8 tips and tricks for professional andeffective 'Self-Promotion the Social Way'

My article about social networking as a business marketing tool, "Self-Promotion the Social Way, was just published in the October 2009 issue of How Magazine. The piece has also been posted on the HOW website.

In addition to the posted content, suggestions from myself and contributors Justin Ahrens of the Geneva, IL firm Rule29, Nashville, TN children's illustrator Holli Conger and photographer Paul Kline from Washington, DC were used to create a list of eight "tips and tricks" for a sidebar to the print version of the article.

Here are some recommendations from the featured creative professionals currently using social networking as a self-promotion vehicle:

1. Create a well-defined basic social networking profile and maintain that profile consistency throughout all social networking sites. Include keywords in your profile (like "designer" or "writer") that your network is likely to search, so that new contacts can easily find you.

2. Maintain similar consistency in the photo or graphic image you choose for your avatar (the small photo or graphic associated wiht your profile that represents you online) - in effect, branding your social networking presence.

3. Be generous in social networking site posts and updates, promoting and supporting the work of others - rather than exclusively marketing your own efforts.

4. Ask your clients what networks they participate in, and join those. Cross-reference your client and promotion lists on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to maximize your targeted promotional efforts. Invite people on your list to join you on FaceBook, to become a fan of your business and follow you on Twitter - and do the same in return.

5. Don't over commit. Social networking can be time-consuming. Set aside a window of time at the beginning and end of your day for social media, so you're not sucked into Twitter every time someone in your network tweets.

6. Keep things professional. Make sure you don't communicate anything you wouldn't want your clients, prospects or potential employers to read.

7. Provide easy-to-find links to your website and blog in your social media profile, so friends and followers may research and contact you with little effort.

8. Look for a network the fits your personality and industry, with a good mix of customers, vendors and competitors. Once you identify the network you want to create, start making contacts.

You may want to check out the social networking resources of those associated with the HOW Magazine article. The links are as follows:

HOW Magazine: Twitter - @HOWbrand; Facebook - HOW Magazine

Justin Ahrens/Rule 29: Twitter - @rule29; Facebook - Rule29

Holli Conger: Twitter - @HOLLiCONGER; Facebook - Holli Conger and HOLLi CONGER Studios

Paul Kline: Twitter - @Ad_Photographer

Jeff Fisher: Twitter - @LogoMotives; Facebook - Jeff Fisher and Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Engineer of Creative Identity Jeff Fisher featured on Escape from Illustration Island podcast

Recently illustrator Thomas James visited my Portland home studio. James, the host of the site Escape From Illustration Island, came to interview me for his site's podcast after reading my article "Self-Promotion the Social Way" in the October issue of the design industry publication HOW magazine. The result is "Escape from Illustration Island Podcast 5 - Social Networking with Jeff Fisher."

James felt that visitors to his site would find my take on using social networking as a marketing tool useful in promoting illustration efforts. He developed Escape From Illustration Island as a centralized site for illustration resources he continues to find to find on the Internet, such as podcasts, video tutorials, illustration news blogs, and more.

The podcast is also syndicated on the site Illustrationmundo.com.

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*: Designer/author Jeff Fisher pens social networking article for October HOW Magazine

The article "Self-Promotion the Social Way," by designer and author Jeff Fisher, has been published in the October issue of the design industry publication HOW magazine. Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, shares his experiences in using social networking and social media tools to market his graphic design, writing and speaking efforts. He, and several contributors, also offer advice to others in making use of social networking sites in creative promotion.

The identity designer uses Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and a variety of other online resources to give his home-based studio, published books and public appearances a worldwide presence. Adding their thoughts to the social networking piece were Justin Ahrens of the Geneva, IL firm Rule29, Nashville, TN children's illustrator Holli Conger and photographer Paul Kline from Washington, DC.

"Self-Promotion the Social Way" has been posted on the HOW Magazine website. HOW strives to serve the business, technological and creative needs of graphic-design professionals. The magazine provides a practical mix of essential business information, up-to-date technological tips, the creative whys and hows behind noteworthy projects, and profiles of professionals who are influencing design. Founded in 1985, the HOW brand now extends beyond the print magazine to annual events for design professionals, yearly design competitions, digital products and books. The magazine is published in Cincinnati by F&W Media.

Fisher, a 30+ year design industry veteran, is the author of Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands and The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career. He is currently writing the book LogoType, about typography in identity design, with a scheduled release of late 2010.

The designer has received over 600 design awards and his work has been published in more than 130 books on identity design, self-promotion and the marketing of small businesses. In January, Fisher was named one of design industry publication Graphic Design USA’s “People to Watch in 2009.” In 2008, Jeff Fisher LogoMotives was recognized as one of the top 100 U.S. home-based businesses by the web presence StartupNation.

More information about Jeff Fisher, and his design and writing efforts, may be found on the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

'Identity Crisis!' recommended on list of'Logo Design Books for the Creative Designer'

Thanks to Wisconsin graphic designer Paul Her for including my book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands, on his list of "Logo Design Books for the Creative Designer." The resource recommends a great variety in the 10 international volumes providing offerings showcasing symbolism in designs, logo design case studies, historical perspectives, branding, identity tutorials and more.

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Making a logo design concept your own - Part 3

As mentioned in my previous bLog-oMotives entries on "making a logo design concept your own" (now combined on my Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio), the process of creating truly unique identities involves so much more than just slapping a graphic, or icon, up next to a block of text or a word. With the vast majority of my logo designs I try to envision a graphic element, appropriate to the message to be conveyed in the design, as a possible letterform representation within the name. Combining the two often results in an incredibly individual and memorable symbol to identify the client.

Following my attendance at Clown School in the spring of 2009, and a great experience as part of the Amtrak Cascades Character Clown Corps for the Portland Rose Festival, my clown pal Pippa (aka educator Debra Samuel) suggested that those interested in clowning around a bit more participate in the 2009 Portland Pride Parade. As the event was not an official Rose Festival event we would need to march under a new clown troupe moniker. Pippa came up with the name "Stumptown Clowns."

In my odd logo designer mind, as soon as I was made aware of the name, I literally saw the words visually as a potential clown face. The "U" letterform in the word "Stumptown" could become a winking eye, with the "O" in the term creating another eye that was wide open. It only made sense that the "O" in "Clown" would become a big red clown nose. With the suggestion that the Stumptown Clowns needed an identifying sign for the parade, the logo design became a reality.

The typeface Blue Plate Special, from Nick's Fonts, gave the design the circus/carnival quality I desired.

The Sentinel is not your ordinary neighborhood newspaper, and publisher Cornelius Swart did not want your everyday newspaper identity when it came time to rebrand the publication. Swart and his staff narrowed my initial type selection presentations to Boca Raton Solid and Rockwell Extra Bold treatments. They liked the "sexiness" of Boca Raton, but thought it might be a little too "magazine-like." Those providing input felt that Rockwell conveyed the "seriousness" needed for a newspaper, but the uppercase "S" letterform was too heavy, "clunky" and distracting. I was asked to finesse - or change - the "S" in the Rockwell treatment, to tweak the eye imagery, and play with "i" letterform a bit to make it possibly more lighthouse or "sentinel-like."

In literally going back to the drawing table, I worked on the "S" element for quite some time. I kept returning to the fact that everyone involved liked the "S" letterform from the Boca Raton font a great deal. In what was a bit of an "a-ha" moment I simply took the "S" from Boca Raton and dropped it in front of the Rockwell treatment of the remaining letters in the word "Sentinel." It seemed to work beautifully - and the newspaper crew agreed.

With a little finessing of the implied lighthouse image, and it's "every vigilant" eye, the paper had a strong and unique identity.

When approached by the publishing business Buttonberry Books to create a fun identity, I took the challenge literally. As is often the case, I immediately saw the visuals of a berry and buttons taking shape as graphic elements within the design to represent the company. The type Carnation, from Fonthead Designs, added the element of playfulness.

The Buttonberry Books identity appears in the books New Logo World (Japan), Logo Design for Small Business 2, and Logos from North to South America (Spain).

The Central Oregon town of Sisters, where my family's had a home for over 30 years, has hosted the annual Sisters Rodeo for over over six decades. It was an honor to be asked to design the event's first official logo for the 60th anniversary and I wanted to create an image that could be perceived as possibly being the identity since the 1940's.

From the beginning of the project I had no doubt the symbol representing this live-action piece of Western Americana would end up being red, white and blue in color. The flags, banners, music and patriotism associated with the rodeo immediately dictated that color palette. I also knew that I wanted a cowboy on a bucking bronco, or bull, as the primary element. Having seen many a cowboy hat fly through the air at previous rodeos, I felt graphically representing the hat would add a little implied movement - and my own little brand of humor - to the logo. The cowboy graphic fit well into the "O" of an original concept scribble, and the airborne cowboy hat became the dot of the "i" letterform in the word "Sisters," as the symbol almost designed itself.

Horndon gave the image the typographic period feel I was seeking. Customizing type elements, around the "O" shape and on the descender of the "R," added to making a one-of-a-kind logo.

This identity was included when the Sisters Rodeo was inducted into the Library of Congress “Local Legacies" archive. The rodeo logo received an Award of Merit in the Central Oregon Drake Awards and a Silver in the Summit Creative Awards. It also is featured in The Big Book of Logos 3, LogoLounge - Volume 1 and Design for Special Events.

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

HOW Magazine launches Logo Design Awards; identity designer/author Jeff Fisher to judge

HOW Magazine; the leading creativity, business and technology magazine for graphic designers; has launched the new HOW Logo Design Awards competition, with a submissions deadline of December 1, 2009. Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, will be the judge for the competition.

All entries must have been produced between July 1, 2008 and December 1, 2009. There are no specific categories for designs to be submitted and work entered may have been created for real world clients, as student class assignments or just for fun. The fee for each entry is $30. Submissions are to be made online through the HOW Logo Design Awards website.

The 10 winners will be featured on the HOW website, get $150 worth of HOW books and receive a 1 year subscription to HOW magazine. In addition, a graphic will be provided for posting on websites, blogs and/or online portfolios announcing a winners' status.

Fisher, a 30+ year design industry veteran, is the author of The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career and Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands. He is currently writing the book LogoType, about typography in identity design, with a scheduled release of late 2010.

The designer has received over 600 design awards and his work has been published in more than 100 books on identity design, self-promotion and the marketing of small businesses. In recent years, Fisher has judged numerous competitions, including American Advertising & Design 25, the Logopond Awards, The Create Awards, and the Summit Creative Awards.

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

LogoMotives Design Tracks: Black & White - Part 2

A variety of themes may be found in the identity work of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. One is black and white imagery.

As I mentioned in LogoMotive Design Tracks: Black & White - Part 1, I will not proceed with adding color to a logo design until a client has approved the one-color final concept. For me, it defines the design in its simplest form - and the client who is convinced they will never need their logo in black and white will most certainly have that requirement in the future. I appreciate that a mention of Part 1 was recently posted on CreativePro.com.

From my archive of past logo designs there are many creations that were created in only black and white. Below are some additional identities that continue to be presented in only black and white.

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
Client: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
Location: Portland, OR USA

Being my own worst client, creating my own logo was a ten-year evolution. Color was never even a consideration throughout the process. My identity was always going to be in black and white. The identity is featured in Letterhead and Logo Design 5, American Corporate Identity/14, New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), the 1998 PRINT Regional Design Annual, The New Big Book of Logos, PRINT’s Best Logos & Symbols 6, Logo Design for Small Business 2, The Big Book of Business Cards, Logos from North to South America (Spain), New Logo & Trademark Collection (Japan), and The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success.

Neighborhood Service Center
Client: City of Portland, Office of Neighborhood Involvement
Location: Portland, OR USA

Designed for the City of Portland, the Neighborhood Service Center identity was always going to be used as a one-color image, especially for simple, easy-to-read street signage. It received the Gold in the Summit International Creative Awards, and appears in The Big Book of Logos 5 and 100's Visual Logos and Letterheads.

Beirut
Client: triangle productions!
Location: Portland, OR USA

Beirut was a dark late-1980's theatrical production about HIV-positive individuals being quarantined in the Lower East Side of New York City. All promotional materials for the play, and its program, were being printed in black and white. This design is one of nearly 100 I have designed for one theatre company over the last 20 years. Honored with a Bronze Summit Creative Award, this logo is featured in The New Big Book of Logos and Logo World (Japan).

Jeff Maul
Client: Jeff Maul
Location: Portland, OR USA

The guy who cut my hair wanted a simple, one-color graphic representation of his name to promote his work. The design appears in International Logos & Trademarks III, the 1996 PRINT Regional Design Annual, Letterhead and Logo Design 5, New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), Bullet-Proof Logos, The Best in World Trademarks 1- Corporate Identity (Korea), LogoLounge - Volume 1, The Best of Letterhead and Logo Design, Logo Design for Small Business 2, and New Logo: One (Singapore). (Read more about this logo project)

Al Bauer Advertising
Client: Al Bauer Advertising
Location: Portland, OR USA

Initially this client considered using a process color image of an abstract painting for his business identity - until he investigated the printing costs associated with the implementation of the design. In 1981, I was commissioned to create an abstract logo for the firm. The owner immediately liked this image; saying that it was a great graphic representation of the advertising profession - just when you think all things are going alone fine, one element of any given project will be out of whack. A couple weeks later he called; just realizing that the design was actually very abstract lower-case "a" and "b" letterforms. When not being printed in one-color, the image was also blind embossed on white paper stock.

WordWright
Client: WordWright
Location: Portland, OR/Seattle WA USA

There was never any intention that this identity for a technical, business and grant writer would be anything but a one-color design. The image appears, in its various forms, in the books New Logo & Trademark Design (Japan), Logo and Trademark Collection (Japan), Print's Regional Design Annual, the Japanese book Logo World, Letterhead and Logo Design 7, Logo Design for Small Business 2, The Big Book of Logos 3, and the Spanish book Logos: From North to South America. (Read more about this logo project)

"Critters" is another LogoMotives Design Track for your review.

Note: Many of the books mentioned in this post may be found at the LogoMotives Design Depot Bookstore.

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Clickety-clacks along the LogoMotives tracks

During the month of August, quite a few mentions and sightings of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives showed up in the blog-o-sphere:

• Freelancing Finesse • The annual Creative Freelancer Conference recently was held in San Diego. The article "Freelancing Finesse," from The Creative Group was recently posted as a resource for attendees. The piece includes some business advice from yours truly. [08.09]

• My Top Ten People to Follow on Twitter • I appreciate the compliment conveyed by designer Robb Clarke in selecting his top tweeters to follow. [08.30.09]

• Jeff Fisher of Logomotives: Toot! Toot! (Part 1) • A long-time favorite supplier, Neenah Paper, recently interviewed me - about my work, social networking, design inspirations and creating a work-life balance - for their "Against The Grain" blog. Part two of the discussion was actually posted in earlier September - here's the link. [08.27.09]

• "Experience Matters" • It was nice to see my face pop into view in the YouTube video from the folks at the Summit International Awards as they celebrate 15 years of the Summit Creative Awards. [08.22.09]

• A Study in Black and White Logos: Designer Jeff Fisher shares some of his past mono-color logo work. • A great deal of Internet traffic came my way due to CreativePro.com posting a mention about a bLog-oMotive post regarding my one-color identity design efforts. [08.13.09]

• 5 Logos Extraños Que Tuvieron Éxito • A Google alert brought to my attention the fact the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives identity had been featured on the Marcas y Simbolos blog. Loosely translated, it's not bad to have my logo considered "intense and perfect." [08.11.09]

• Quickies: Ten Readable Branding Books • From Fuel Your Branding came a blog post listing my book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands, one of the 10 most readable books on the topic of branding - along with volumes by Alina Wheeler, Marty Neumeier, Seth Godin and others. [08.10.09]

• 40 Weird and Playful logos – A Double treat! • On the Graphic Design Blog, Charles B Johnson categorizes my "Two Boys in a Bed on a Cold Winter's Night logo as "weird" and my concept for the C.A.T. identity as "playful." (shown above) [08.05.09]

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

Neenah Paper "toots" about identity designer and author Jeff Fisher on "Against The Grain" blog

I've been a fan of Neenah Paper products my entire 30+ year career, especially when I've needed quality stock for stationery packages designed for my varied clientele. However, I didn't have a personal relationship with the company until we started following each other on Twitter. (You'll find Neenah at @NeenahPaper and my ID is @LogoMotives) We really began to interact on Twitter while I was at the HOW Design Conference in Austin this past June. Since then we've had kind of an online "mutual admiration society."

A couple months ago, the offical Neenah "tweeter" (Jamie Saunders, Public Relations for Fine Paper) suggested that I be interviewed for the company's blog presence, Against The Grain. When interviewed, I was asked about social networking, my personal and career history, those in the design industry whose work I admire, creating a work life balance and more.

Part one of of Jeff Fisher of LogoMotives: Toot! Toot! went live last week. Jeff Fisher of LogoMotives: Toot! Toot!, Part 2 was posted earlier this week.

Making use of social networking led to this great promotion opportunity for my business - and I've used Twitter, Facebook, my Facebook fan page and other such methods to announce the fact. Neenah Paper, a company that certainly understands the value of social networking as a marketing and education tool, has done the same through their own Twitter and Facebook presences.

Thanks Neenah! See you in the cyber-sphere. Tweet! Tweet!

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Calls for entries: Upcoming graphic design competition and book submission deadlines

All of the following competitions deadlines present great opportunities to showcase your design efforts, market your work on an international scale through the published books, and "toot!" your own horn to clients, peers and the media:

Mail Me Art 2
(Mail Me Art - UK)
Deadline: TBD
No entry fees charged

The Vector Brush Sourcebook
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline Extended: 4 September 2009
No entry fees charged

HOW International Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline Extended: 15 September 2009 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Best of Brochure Design 11
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 15 September 2009
No entry fees charged

The Mini Book of Great Logos
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 22 September 2009
No entry fees charged

The New Big Book of Layouts
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 23 September 2009
No entry fees charged

Book of the Year, Volume 2
(Design & Design - France)
Deadline: 30 September 2009
No entry fees charged

Design DNA: Logos
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: 1 October 2009
No entry fees charged

REBRAND 100 Global Awards
(REBRAND - USA)
Late Deadline: 7 October 2009
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Interactive Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 9 October 2009
Entry fees charged

1000 Product Designs
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline Extended: 9 October 2009
No entry fees charged

Tokyo TDC Annual Awards 2010
(Tokyo Type Directors Club - Japan)
Deadline: 10 October 2009
No entry fees charged for overseas entries

Graphic Design for Less: Cost-Cutting Solutions for Tight Budgets
(Rotovision - UK)
Deadline: 15 October 2009
No entry fees charged

Do Good Fight Bad
(Do Good Fight Bad - USA)
Deadline: 15 October 2009
Entry fees charged

Fingerprint 2 (PDF of CFE)
(HOW Books - USA)
Deadline: 15 October 2009
No entry fees charged

Top 100 New Creatives
(CMYK Magazine - USA)
Deadline Extended: 18 October 2009
Entry fees charged

The Best of Sports Marketing & Design
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 31 October 2009
No entry fees charged

The Best of Sin Design (Naughty Products. Great Advertising.)
(Crescent Hill Books - USA)
Deadline: 1 November 2009
No entry fees charged

1000 More Greetings
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: 1 November 2009
No entry fees charged

PRINT Creativity + Commerce
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 November 2009
Entry fees charged

PRINT in Motion
(PRINT Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 November 2009
Entry fees charged

Basic Pack
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 15 November 2009
No entry fees charged

HOW Logo Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Final Deadline: 15 December 2009 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

HOW Poster Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Final Deadline: 15 December 2009 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

I.D. Annual Design Review
(I.D. Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 December 2009
Entry fees charged

Selected: Graphic Design From Europe
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline: 10 December 2009
Entry fees charged

My Own Business Card, Volume Two
(Design and Design - France)
Deadline: 31 December 2009
No entry fees charged

Just Sit! Chairs and Stools Design
(Design and Design - France)
Deadline: 31 December 2009
No entry fees charged

Communication Arts Illustration Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 11 January 2010
Entry fees charged

Wolda '09
(Eulda Books - Italy)
Deadline: 31 January 2010 (logos designed in 2009)
Entry fees charged

HOW Promotion Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 5 March 2010
Late Deadline: 22 March 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Photography Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 29 March 2010
Entry fees charged

HOW In-HOWse Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 April 2010
Late Deadline: 10 May 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Design Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 14 May 2010
Entry fees charged

Communication Arts Advertising Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 14 May 2010
Entry fees charged

Book of the Year, Volume 3
(Design & Design - France)
Deadline: 30 September 2010
No entry fees charged

(To make sure you are reading the latest bLog-oMotives design competition update click here.)

You may want to read my article about participating in design industry competitions: A Winning Strategy. It has appeared on the Creative Latitude and NO!SPEC web sites.

A design competition calendar is also available at Icograda. Lürzer's ARCHIVE also has an impressive online list of competitions sponsored by international magazines and organizations. Dexinger posts competitions of great value to industry professionals - however designers need to be aware that some of the listings are for "spec" work as a requirement for submission. Requests for new, or speculative, work as a condition of entering a "contest" are much different than legitimate design competition "calls for entries," in which previously created works are judged for possible awards, exhibition, or publication in an annual or other book.

My own work appears in nearly 100 graphic design books. Many of those inclusions are the result of design competitions, or requests for submissions, like those listed above.

For the perspective from the other side of design competitions, I wrote a bLog-oMotives entry about judging the 2007 Summit Creative Awards.

Good luck!

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives