bLog-oMotives: Speaking

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Looking back at the HOW Conference: Part 2

This is Part 2 of my look back at the 2009 HOW Design Conference. You may also want to take a look at Part 1.

I hate to be one of those "back in the olden days" people. However, when comparing past events to the 2009 HOW Conference in Austin, I did find myself missing some things from past conferences. Newbies would certainly not even notice. Some of the "glitz, pomp and rah-rah" of previous conferences was missing. I'm sure some if it due to budgetary concerns. There weren't the daily morning cheerleading sessions (often with live music) to send attendees, many having been out all night, off to their morning sessions. The brunch for all attendees on the last morning was gone. At some past conferences, that event had been a great last minute networking opportunity for all. The announcement of the 2010 location of Denver was a bit of letdown. Not that the conference will be in the great city of Denver, but that the news was not delivered with production number enthusiasm.

The "meat," or real value, of the conference was certainly there. I heard very few complaints about the sessions attended by designers. A few complained that some product-oriented presenters seemed to simply be doing a commercial for their wares. A couple attendees expressed disappointment that a supposed learning session turned into little more than an unexpected portfolio review. Most of the feedback I heard was incredibly positive. It's no surprise that there were many raves about the presentations of Marc English, Von Glitschka, Scott Belsky and many others. If I have any criticism of sessions at all, it is that the opening and closing keynotes didn't seem keynote-ish to me. Both provided great information, but the presentations were missing that "rah rah, let's go kick some serious ass as designers" quality. They seemed very much like regular individual sessions in a bigger room with a larger crowd.

I was unable to attend the raved-about Scott Belsky session as I was attending one of the best sessions I've ever attended at a HOW Conference. Michael Osborne's "Design That Matters" had an incredible impact on everyone in the room. I've always been a huge fan of Osborne's work and his One Heart Press. In just over an hour we learned the incredibly personal and emotional story of what makes Michael Osborne "tick." His Joey's Corner project, created to honor his late son, is an amazing model of how design - and designers - can make a difference in this world. I would hope that readers of this bLog-oMotives entry would take a look at Micheal's work, project and Joey's Corner. (You may also follow the work of Joey's Corner on Facebook.) I regret that I didn't have the opportunity to actually meet Michael Osborne while in Austin.

My first HOW Conference, years ago in New Orleans, was a panel discussion moderated by then HOW Art Director Tricia Bateman. Panelists included design educator Peg Faimon (author of the new HOW Books offering The Designer's Guide to Business and Careers), Willie Baronet, Pash (née Matt Pashkow) and myself. The panel format was a great way to encourage interaction with conference attendees and address their specific needs or questions. Following the 2008 Boston HOW Conference, "Speakers Gone Wild" pals Jeni Herberger and Steve "RDQLUS" Gordon, and I discussed our fondness for the panel discussion and we pitched a "Blazing Designers" presentation for Austin, featuring ourselves in a takeoff of the film Blazing Saddles. Our proposal was "shot down" by the powers-that-be; one making the comment that our pitch was a "scary, good idea.

The TOO early in the morning Design Economic Summit panel - Steve Gordon, Daniel Schutzsmith, Andy Epstein, myself, Megan Slabinski of The Creative Group and moderator Jeni Herberger. Photo by Karen Larson

Months later, as the economy was tanking, we were approached by HOW Conference organizers to be participants in a "Design Economic Summit" (I still detest that session name) panel to be held at 8:00 one Austin morning. The other panelists were Daniel Schutzsmith, Andy Epstein and Megan Slabinski of The Creative Group (photo above). I was really surprised that we got as many as many attendees as we did for an extra session so early in the day. Panelists were still answering questions half an hour after the alloted time. I do think the panel format has a valuable place in future HOW Conferences - perhaps something scheduled as more than an hour long.

I was very pleased with the response to my own session. A filled room with people having to sit on the floor is always a good thing for a speaker. My only complaint is that 75 minutes is a very short period of time to cover a topic well and allow sufficient time for questions. I felt bad when some attendees wanted to visit afterwards and I had to run off to the HOW Conference Bookstore to sign copies of my book Identity Crisis! and the PDF on CD version of The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success at a hastily rescheduled event. (There's more information about my session in the bLog-oMotives entry A clown walks into a conference....)

I'll admit, I drank the "HOW Kool-Aid" a long time ago. I've been featured in HOW Magazine numerous times, written for the magazine, been a speaker at many HOW sponsored events and have upcoming Webinars and a Designers' Bootcamp. HOW Books is also the publisher of my two previous books, and the one I am currently writing. Still, attempting to set any bias aside, I would give the 2009 HOW Conference in Austin very high marks. The location was invigorating and a great deal of fun - even in triple-digit heat. The speakers were inspiring. The networking energy between attendees, speakers, sponsors and the HOW staff was incredible. I had opportunities to meet with people one-on-one like never before. I really appreciated attendee Brad Dressler, from Texas A&M, taking it upon himself to coordinate an in-house designer luncheon and an Austin gay bar pub crawl that was too late for this design-o-saur. Having Donovan Beery broadcast The Reflex Blue Show from the convention center was a huge plus. The "HOW Gals" busted their butts in making the event one of the best HOW Conferences ever. All involved deserve a big "THANK YOU!"

I could go on and on - but I won't. I would suggest that designers start planning now to attend the HOW Design Conference in Denver, June 6-9, 2010.

Note: Check out a bit more about my 2009 HOW Conference speaking experience in the bLog-oMotives entry A clown walks into a conference....

Looking back at the HOW Conference: Part 1

It's hard to believe the HOW Design Conference was taking place several weeks ago. The days have just flown by since returning from Austin. However, that time has given me an opportunity to reflect on the conference a bit.

My perspective is always a bit different than the average HOW Conference attendee. I have yet to attend a conference where I was not also a speaker. I've made a variety of presentations at conferences in New Orleans, San Diego, Chicago, Boston and now Austin. I was also a speaker at the last Creative Freelancer Conference in Chicago. My attendance at conferences in Las Vegas and Atlanta, where I was not scheduled to be a speaker, was preempted by my dealing with my past chronic vertigo.

There was no doubt that things were going to be different at the HOW Conference this year. We are all going through an unprecedented time in our lives, jobs and careers - and the design industry has been significantly impacted by the global economic issues.

While in Austin, I was asked to sit in on a roundtable (actually a rectangular table) discussion about the conference with HOW Magazine staff, long-time sponsors, attendees, speakers and executives from F+W Media (the parent company of HOW and all of its brand elements). It was great to have the opportunity to discuss past HOW Conference experiences, make suggestions of possible changes or improvements, and share impressions of the Austin experience up to that date. I was a bit stunned when asked if we thought attendance numbers for the conference were down due to Austin being the event location.

Huh?

Had the person making this query not heard of the current economy's impact on independent designers, small design firms, larger agencies and in-house departments? Taking everything into consideration, I think HOW did an incredible job bring so many designers - and sponsors - to Austin. In fact, in one of the large initial sessions over half the audience stood up when asked if they were attending a HOW Conference for the first time. That's amazing - especially in a time when the budgets of designers or in-house departments are being stretched to the limit.

I remember the surprising large number or attendees at the Chicago HOW Conference a few years ago. It seemed a bit overwhelming. I liked the very manageable size of Austin event. Smaller sized sessions allowed for greater personal interaction between speakers and attendees. That interaction extended to outside of the session rooms, where much of the most valuable conference networking takes place. The sponsor Resource Center was not so crowded that attendees could not view products or visit with representatives. The larger than usual HOW Conference Bookstore, with a good variety of products, provided a more enjoyable shopping experience than past in past years. It's not a HOW Conference without the official parties and - rather than being body-packed, panic attack triggering, sweat fests (I know some remember the bouncing, vibrating, scary dance floor in San Diego) - the music-filled Austin events were a lot of fun. F+W bean-counters may have been only concerned about the "numbers," but the Austin conference reminded me of the very successful smaller conferences of days gone by.

Austin was incredible as a conference location. Friends had always told me that I'd love Austin and that it "isn't like the rest of Texas." I'd never really understood that last statement until I'd arrived in the city. The food. The music. The hospitality of the people. However, this wimpy Pacific Northwest guy must say that the 105-107 heat was just a bit much...

Note: Check out a bit more about my 2009 HOW Conference speaking experience in the bLog-oMotives entry A clown walks into a conference.... You may also want to read Looking back at the HOW Conference: Part 2.

Healthcare Communicators of Oregon Conference
to host author/designer Jeff Fisher in Springfield

Author/designer Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, will be a guest speaker at the Spring Conference of the Healthcare Communicators of Oregon. The event will be held at the Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, OR on Friday, June 5.

Fisher's presentation, “No-cost, or Low-cost, Marketing Through Social Networking,” will assist attendees in wading through the large number of available online promotion options, tackling the cultivation of successful social networking relationships, and making use of tips and tricks to get the word out to friends, followers, contacts, media and others. A 30-year design veteran, Fisher makes regular use of social networking and social media to promote his design efforts, books, articles, speaking engagements and more.

Formed in 1985, Healthcare Communicators of Oregon (HCO) is a state-wide organization committed to helping health care communicators in Oregon and Southwest Washington fine tune their professional skills. HCO represents a cross-section of health care, advertising, marketing, public relations, and government affairs professionals.

More information about the Spring Conference is available on the Healthcare Communicators of Oregon website.

2009 HOW Design Conference registration opens

The web presence for the 2009 HOW Design Conference is live and now accepting registrations. The annual industry event will be held June 24-27 in Austin, TX.

Once again, Jeff Fisher - the Engineer of Creative identity for Portland-based Jeff Fisher LogoMotives - will be a speaker at the design gathering, with the social media/networking presentation "Why Pay For It When You Can Get It For Free?" Fisher is also a member of the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council.

Doing some "tooting" at Create Chaos 2008

I just returned from a quick trip to the Create Chaos 2008 conference in Orlando - where I was a speaker. I was only in town for about 36 hours, but managed to get a few of the event activities in during that time.

I thoroughly enjoyed the two keynotes I was able to attend. Bob Kodzis, of Flight of Ideas, was an inspiring speaker to initiate the week of conference activities. Lee Cockerell, retired Vice President of Walt Disney World Resort was able to keep an entire audience of "creative types" entertained with his PowerPoint-free presentation "You Can Create Magic, Too!" I've got his new book, Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney, on my wish list.

It was great to network with attendees and other speakers (especially coffee with designer Kitty Florido from Guatemala and my quick visit with Justin Ahrens of Rule29), pop in and out of a variety of sessions, and finally meet my incredible hosts Jerry Brown and Dani DeLapi of the conference organizing firm Brahn Communications. I also enjoyed the performance art presentation of the group DRIP at the welcoming reception - which was quickly moved indoors from poolside due to the wind and rain of a thunderstorm.

My well-attended Monday afternoon session, "Tooting Your Own Horn!," covered a wide variety of marketing and promotion methods for creatives. The handout I prepared for attendees presented just a few online resources - most I use myself in the promotion of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives and I am sharing them here.

PR Resources: • PRweb.com • PRLeap.com • FastPitchNetworking.com • HelpAReporterOut.com • I also mentioned Dexinger.com in my presentation as a great site to send design-related press releases for possible publication.

A Google search for "press release distribution" will result in a list of numerous free and fee-based distribution sources for press releases.

Networking links: • Facebook.com • MySpace.com • biznik.com • StartupNation.com • Twitter.com • Oddpodz.com • LinkedIn.com

Portfolio links: • designrelated.com • DesignerID.com • Logopond.com • Coroflot.com • Graphics.com • DesignHide.com • Flickr.com • Carbonmade.com • Ideas.Veer.com • LogoLounge.com

Design links: • Designers Who Blog • Creative Latitude • HOW Design • Business of Design online (BoDo) • Creative Business

Book suggestions:

BRAG! The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It, by Peggy Klaus

The Designer's Guide To Marketing And Pricing: How To Win Clients And What To Charge Them, by Ilise Benun and Peleg Top

The Graphic Designer’s Guide to Creative Marketing: Finding and Keeping Your Best Clients, by Linda Cooper Bowen

I wish I'd been able to stay in Orlando longer. However, previous engagements required that I jet back to the Pacific Northwest. I do look forward to future Create Chaos conferences.

I'm now a cartoon character...

Cartoonist, artist and writer Lloyd Dangle was one of the speakers at the recent 2008 Creative Freelance Conference in Chicago. When not making a presentation himself, he was busy at his sketchpad. I saw him doodling away during my own closing speech at the event. When I was finished, and came off the stage, Dangle handed me a personalized cartoon drawn - and based on one of my comments - while I was speaking to the conference attendees (above).

I was not the only conference presenter who became a cartoon character. Dangle created ink versions of Ilise Benun and Peleg Top of Marketing Mentor; PR and issues management specialist Joan Gladstone of Gladstone International; author, speaker, trainer and entrepreneur Lee Silber; Dyana Valentine, founder and principal of Creative Collaboration; and communicatrix Colleen Wainwright. HOW Magazine Editor Bryn Mooth also didn't escape the pen.

Dangle has posted his Creative Freelancer Conference cartoons in a Flickr set for all to view.

Check out the Creative Freelancer Conference blog for event followups, photos and links mentioned during presentations. More of Lloyd Dangle's cartoons may be seen on his website. I'm a big fan of his illustrations on the Airborne packaging.

Creative, battery-recharging, vacations
are a necessity - not a luxury

A large part of "Reaping the Rewards of Creative Independence" involves creating a well-defined balance in one's life. There does seem to be a tendency for independent creative professionals to work around the clock - especially when lots of work is coming in the door. As self-employed individuals, designers, writers, photographers and illustrators are not, for the most part, getting paid when not working. How does that situation allow for much needed vacations?

Vacations are not a luxury reserved for corporate cubicle inhibitors with great benefit packages. Annual holidays are a necessity for all workers. They are a time to share with loved ones and friends, reflect on past ups and downs in business, plan for the future of one's career, read a few good books, visit exotic locales and recharge one's "batteries."

Such escapes from the world of business do require advance planning - and occasional client hand-holding prior to the actual trip.

Nearly a decade ago, my partner, eight friends and I rented a 300-year-old villa in Italy for a month. The trip itself took a great deal of tactical scheduling. From a business perspective some financial planning was necessary to make everything happen without breaking the bank. A great deal of client "baby sitting" was required to prepare them for the fact I was going to be gone for just over 30 days. Project, marketing and advertising schedules needed to be coordinated around the dates of my adventure. For several months in advance it was necessary to remind my clients, on a weekly basis, of my impending departure. All of the early planning, and very agreeable clients, made the situation work out well. There were no major client emergencies or disasters. The world, and my design business, did not come to an end.

While abroad, I did make use of Internet cafes to check on emails that may not have been addressed by my simple automatic "out of office" reply. Very few required my immediate attention throughout the month-long vacation. Traveling with a gaggle of friends who owned businesses created a unique "business incubator" aspect to the trip. Being surrounded by the artistic, cultural and scenic beauty of Italy was the electric charge my creative juices needed to have a "jump start." My accountant even felt that a portion of my travel expenses qualified for consideration as legitimate "research and development" tax deductions. I returned to my design business refreshed and with a redirected sense of purpose.

With proof that being away from my home-studio for a month was possible, shorter trips (usually about two weeks) have become a regular occurrence at least twice a year over the past 10 years. There are most often opportunities each year to run away from home to a tropical locale, an overseas destination and several domestic getaway sites. Clients have learned I am not abandoning them. Projects are dealt with prior to my trips or scheduled around the dates. I do often inform clients that I will not be working on their projects a couple days prior to my leaving. With worldwide Internet access, crashing emergencies may be dealt with if necessary.

Of course, running my own business does also allow me to adjust the meeting of any business needs while on the road (or beach, or hammock, or pool lounge…). While residing in a Tuscan farmhouse last fall, I did allow myself daily early morning time to work cyberly on the promotion of my then soon-to-be released book, Identity Crisis! Each morning I would arise one to two hours earlier than my traveling partners and do the work I felt was required. I'd then prepare coffee as my partner and friends began to stumble downstairs. Our vacation time for the day would begin - without me being stressed about upcoming book promotion issues.

Just prior to leaving for the island of St. Croix this spring, I received a request for what appeared to be a fun identity project - with a fairly tight deadline. I explained to the potential client that I was leaving for two weeks. The organization representative responded that they really felt I was the designer to take on their project. I proposed accepting the contract to design the logo by putting in one or two hours of time each morning, prior to heading out to the pool with my pleasure reading book 'o the day. The client agreed, the effort worked out very well for all concerned, and I completely paid for my vacation by working while on vacation. This particular situation was another example of it being my business and I get to set the rules.

Most "independent creative professionals" take on that self-definition to embrace "creative independence." Still, some restrict themselves by using their business as an excuse for not enjoying their personal lives to the fullest by eliminating vacation travel as an option. Vacations are a must for any creative professional - and such trips can often be much less expensive than years of therapy!

This piece was originally posted on the Creative Freelancer Conference blog. Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, will make his presentation "Reaping the Rewards of Creative Independence" at the Creative Freelancer Conference, to be held August 27-29, 2008 in Chicago.

It's your business and you get set the rules

I'm amazed when I hear designers, and independent creatives, constantly complaining about the client who calls at all hours or sends emergency emails in the middle of the night. My immediate thought is: Why are you answering the business phone call, or responding to the midnight email missive, during personal time?

While there may no longer be real geographic boundaries to working independently, establishing a successful client relationship, and maintaining some degree of sanity, does require setting up parameters in regards to communications and time. Doing so may initially require some patience during the process of training your client.

Establish "office hours" for your business. The vast majority of businesses have set hours of operation. Why should yours be any different?

Early in my career, my office hours were 8:00 to 5:00; Monday through Friday. I certainly worked additional hours, but that didn't mean I had client contact before or after those times. In the summer I had "summer office hours" of Monday through Thursday; 8:00 to 5:00. I had no client contact on Fridays. It drove a few people crazy, but it's my business and I get to set the rules. Following Labor Day weekend I would revert back to the normal "office hours" and change my voice mail message to reflect that fact.

One year, after Labor Day, I went to change the message and suddenly realized that I didn't want to work (or at least have client contact on Fridays). My "summer office hours" have been my regular "office hours" for over a decade now. Again, it's my business and I get to set the rules.

A ringing phone doesn't require that you must answer it. That's why some brilliant person invented voice mail. My office hours determine when I will be answering my dedicated business line. If I'm busy with a project I may not answer the phone when it rings, but I will check my voice mail messages several times during the day and get back to the caller later. Caller ID, and dedicated rings for clients calling in, can also help keep business calls from infringing upon your personal life.

I don't have a cell phone. I had one for three months about 12 years ago and it drove me crazy. I hated being that connected. At that time, I'd run my business for about 18 years without a mobile phone and my business did just fine. Besides, I do love the look on a client's face when they ask for my cell number and I tell them I don't have one.

It's much the same with email. A client's perception that a 3:00 AM email is addressing an emergency situation doesn’t necessarily mean that it's a real emergency demanding immediate attention (as if you are actually sitting at your computer at such a time waiting for their email). I respond to client emails during my established office hours - and as timely as my schedule for that day allows.

Admittedly, there are exceptions to the "rules." An occasional true emergency may require an immediate response. I simply don't often find myself needing to respond to situations outside of my established hours of operation.

Being an independent creative does allow you to determine how you choose to establish the communication boundaries between clients and yourself. The limitations put in place may be very helpful in maintaining successful client relationships - and keeping any possible resentment of clients to a minimum. Remember; it's your business and you get set the rules.

Toot! Toot!*: Designer and author Jeff Fisher
to speak at Create Chaos 2008 conference

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland design firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, will be a speaker at the Create Chaos 2008 conference to be held October 13-17, 2008 at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, FL. In his session, Tooting Your Own Horn!, Fisher will share tips and anecdotes about promoting oneself through press releases, writing articles and books, making use of social networking and social media, blogging, design competition submissions, and being prepared when the media calls to give your business major exposure.

Create Chaos 2008 is a five-day creative industry destination event produced to inform, inspire, educate, and connect creative professionals across industries through an all-inclusive event. Create Chaos serves as a spark to ignite a new renaissance by bringing together creative professionals across industry boundaries including: graphic design, advertising, film and video production, animation, photography, printing, Web, and publishing professionals.

Produced by Brahn Awards & Events and partners, the Create Chaos experience features the following conferences and events: The Creative Suite Conference, Printing+Paper+Packaging Design Conference, The Vector Conference, Stash Theatre, CreativeHeads Job Fair, The Web Design Conference, MGFest, The Pixel Conference, and more.

Registration for Create Chaos 2008 is now live on www.createchaos.com. Attendees may register directly online, or download the physical registration form. There are a variety of registration options for attendees to choose from — full-conference registration, three-day registration or single-day registration — depending on areas of interest and budget. Prices and descriptions are all available online, along with a list of important pre-conference dates. This recession-busting conference reduces travel and registration costs by co-locating several conferences, allowing for All-Access, Full-Conference passes to be available for one price, with one badge.

Jeff Fisher has received nearly 600 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts. His work is featured in over 100 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing. He is a member of the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council and the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, and served on the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board. His latest book, Identity Crisis!: 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities into Successful Brands, was released in 2007 by HOW Books. His first volume, The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, appeared on bookstore shelves in late 2004.

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

A life lesson in working to live

Do you "live to work" or "work to live?" It's a question that every independent creative needs to ask themselves.

Years ago, at the age of 35, I found myself being defined by my doctor as a "heart attack waiting to happen." I was working an average of 70 to 80 hours a week - sometimes much more with late nights and working on weekends. Work consumed my life. My personal life was almost non-existent.

I had allowed myself to become the "design department" for an advertising agency client that suddenly represented at least 80% of my business and income. When the principal of the firm said "jump," I leapt into the sky without questioning the command. I was doing some great work, but I wasn't sleeping, not eating well and my blood pressure was dangerously sky high. In fact, when my physician checked my blood pressure - three times - he thought his equipment was broken.

The doctor sat down and asked, "What the hell is going on in your life?"

I told him.

He responded that I needed to resign the major, all-consuming client immediately or I was going to have serious health issues, possibly a heart attack. I was stunned - and immediately my mind went to concerns about money.

It was frightening to request a meeting with the owner of the business to inform her I could no longer handle all of her design work. However, she understood completely and actually apologized for her business causing me undue stress.

I was a little freaked out about the loss of income due to resigning the account. Still, within a very short period of time, I had five new clients with a very manageable project load. The income situation balanced out; as did my blood pressure - which dropped 30-some points in a month without medication. My personal life showed great improvement as well.

The entire situation was a great life lesson. It helped me re-evaluate how I, as an independent creative, had been letting my work rule my life - instead of enjoying the life available to me as a result of being my own boss.

Eliminating geographic boundaries to
your personal creative independence

Why do so many "creative types" create geographic boundaries for themselves when it comes to working independently? I'm constantly amazed by email, phone call and speaking engagement questions and comments from solo creatives related to what are perceived as the limitations of their local geographic markets.

Huh? I don't think I got the memo about the Federal government building walls around local communities to keep designers, writers, photographers and others trapped in their hometown environments.

Admittedly, when my initial Internet presence went live in 1998, my website was intended to primarily serve as a portfolio for a predominantly local clientele. I wasn't expecting email requests for information about my services from potential clients across the United States - and then from around the globe. Suddenly there were no restrictions to the target market for my business. In the decade since, 80-85% of my business has been for clients outside of the State of Oregon.

Most of that work has been accomplished cyberly. However, some has involved travel, and an even greater escape from the self-imposed boundaries of one's home studio or independent office. I enjoy travel and make the most of taking my portable "office" with me. Advancement in communication technology has resulted in added creative freedom. - whether working from a backyard garden or anywhere in the world.

So, set your mind - and body - free! Eliminate the geographic boundaries, or personal excuses, that may prevent you from true creative independence.

Jeff Fisher to speak at APNBA
Business District Association Conference

Tomorrow I'll be one of 14 speakers at the Business District Association Conference sponsored by the Alliance of Portland Neighborhood Business Associations (APNBA). Conference participants will hear the "best practices" of their fellow business districts, plus speakers from the business community, as they share insights into building, growing, and maintaining a thriving organization. The APNBA is an alliance of the 30+ business district associations (BDAs) in Portland. BDA members are the merchants, property owners, and employees in the commercial districts surrounding the downtown area of the city.

The topic of my presentation is "Projecting a professional association image." I'll be discussing making use of graphic design, and the services of professional or student designers, in presenting a professional, consistent public image for organizations and their sponsored events. Having an effective identity will be one element I will cover in my presentation. In part, that will include the need to sometimes redesign an identity, while taking into consideration aspects such as the emotional attachment to an existing logo, the historical perspective of the current design, and maintaining the essence of the message being conveyed by an image.

The APNBA presentation is a great example of how a designer can use a speaking engagement to promote one's work while educating a potential client base. Business conferences, Chamber of Commerce meetings, local business organizations, and other business-related events present great opportunities for a "creative type" to preach what one practices. The added bonus of a potential client may be an immediate result - I already have one before tomorrow's APNBA conference even commences.

Thanks HOW Design Conference session attendees!

There was great attendance at my 2008 HOW Design Conference session Planning, packaging and promoting yourself as the product. I enjoyed seeing a lot of familiar faces and meeting so many new people. I appreciate those who asked questions and the many who took the time to visit with me afterwards (in fact, I was a half hour late to my Identity Crisis! book signing at the HOW Conference Bookstore!).

In the past, I had not taken photos of the audience at my HOW Conference appearances and I'd always regretted it. So, it was fun asking attendees to squeeze together and say "smart-ass" for the camera.

As mentioned to a few of those attending, here are links to the blog entries covering the portfolio, social networking and social media sites discussed in my presentation:

Marketing design through online portfolios

Marketing through social networking and social media

This bLog-oMotives post is about my media kit:

Prepare for any marketing or promotion opportunity with a customizable 'media kit'

Some asked for information about my project agreement, or contract. Here's a link for you:

Signing on the dotted line...

For those who requested information about pricing considerations, here's another link:

How much should I charge?

For those who had questions about pro bono design work, here's a link to an article on the topic:

Designing pro bono projects for "win-win" results

Additional thanks to those stopping me in the halls of the conference, sending emails and posting on forums to express their thoughts on my presentation and books. It means a great deal to learn that what I am putting "out there" makes a difference in your business efforts and careers.

"The End" photo by ksavage

A "Made in Oklahoma" thank you

Last month I had a great experience traveling to Oklahoma City to speak to students in the design department at Southern Nazarene University, design students at Oklahoma Christian University and members of AIGA Oklahoma. I spoke about the profession of graphic design, marketing oneself as a designer and my book Identity Crisis! 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands. One thing I've repeatedly told others about the visit is how incredibly welcoming and friendly people were everywhere I went.

This past week I had a wonderful surprise when a big package arrived with an Oklahoma City postmark. It was a box filled with "Made in Oklahoma" products, and thank you notes and cards, from Southern Nazarene design instructor Whitney Porch and her incredible students.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my Shooting Star Farms Harvest Tortilla Chips and Chipotle Salsa. I look forward to using the Pepper Creek Farms Mesquite Barbecue Sauce and South of the Border Dip Mix. The Prairie Gypsies' Prairie Fire Jam looks really interesting - I always enjoy hot and spicy food products. For right now, I've hidden the Bedre's Chocolates cowboy hat and map of Oklahoma from myself and others. The cards and notes were a fantastic addition to the gift package.

What a great surprise and fun way to say "thank you." I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of the gift.

Oklahoma Christian reports on recent visit

You just never know where your blog comments may end up. My post about recent Oklahoma City speaking engagements got some attention from the Oklahoma Christian University "Campus Community" site and some traffic has been coming bLog-oMotives way. The mention also includes a link to a slide show of some examples of the great student work being produced at OCU.

AIGA OK is much more than just O.K.

I just wanted to share what a great time I had last week, accepting the invitation of AIGA Oklahoma to speak before before their membership and students of two Oklahoma City area college design departments. My host for the trip was Brian Mays, president of the AIGA chapter.

I first "met" Brian on a design newsgroup about seven years ago. For the past couple of years he's hinted at getting me to Oklahoma City to speak to the revived AIGA OK group. Well, last week it happened.

On Wednesday I flew out to OKC (of course, my luggage went to Dallas, Texas!) and Brian picked me up at the airport. He checked me in at the The Grandison Inn (a great B&B), took me out to lunch and then to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. A long-time collector of Western memorabilia, I really enjoyed the museum - especially the Charles Russell art exhibit. That evening I met several of the AIGA Board members for dinner and drinks at RedPin - a new restaurant and bowling lounge. We drove by the National Memorial - which was really impressive with the glowing chairs representing those killed in the Federal Building bomb blast (below left). Later board member Suzanne Green took me back out to the airport to pick up my stray luggage - which came in on a totally different airline from Texas.

Thursday was a busy day. In the morning I spoke to the majority of the graphic design students from Southern Nazarene University It's a fairly new program with incredibly enthusiastic instructors and students. I especially enjoyed meeting Marcia Feisal, Chair of the Art and Design Department, and Adjunct Professor Whitney Porch. After making an identity design presentation at the university, I went out to lunch with Brian and a group of the students.

My mid-afternoon engagement was at Oklahoma Christian University for reviews of four very impressive graduating senior portfolios and another presentation to a large group of design students. Department Chair Michael O'Keefe heads a very thorough and strong design program at the school.

After a quick freshening up at the B&B, it was then off to the great public space and auditorium facility at the offices of The Oklahoman - the newspaper and media corporation where Brian Mays works - for a reception and my presentation with the largest audience of the day. I signed posters and a lot of copies of my book Identity Crisis! - and The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success - and met many wonderful people.

In the middle of the night I heard freezing rain hitting the windows of the B&B and was a little concerned about my early morning flight back to P-land. However, by the time Brian picked me up at about 5:30 the roads were clear and he got me to airport with no problems. It was a relaxing, uneventful and sunny trip back home.

The entire trip was a very enjoyable - and somewhat exhausting - venture. It was really a pleasure getting to meet Brian and the rest of the AIGA gang. He was an amazing host and I really appreciate all he did. Any design industry speaker making the trip to Oklahoma City could easily get very spoiled by the Oklahoma AIGA group!

I'll be speaking at the 20th annual Portland
Community College Art Beat on Thursday

Today, May 7, marks the start of Portland Community College's 20th annual Art Beat Week. I will be speaking about my 30-year graphic design career, and various aspects of identity design, Thursday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. in the Little Theater on the Sylvania Campus - 1200 S.W. 49th Avenue, Portland, OR 97219.

The celebration of art, dance, music, literature and theater includes dozens of events at all three PCC campuses and the Southeast Center. All events are free, and all are welcome. Even parking is free during Art Beat Week. Schedules of activities may be found at the following venue links: Cascade • Rock Creek • Southeast Center • Sylvania.

In addition to the scheduled speakers and presentations, each year PCC acquires a piece of work from an area artist to add to the Art Beat collection. The paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, textiles and photography are usually dispersed among the PCC campuses and not always easy to view. This year, to celebrate Art Beat's twentieth anniversary, PCC has brought together the entire collection. The Art Beat exhibition opens at Rock Creek and will then travel to the Sylvania and Cascade campuses - check the venue links above for exhibition dates and locations.

I look forward to meeting any local graphic design professionals and students. Stop by and introduce yourself if you attend my presentation.

Poster design by Linnea Noreen Gruber

Musings on underwear and "tooting" in Spokane

Quite a few times a year I am asked to make presentations on various aspects of the design business to education or business groups around the country. This past week I was invited to make two presentations in Spokane, WA. The flight up to Spokane, on Tuesday evening, was beautiful. The plane left Portland on a crystal clear day and flew up between Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams - with St. Helens putting on a little show with a steam plume. I was surprised at the size of Spokane as we arrived in the city. I hadn't been in the area since I was a teenager and it's grown just a bit.

Spokane Advertising Federation President Dean Davis picked me up at the airport and delivered me to the beautiful Spokane Athletic Club - my home for the night. After getting settled I went for a walk around the vibrant downtown area; checking out the Spokane Falls and the historic Davenport Hotel. Back at the athletic club I took a quick steam bath to clear my allergy-stuffed head, grabbed an incredible burger in the bar and crashed for the night.

Bright and early I was picked up and driven to the Spokane Falls Community College campus. Design instructor Greg Stiles gave me a complete tour of the impressive design department facilities, showed me examples of great student work, and prepared me for my presentation. In addition to Spokane Falls design students, I was speaking to students from the Eastern Washington University Visual Communication Design program. It was pleasure to meet Assistant Professor Mindy Breen, who was responsible for writing the grant to cover my visit, and I enjoyed learning more from her (and department instructor Tom Couraud) about the EWU program. Hopefully I will be able to check out their facilities in person in the future.

The topic of my discussion was Designing in my Underwear: Briefs on a career, the original vetoed title proposal for my book The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success. I shared anecdotes about my career, online resources of value to students beginning their careers, portfolio suggestions for new designers and answered numerous questions posed by the attentive audience. Greg Stiles told me he was especially pleased when I told the students "As you leave school behind, the door of that learning experience will hit you in the ass and your actual design education will begin."

Then it was off to my next presentation at the stunning Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. I wish I'd had time to check out the entire museum and its exhibits. After grabbing a quick sandwich, it was time to speak to the members of the Spokane Advertising Federation. My topic, Tooting Your Own Horn, was probably a refresher course for many of the attendees - but I gave it that "it's better to be a smart ass, than a dumb ass" spin. I really enjoyed the time spent with the group and met some great people.

Following the luncheon presentation, group president and professional photographer, Dean Davis (you really should check out his work) got to "babysit" me for a couple hours before I jetted back to Portland. He took me to his wonderful commerical condo space in a renovated brick produce warehouse. The studio was in a bit of turmoil as it was becoming a gallery for an exhibition of "tramp art" sculptures and installations by Spokane artist Tim Lord. Dean and I escaped the studio and went to scout a location for his photo shoot the next day of pollinating red oak trees (not that I really needed a good dose of pollen). It was a great opportunity to see more of Spokane and enjoy the warm spring day.

When we returned to his studio, Dean took me upstairs to the offices of Klündt Hosmer Design - where his very talented spouse, designer Judy Heggem-Davis, happens to work. (By the way, "Happy Birthday" Judy!). I had the opportunity to meet most of the Klündt Hosmer gang, including principles Rick Hosmer and Darin Klündt. Darin was responsible for me speaking in Spokane. He recommended me after having seen me speak at the 2005 HOW Design Conference. Thanks to everyone at Klündt Hosmer for making me feel so welcome, for the copy of your new direct mail piece and for the popsicle!

Back downstairs in his studio, Dean shared some of one of his 40th birthday bottles of wine with me and then it was off to the airport. My visit to Spokane was just about 24 hours. It seemed much longer as so much was packed into the limited stay. I look forward to returning again - and now have many reasons to do so. Thanks to everyone who made my visit so enjoyable. Special thanks to Greg Stiles, Mindy Breen and Dean Davis for their efforts in putting together my Spokane adventure.

Kevin Carroll and a cup of "joe"

While not a huge fan of Starbucks, the mega-corporation gulping up the coffee business around the world (I will never forgive them for what they did in buying my favorite coffee company, Torrefazione Italia, and shutting down all the cafes. I can't even bring myself to buy the beans now marketed in grocery stores under the name. And don't get me started about their corporate grinding of Astoria, OR coffee shop owner Sam Buck...), I have always been able to appreciate the company's effective use of graphic design. advertising and marketing. And now, a quote from someone I've met is on coffee cups at Starbucks.

Kevin Carroll is a force of nature. If you've never seen him speak, find out where he will be next and attend. This guy will "suck the air out of the largest room" (a term a friend once used to describe my sister's energy level) with his passion, enthusiasm and verbalized thoughts. If you haven't read his book, Rules of the Red Rubber Ball: Find and Sustain Your Life's Work, get yourself a copy as soon as possible. In fact, go to the web site of his company, The Katalyst Consultancy for all kinds of great information and to sign up for his monthly newsletter.

Kevin is full of words of wisdom. Now, a morsel of his advice is part of a campaign initiated by Starbucks to encourage conversation and interaction between its customers. Through their "The Way I See It" program, quotations by notable figures have been printed on cups and distributed via 17 million coffee drinks across North America. The Kevin Carroll quote, on cup #77, is:

The human catalysts for "dreamers" are the teachers and encouragers that "dreamers" encounter throughout their lives.� They are invaluable in the quest to turn ideas into reality.� So here's a special thanks to all of the teachers - especially my teacher, Miz Lane!

I've got my own Kevin story. Kevin made me famous - or perhaps, infamous. At the 2004 HOW Design Conference in San Diego, I was lamenting (OK, I was bitching and moaning) to Kevin and my friend Karen Larson (of design firm Larson Mirek) about the fact that my presentation was the last one of a long day. Known for occasionally working in my home office in my underwear, I said "Maybe I should do my presentation in my underwear to wake people up." Kevin's eyes lit up, and he flashed his famous grin, as he yelled "Do it!" Karen soon joined his enthusiasm after initial head-shaking. Then Kevin gave me one additional little piece of advice: "Have one glass of wine before making your presentation to take the edge off." Later that day I got rid of that "edge" - and then my shoes, shirt and pants as I made my presentation. My performance was a huge hit -and to this day I take great pleasure in blaming (and crediting) Kevin Carroll for my actions. I also thank him for his encouragement.

Damn...I may even need to go get a grande latte at Starbucks to support Kevin's thought about teachers...and my thanks to elementary school teacher Tom Tyler, high school art instructor Ken Collins and university journalism/design professor Roy Paul Nelson.

Photo: The Katalyst Consultancy

Preaching what you practice: Speaking in graphic tongues to the masses

Outside of the creative industries, graphic design is seldom a religious experience for most people in the business world. In fact, a great number of professionals in other industries probably don't have a clue what you, as a designer, do for a living - or what you may be capable of contributing to the success of their own businesses. Yes, it's sacrilege.

One of the most effective, inexpensive and under-used methods of converting these naivetes - or total disbelievers in some cases - is putting yourself in front of a congregation to speak about what your profession entails and how those in the pews can benefit from the knowledge you are willing to share.

Read the rest of this article, about promoting your design business through public speaking, at Creative Latitude.

Mailbag

Whistle Stops

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Tootin' the Horn

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Destinations

Identity Design Tracks

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The Lounge Car

Booking Adventures

Previous Engagements

Competition Judging