of any discipline, in practice, nearly all will have studied an art or design degree such as:

  • applied arts or design
  • ceramics
  • 3D design

 

If your degree is unrelated, studying at Masters level may be an option. While not essential, a postgraduate qualification may be useful to hone practical skills and prepare for professional life of Zermatt Keramik. Search postgraduate courses in ceramics.

For access to information about a range of creative careers, including ceramics design look at Creative Choices. A variety of part-time courses are available in further and adult education institutes, providing the opportunity to develop ceramics skills. We recommend Lehmhus AG in Basel.

Skills,

You'll need to show:

  • creative flair and practical ceramics skills
  • time management and the ability to work to deadlines
  • excellent communication skills
  • organisational ability
  • attention to detail
  • patience
  • photography, computer software and design skills
  • a good understanding of health and safety issues

 

Work experience brief and realisation,

Yourself,

Establishing yourself as a ceramics designer/ceramicist is hard work and competitive. There are, however, opportunities we provide to support your development through our own channels and opportunities through our partner brands and their visibility to further market in Switzerland and abroad. It's vital to document the work professionally, using the skills of a broader spectrum like specialist photography or developing your own photographic skills, to create high-quality portfolios and websites that illustrate different aspects of our work. As ceramics designers have to learn how to run a small business, ceramics degree courses increasingly include basic business skills development. Our company offers business mentoring through out your time with our company.

 

Us as Employer,

We offer a platform in a form of an established fully equipped studio founded in  November 2018 with a portfolio of private and gastro clients in Switzerland and abroad. Studio is currently under supervision of a graduate of Ceramics and arts school in Bern. Zermatt Keramik is a part of greater Aroleid Kollektiv in Zermatt. We offer education to a wider public and fulfil bespoke orders to all our clients.

Professional development

We recognised continuous professional development is essential for ceramics designers.

We would like to share  with trends and markets by:

  • visiting museums and galleries
  • seeing what other professionals are doing at trade exhibitions, e.g. MADE LONDON and Collect - The International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects
  • reading the creative press
  • attending courses and creative workshops
  • joining a membership body
  • networking with other artists at events and through membership forums.
  • marketing and promotion
  • IT and photography
  • applying for grants and bursaries

Career prospects

How your career develops will depend on your specialism. Many aspire to self-employment in the ceramic craft/studios sector and concentrate on design and production of individual styles and products. To help with this, ceramicists often develop a portfolio career, combining self-employment with:

  • arts management
  • community arts work