I attended a really interesting lecture and exhibition this past week: Beneath the Surface: Poster Exhibition from Iran at Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts. It’s a collection of Iranian posters curated by Nahid Tootoonchi, Townson University. AIGA has an excellent article about it.
Tootoonchi, Iranian herself, felt that her purpose in doing this exhibit was to open up an opportunity for Westerners to be exposed to Iranian design. In fact, each piece in the show is from her personal collection. She visited each of the artists in their studios and discussed their design with them. I found this to be really cool and very much appreciate her efforts.
During the talk, she gave a quick and dirty run-down on Farsi because typography is a major element within Iranian poster design. As a monolingual designer, this aspect of the presentation was especially interesting. The Farsi was beautiful. Hard edges are non-existent and each element flowed seamlessly into the next.
Many of the designers used English and Farsi simultaneously within the designs since the posters were often internationally displayed. Seeing the two juxtaposed side by side created an appealing tension between the hard, straight edges of English and rounded, graceful strokes of Farsi.
Another element that caught my eye was the lack of imagery. I’m not that familiar with Muslim but learned that the use of human imagery is frowned upon because it could be considered worship of a deity. If imagery was used, it was obscured in some way which gave way to an air of mystical mystery.
There were movie posters in the mix and it was odd but refreshing to see them done without pictures of people. It seemed that the boundaries of creativity were pushed due to this restriction and the intelligence of the viewer stimulated.
The styles spanned the spectrum from graffiti looking to folky. Whatever the style each piece was a learning experience in itself. It was like getting a little sneak peak into Iranian culture. Makes you wonder what tidbits people around the world get from our posters.
The exhibit is fantastic and I highly recommend you attend. Here are the designers that are highlighted:
Whatever your passion, talent, dreams—everyone needs that special someone to look up to. Well gals and guys, my pizza pie in the sky is Chip Kidd. I fell in love with his design when I worked at Borders Books. Being a creative, I of course definitely judged a book by it’s cover. Rows and rows of lovely books surrounded me everyday and I would walk up and down the aisles running my fingers over the spines taking-in that oh-so-exhilarating dusty aroma. Time and time again, I’d pull a book of the shelf and fall in love with the cover. Almost every time I flipped it over to see who designed that cool jacket, it was the Kidd.
Naturally I became obsessed with him and tried to find out everything that I could. I mean look at the guy. He’s talented, he’s stylish, he’s really sexy in that cool geeky kind of way—what’s not to adore?
For a long time I wanted to follow in his footsteps and design book jackets. Well, I still do but it’s not my only goal in life now. I’ve been able to expand my horizons a bit but nothing is sweeter than that first electric spark that makes the hair on your arms stand-up and send shivers down your spine. That’s what Kidd’s covers did for me. It got me excited. It got me motivated. It made me want to be a designer. It was about the same jolt that I got from Cyndi Lauper’sShe’s So Unusual album sheath. It was my first vinyl, my first glimpse of van Gogh and my gateway into the world of fine arts. Thanks Cyndi, time after time girls do just wanna have fun.
Kidd is prolific. Not only does he do covers, he’s also a writer, speaker, comic book connoisseur and all around modest guy. I’ve met him a couple of times. Once for a signing for his first novel, Cheese Monkeys which I did read and enjoy. It’s a coming of age story about what else but a budding Graphic Designer. I read it while I was still in school so it was one of those special reads that hits home. It did leave me questioning though—what the hell is a cheese monkey?!
The second time was just to go drool at him. He was moderating a discussion with a graphic novelist that I can’t for the life of me remember. I was too busy imagining Chip as my husband to pay attention. I know it’s pathetic, shut-up.
His newer novel, The Learners the sequel to Cheese Monkeys, came out in 2008. I unfortunately haven’t picked it up yet. Since I don’t work in the bookstore anymore it seems to be a major feat to actually go buy books. Your guess is as good as mine on why that is. I just might go pick it up today though after seeing this awesome video. Yes, I admit it. I’m turned on by the typography and layout of this book. What can I say?
Some chips off the Kidd block for your pleasure (and mine):
This cover really makes me thirsty which is appropriate since it’s about Burroughs journey to alcoholic recovery. You would think that it’d be a given that the cover reflect what’s inside it’s pages. Well, that doesn’t always happen so it adds to the experience when it does. I asked Kidd at one of his signings if he was able to read all of the books before designing the covers. Turns out that reading the book before designing the cover isn’t done often. Makes you wonder what kind of voodoo magic these designers are practicing when they hit the nail on the head with a cover without reading the book.
This cover gives off a deeply mysterious feeling. It’s mystical, allusive, engaging and intriguing. It really makes you just want to crack it open to see what magical world is between the pages. Tartt’s story is just as enigmatic.
Who could forget the iconic cover for The Lost World? I don’t know how well Crichton wrote it but the movies were bangin’. Kidd’s cover design was admired enough that they carried over the visual language that he created for all of the movie paraphernalia. So simple. So cool.
I could go on and on about all of the cover designs that float my boat and I could especially gush a lot more about Chip (yeah, we’re on a first name basis—he might not know it but we are). I want to hear from you. Book cover design is often under rated and taken for granted so throw out some props for your favorites. I’m looking forward to seeing them but I can’t promise that I won’t judge it by its cover!
I’ve recently came to the realization that the process of building one’s brand is freakishly similar to going through puberty. At least that’s how I feel about the ups, downs and crazy rounds that I’ve experienced in my almost 4 years as theLULAdesigns. When I first took the plunge to live my dream of running my own business, I knew that I wanted to design but that’s pretty much all that I knew. I didn’t have a brand dream team backing me up so I took what I knew and launched my brand.
Over these few short years, theLULAdesigns has gone through brand puberty. With every project my experience expanded and with every client my pitch became increasingly honed. My confidence built and I grew more and more into who I needed to be. So now almost 4 years and a few redesigns later, I feel like theLULAdesigns is leaving its prepubsent form and heading full force into puberty.
With a new year came new positioning for me. In actuality, it isn’t new positioning per say. Really, it’s the realization and clarification of what my positioning has been and should be.
Taking a look back at my clients, projects, and what got and gets me jazzed, it turns out that I’m a bleeding heart, tree hugging humanitarian activist. I swing left—way left, which brings me to my positioning: people, planet, profit. I’m borrowing buzz words from the triple bottom line phenomenon but when I dig deep that’s truly what I’m all about. It’s always what I’ve been about and will be about.
It just makes sense. I’m doing what I love while simultaneously giving back and standing up for the causes that I believe in. I’m theLULAdesigns and I’m justified left. Which way do you justify?
The art of guerrilla marketing is a tricky one. If done well it can catch like wild fire and bring more exposure to a brand than any big money campaign could. It’s hard to do well but definitely memorable when success is achieved. Here are some of my faves:
Guerrilla marketing isn’t only effective with making a buck. It can give exposure to a cause. It can also elevate the “good” factor of a brand like these tactics by The Fun Theory, an initiative of Volkswagen, to raise social and environmental awareness.
When you really think about it, the best and most memorable marketing initiatives go out on a limb and are full of creative energy. Another awesome guerrilla marketing montage for your viewing pleasure:
For a freelance designer without a Fortune 500 marketing budget, self promotion can be taxing at the least. These campaigns inspire me to think outside of the box with my marketing and flex my creative muscles. Get guerrilla and have fun.
Feel free to let me in on your guerrilla faves. Inspire me!
Next to having actual talent and skills, the ability to successfully business network is crucial to an entrepreneur’s survival. I have found that this is much easier said than done. Some people have it innately within them to smoothly make contact with others no matter the social situation. I’m certainly not one of those people. Don’t get me wrong. I consider myself to be pretty outgoing but when it comes to networking I find myself at a loss. The art of small talk is lost on me which often brings me to the question of why it’s so hard. It’s not like I’m a hermit who doesn’t see the light of day. I have tons of friends. I go out all of the time. I even meet new people and strike up conversations. So why is it so hard when it comes to business networking?
I posed this question to my circle of people and got mixed reviews. Miki, my mother-in-law who happens to be a networking goddess, surprisingly said that it is extremely hard for her. She had to work at her networking skills extensively. The act of networking is definitely not natural for her but she’s good at it, really good at it. This gives me hope for myself.
Then there’s Q, a fellow graduate and graphic designer, who could be dropped in a foreign city and be friends with everyone by the time of her leave. For her, it’s innate. She’s one of the rare breed that just has it. I remember seeing her work a room when we were students together during those awkward events fashioned to help you learn networking. It was like watching the Discovery channel. This graceful creature prowled with stealth from one person to the next creating opportunities with her interactions every step of the way.
Whether innate or not, everyone no matter your trade needs to perfect the art of networking. So here are a few tips that I’ve compiled from my networking deities to help you along the way:
Practice the small talk. You can do it anywhere with anyone. In an elevator, in line at the grocery store, it really doesn’t matter. Just practice striking up short conversations with total strangers to force yourself to become more comfortable talking to random people.
Mind your P’s and Q’s. Business networking although social isn’t a night out on the town with your best buds. There’s a certain amount of etiquette involved so be sure to brush up on the do’s and don’ts. Here’s a few resources with quick tips that I found helpful:
Be authentic. Don’t try to be something that your not. People can see the lack of authenticity and it is a total turn off. Be genuine and authentic in your interactions. Know who you are, what you do and how to explain it within 5-10 seconds without sounding like a robot.
Be interested. Make sure to ask people about themselves. It’s human nature to talk about ourselves but try to abstain and keep the conversation flowing by asking questions about the other person instead of talking about yourself.
Be aware. Networking can happen with anyone anywhere. Be aware of opportunities to network. You never know who someone knows. That person might know your next client or better yet, your next five clients.
Relax. Try not to get hung up on the logistics of networking. All-in-all networking is just meeting someone new. You won’t be graded on your performance. Try to relax and enjoy the conversations and the thrill of making new connections. Your not networking to sell. Your networking to expand your business circle which in turn will provide opportunities.
Get a mentor. If you know someone who’s a networking guru, ask them to give you some pointers and maybe even observe them in a networking situation so you can see the person in their element. Ask them to role play with you. They can give you feedback on whether your elevator pitch sounds authentic or contrived and can help you become more comfortable with your body language.
Like I said, all of this is easier said than done. Some of us have it naturally but most of us have to nurture our way to business networking success. Either way, no matter how you get there, just get there. I’ll meet you there.
As a creative freelancer, your website is your key marketing platform. It needs to be clear, intuitive and really speak to what you do.
Here are 10 easy tips to creating a full-fledged online identity (that works!) in a digitally minded world:
1. URL. Make sure your URL is relevant to what you do, and make it simple and easy to remember. Your name alone is great—like alxblock.com or a mix of your name and trade like theluladesigns.com. Short and sweet is the key here.
2. TITLE. Remember that we are trying to make your site work for you, so we want people to be able to find you with a simple search. Make sure your name, trade, and location appear in the title of your site:
This is an easy thing to do with by implementing the <title>REPLACE THIS WITH YOUR NAME, TRADE, AND LOCATION</title> tags in your header.
3. KEYWORDS. This is about selling YOU. You need to make sure that not only is your online portfolio a good representation of your work, but that it is fully visible. Your portfolio should include keywords that will allow the almighty Google bots to find you. Use keywords in the header by implementing the <meta name=”keywords” content=”INSERT COMMA SEPERATED KEYWORDS HERE”/> tag on each portfolio page.
4. CONTENT. Google likes dynamic over static. Make sure your site is built in a way that allows you to update it often with new content quickly and easily. Having a blog on your site is ideal because you can post something new every day, making your site much more interesting and allowing you to come up in the search results more often.
5. BACKEND. I’m a huge fan of Wordpress and use it on almost every site that I build (even this site is built completely on Wordpress—portfolio and all.) With all of the plug-ins being created by developers worldwide, it gives you the largest selection of cool things to add to your site. The best part is that you need little-to-no technical knowledge to use it. It’s simple and effective. Make sure that the CMS that your site is built on is something that you can manage. Make sure it achieves your goals.
6. USABILITY. What good is an online portfolio if you can’t navigate it? Make sure your links are set-up in a way that is clear and intuitive. You always want to give your visitors somewhere to go next. As soon as they reach a dead-end page on your site, they are out of there and onto the next. Be as clear and bold as possible with your navigation.
7. AESTHETICS. Dude. Make it pretty. You’re a creative and this is the impression you are going to make on people. Make sure your images are clear, your type is clean, and your grammar is correct. People will judge your work based on how your site looks, so be sure that it’s as awesome as your work is.
8. NICHE. It’s impossible to appeal to everyone. Think long and hard about the people that you really want to target. If it’s non-profits, then be sure to include examples of your work done for non-profits. If you’re after agencies, then be sure to include a well rounded array of collateral materials. Make your portfolio relevant to your audience.
9. CONTACT. So now that someone has landed on your site, make sure that it is super easy for them to get in touch with you. Try having your email in the footer of each page. I would also recommend a full page dedicated to the ways people can get a hold of you. This could include badges to your social media profiles like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIN, or just a simple contact form for people to fill out:
10. BRAND. As a freelance creative, you are the visual expert. Your site must be clear, effective, have a streamlined look and feel all the way down to the language that is used in speaking to your audience. Make sure that your fonts appear the same way on each page, the colors all work together, your logo is clear and present everywhere that they look, the language is consistent and that it all represents what you do.
I’m not trying to imply that these are the only things that make a successful site. Good traffic and a profitable return on your hard work can take some time. Be patient. Build that strong community by following these tips and the business will follow.
One might not think about minor details like dashes when contemplating design; however, it’s those little things that can make or break you. Besides, who cares about the design if something is spelled wrong or has bad grammar? Designers aren’t editors but it pays to make sure that whatever you’re putting out into the world is grammatically presentable.
I see a lot of things that fall through the cracks due to the grammatical rule not being widely known, such as double spacing after periods—a hold over from typewriter days.
Another instance is the use of dashes. People commonly use hyphens as dashes such as the double hyphen in place of an en dash and the triple hyphen in place of an em dash. This usage of hyphens really drives me crazy! I strive to clarify the confusion between hyphens, en dashes and em dashes. Down with double hyphens!
Fret not, fellow dash users. Here are a few simple rules to guide you through using these mysterious pieces of punctuation. We’ll start with the easy one: the hyphen.
The hyphen is used only when hyphenating words or for line breaks. The keystroke for this on Mac and PC is simply the hyphen key located on the top right of the keyboard next to the plus/equals key.
The en dash is longer than a hyphen and shorter than an em dash. It gets its name from being about the width of a capital letter N. An easy way to remember how to use en dashes is that it reads like the word “to” although an en dash should never replace the word. This tip works for me because it’s used to indicate duration such as “January–March”. En dashes can also be used with a compound adjective when one of the adjectives is more than one word. An example would be “pre–Vietnam War period”. The keystroke for this on a Mac is the option key with the hyphen key. For PC, hold down the alt key and type 0150 on the number pad.
The em dash is the longest dash and is about the length of a capital letter “M”. It’s used when there’s an abrupt change of thought and in place of a colon or parentheses. Check out the second paragraph of this post for an awesome example of how to use em dashes. The keystroke for this on a Mac is the shift key with the option key and hyphen key. On a PC, hold down the alt key and type 0151 on the number pad.
Onward designers! Dare to be dashing with your grammatically correct dashes!
Technically, she’s my mother-in-law but we’ve never been big on the in-law title. Miki doesn’t come with all of the cliche baggage. The truth is that she’s all sorts of awesome. I often wonder how I lucked out with such a great guy AND great mother-in-law. She’s not only my husband’s mom—she’s my mentor, my friend, my mom.
You could cut the tension in the air. Today is her first day of chemo. The first of many, many treatments over the next five months. What does one do while your mom’s getting chemo? Well, being a designer, it made me think about logos—cancer logos.
I’ll start with the big gun. The American Cancer Society researches, reports, and provides support for just about every cancer out there. A patriotic logo set in red, white and blue with a caduceus sitting solidly to the left creating a sense of confident guidance. It’s a logo that’s clean and straight forward. One might even venture to say that it’s a little cold for the subject matter. Although, they are an organization that’s rooted in hardcore research.
Another big one is Susan G. Komen for the Cure. An organization that raises extensive funds for breast cancer research. The sans serif typography is modern yet soft enough to remain humanistic. The all too ribbon icon has a slight modification of the dot on top mimicking a human silhouette which adds a unique factor to a well used symbol.
The Gynecologic Cancer Foundation’s mission is to “support research, education and public awareness of gynecologic cancer prevention, early detection and optimal treatment.” The logo is about as generic as the mission statement. Don’t get me wrong, they do vital and amazing work that I have the utmost respect for. Unfortunately, from a graphic standpoint the logo leaves much to be desired.
Ovations is dedicated to the pursuit for a cure for ovarian cancer through funding of new and ongoing research and treatment initiatives, increasing awareness of the subtle signs and symptoms of the disease and give hope, education and comfort to those currently battling ovarian cancer. The subtle scaling of the O and S create the illusion of them hugging the tagline giving it a very humanistic feel. The butterfly icon nicely balances the typography and is an image of hope and metamorphosis.
The High Heals Foundation’s mission is to “raise funds to develop methods for early diagnosis of Ovarian cancer and aid in the discovery of a cure through research, advocacy and education.” Although I don’t wear heals, I do think this lockup is fantastic. What’s more go-go-girl power than a patent leather spike heal paired with lipstick red? It’s fun, accessible and dares you to be courageous.
There’s countless logos out there that range the spectrum from all medical business to bleeding heart humanitarians.
All-in-all I’d have to say that Team Miki takes the cake when it comes to cancer taglines. The official logo is still in the works (that is, as soon as I design one) but you gotta LOVE this tagline:
We put the balls into fighting ovarian cancer.
That’s what happens when your mother-in-law’s circle of friends are all knee deep into Marketing. She definitely puts the balls into fighting cancer though. Miki is a tough woman and logo or not she’s fighting cancer with style.
So this evening I experienced the Wii Fit Plus. When I say experienced, I mean that I was stupified by this beautifully designed machine.
My lust for the Wii has been lingering since they first hit the market like everybody else but as with everything in my life, if it’s not vital then it’ll have to wait. It sucks but that’s the way of life with baby.
At any rate my sister-in-law, Katie, just purchased a Wii Fit Plus. I was there when she got it and the envy was boiling over. I had to resolve that I would just go play it at her house.
Well, ladies and gents, tonight I did for the first time. When Katie pulled it out from it’s little nook under the TV and handed me the remote I was dumb struck. It was gorgeous. The Balance Board was sleek, white, and compact. It wasn’t really much bigger than an average weight scale but oh my it was so, so much more. Even the ergonomic remote was beautiful AND it came with a trendy wrist strap. It was so pretty you’d think that Apple had made it.
The fresh white and green branding elements that are present in the packaging, on the website, and in the game added to the allure as well.
Not only was the system aesthetically pleasing, it was really fun to play. Let’s just say that I broke a sweat taking down Katie’s hula-hooping high score. I even got to design my own Mii. Your Mii is basically your Wii avatar. There’s so many choices in features that I was actually able to make it look very similar to me. The graphics are great. It sort of reminded me of Super Mario Brothers but much cuter and cooler. I guess that makes sense since Nintendo puts it out.
I’m so glad that I finally got to play a Wii and am even happier that it’s my sister-in-law’s so I can drop by and play all of the time. So thank you fabulously designed Wii, I bow down to thee with respect and admiration.
Talk about a title that makes you run out of breath; however, it certainly wasn’t a bunch of hot air. The GCEC Summit was hosted by innovation Philadelphia. It consisted of 5 tracks: Creative Economy, Creative Entrepreneurship, Creative 21st Century Workforce, Creative Sustainability, and Creative Technologies. If you haven’t noticed, the theme was all about the world of creatives.
There was an array of speakers ranging from Philadelphia’s Mayor Nutter to Melissa Thiessen, Co-Organizer of Twestival. Attendees could stick to one track or skip around for a more rounded experience. It was hard to decide since all of the sessions looked interesting and informative. I mostly stuck to the Creative Entrepreneurship track since, well… I’m an entrepreneur, but I tried to round it out a bit as well. So here’s what I went to and what I got out of it:
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Which:Creative Entrepreneurship What: Propelling Economic Growth and Social Change With Psychology Who: Alexander Stein, Ph.D., Principal Boswell Group LLC Why: This was a workshop discussing “key psychoanalytic approaches to economic innovation, business enhancement and development, and social entrepreneurship” (GCEC Summit Program). “It is the intersection of helping business leaders and creating social change.”-Stein. I have an Associates in Psychology so this intrigued me. What I learned: Stein was obviously a man of high intelligence; however, his presentation style didn’t really mesh with me. The ideas that he put forth were indeed intriguing but the presentation was a bit bland. There were no visuals and his speaking style resembled college lecture style.
He did try to engage but unfortunately fell a little flat on that front. I think the most important gem that I took away was the power of understanding why—Basically, that all of our stresses/anxieties that revolve around business decisions are deeply rooted in our past experiences. If we can tap into the often buried source of that stress/anxiety, then it will make us better business people who make more calculated decisions based on logic rather than emotion. I think that we know how to do this in our personal lives but don’t often apply it to our business selves. It is definitely something to keep in mind when making business decisions especially the ones that can make or break us.
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Which: Creative Entrepreneurship What: How to Start a Start-Up Community Who: Steve Barsh, Moderator, Partner, DreamIt Ventures; Chris Cera, Founder, Vuzit; Geoff DiMasi, Principal, P’unk Avenue; Blake Jennelle, Director of Marketing, TicketLeap; Tracey Welson-Rossman, Director of Sales and Marketing, Chariot Solutions Why: All of the peeps on this panel were instrumental in the formation of The Philly Startup Leaders (PSL), a community for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. I was interested in the logistics of creating a community and what worked and didn’t work for them along the way. What I learned: Everyone on this panel including the moderator were very personable and extremely open to disclosing secrets of success. It was a very open discussion that was completely interactive. They discussed the beginnings of PSL as well as new projects of the present and on the horizon.
There were key fundamentals that surfaced several times during the discussion. Things such as discover what’s unique about your community whether it be entrepreneurs looking to get advice from other entrepreneurs or designers looking to make connections with tech people. Whatever that unique thing is, find it, and then network, network, network.
This doesn’t mean that you have to go put on your best suit and attend events. It means tell everyone you know and everyone you meet about your big idea. Eventually, you’ll find like-minded people who are willing to jump on board. The panel agreed that the magic number seems to be 10. If you can get 10 people on board, then your in business. You want to make sure that your message is easy for people to understand and swallow. The most important fundamental is to stay true to yourself and your message. Once your idea takes off, be sure to make it sustainable. Do this by putting systems in place that aren’t leader dependent because the bottom line is that it’s not about you, it’s about the message so make sure that message can continue without you.
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Which: Creative Sustainability What: Models of Urban Sustainability Who: Katherine Gajewsk, Moderator, Director of Sustainability, City of Philadelphia; David Barrie, CEO, David Barrie & Associates; Gerald Furgione, Director of Business Development, Philly Car Share; Russell Meddin, Founder, Bike Share Philadelphia Why: This panel was a sampling of case studies of urban sustainability projects. I’m very interested in urban sustainability efforts especially urban farming. What I learned: First off, I’m completely excited about the Office of Sustainability that Mayor Nutter formed within Philly’s government infrastructure. I think that they are striving to do great things for Philly such as the streamlined recycling and the solar trash/recycling compactors. I’m looking forward to future implementations.
So gushings over Mayor Nutter aside, this panel was pretty cool. Barrie discussed an urban farming program that he implemented on the entire city of Middlesbrough, England. Yes, you read that right, the entire city. It was a huge success and very inspiring. I’m already planning out next years vegetable garden for my mother-in-laws backyard. Philly Car Share gave a run down of its beginnings up to today. I was unaware that it is a non-profit organization and is in jeopardy due to Zip Car which is a for-profit company.
Bike Share Philadelphia got me the most excited. Meddin reviewed several bike share programs that have been successful around the world and revealed his plans to have Philly become a bike share city as well. Exciting stuff!
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Which: Creative Economy What: Crowdsourcing Culture Who: Matthew Fisher, Moderator, President and Co-Founder, Night Kitchen Interactive; Tony Romeo, Senior Vice President and Brand Liason, XLNTAds/Poptent; Andrew Schwalm, Writer, documentary filmmaker and web community organizer; Neil Takemoto, Founder, Cooltown Studios; Melissa Thiessen, Co-Organizer, Twestival Why:This panel exploredhow crowdsourcing is impacting business, culture, and design. I’ve been wanting to learn more about crowdsourcing and its impact. What I learned: The angle of the discussion was more towards how to create a crowdsourced venture by building an audience or community, motivating participation through recognition, awards, and/or prizes, and leveraging the value of their work. The use of crowdsourcing ranged from high yield for-profit business, XLNTAds, to charitable causes, Twestival. The differences between collaborative vs. competitive crowdsourcing was discussed. Whether for “good” or “evil”, crowdsourcing if wielded correctly is a proven method for success.
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Which:Creative 21st Century Workforce What:Making an Impact with Your Personal Brand Who: Peter Madden, Moderator, Founder and President, AgileCat; Malik Boyd, Managing Partner, PBMarketing, LLC; Neen James, CEO, Neen James; Kesi Stribling, Chief Strategist, KSG Strategic Consulting; Alina Wheeler, Founder, Alina Wheeler Why: The GCECS program summed it up with, “Who better to sell your product or service than you?” I, of course, wanted to make sure that I am doing all that I can do to get my name out there into the big, wide world. What I learned: These panelists were informative, outgoing, and great public speakers. They each had a wealth of knowledge and advice to share.
From Boyd, I learned the four P’s to success: Passion, Purpose, Preparation, and Precision. Passion, do what you love so you can love what you do. Purpose, leading straight out of Passion, do what you love so you have a purpose for doing it. Preparation, be prepared as you can be from your elevator pitch to absorbing unforeseen costs like a print job gone awry. Lastly but definitely not least, Precision, do your work well and your reputation will precede you.
From James, I learned that “You’re always on, but you’re on before you’re on.” It seems confusing at first, but let me try to explain it as well as she did. From the time that you wake-up until the time that you go to sleep, you’re on. Everywhere you go and everything that you do, you’re on. This means when you run out to the grocery store on a Sunday morning to grab some milk, you’re on. Anyone and everyone could be your next client or know your next client. Always present your best foot forward. Now does this mean that you have to be wearing a three-piece suit at all times? No. But it does mean that you should always think about how you act and present yourself in your personal life as well as your business life. Let’s face it, if your in business for yourself then the lines of personal and business don’t really exist anymore. This extends to things like your personal Facebook page. Just because it’s personal doesn’t mean that your clients aren’t looking at it. So, maybe you should think twice about posting those shady, incriminating pics from your best friend’s bachelor party.
From Stribling, I learned that it’s all about the power and passion of you. It’s about preparation and networking. It’s especially about having that elevator pitch down pat so that you can spout it out in any situation like it’s second nature and not sound like a robot when doing so. Know your business and know how to sell it in 7 seconds or less. In fact, have a few elevator pitches to accommodate various situations focusing on different key aspects of your business so you are armed and ready to strike with grace and ease when the situation arises.
From Wheeler, I learned that even though the tools of the trade for self promotion have changed, the fundamental questions remain intact: Who am I? Who needs to know? How will they find out? Why should they care? Give some honest brain power to answering these questions and you’re more than halfway there.
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Which: Creative Entrepreneurship What: Monetizing Your Creative Passion Who:Connie Pearson-Bernard, Moderator, President, Seamless Events, Inc.; Gloria Bell, Owner, Red Stapler Consulting; Melinda Emerson, CEO, MFE Consulting; Hajj Flemings, Founder, Brand Camp University Why: This panel was all about the trials and tribulations in becoming an entrepreneur. “Lessons learned and roadblocks encountered during their journey to monetize their creative passions” (GCECS program). I’ve certainly encountered roadblocks along my entrepreneurial path so I was definitely interested in hearing what these panelists had to say to maybe avoid some future hick-ups. What I learned: These panelists were amazingly inspirational and had a ton of advice to share. Emerson’s book Be Your Own Boss! How to Quit Your Job and Start Your Own Business in 18 Months or Less! might be a vital resource. Flemings gave great praise to the book Ignore Everybody.
They preached to build relationships, don’t look for clients. It’s the relationship that is important and the work will follow. They advised to have the fortitude to face your fear, be a planner, be a risk taker, be willing to hustle intelligently, be a visionary and a dreamer, and be passionate.
If you noticed, I said preached which they did. I felt as if I were in the church of Entrepreneurship and they were preaching the secrets of dreams. I heard phrases such as “grow yourself to grow your business” and “do what you say, say what you do”. Along with these uplifting nuggets of wisdom came solid, earthly advice like make sure to ask the client what the budget is before giving your quote so you don’t low-ball yourself, know the elements of your business, pick a niche, use professional contracts, understand basic project management, learn to write creative briefs, and absolutely positively make sure that you’re set-up to accept any form of payment.
I think the most vital piece of advice that I took away from this gospel was that “mentor-ship is accelerated wisdom”. Whether this is a mentor in-person or a virtual one, find someone or better yet someones who you can rely upon to help you navigate the entrepreneurial jungle. There are a plethora of people who have been there, done that so why go at it blind. Learn from their hard work so you can glide right over those roadblocks towards your golden dream on the horizon.
