Stir things up a bit: Voice your opinion and seek public debate and critique of your ideas, not just your designs. Of course, this is dependent on you having ideas in the first place. If you don’t, the best policy is to say nothing and let people read you as a deep thinker. If you do, try not to be too bombastic – you’ve been wrong before.
Creative companies have a hard time finding creative people. The upshot is that when they do find someone who’s both talented and friendly, they’re likely to want to hold onto them. And more importantly, to recommend them. So, take the opportunity to do freelance work from your employer’s studio, contracts allowing. Make friends and they’ll soon be pimping your CV for you.
Work with the best and benefit by mutual association. Creative people spark when they are brought together. The results can be amazing, particularly since first-contact collaboration often involves non-commercial pieces intended to explore some common theme. Not only with the work speak volumes for both parties, there’s no need to feel self-conscious about singing the praises of your fellow creative.
People rarely keep an eye on every website they’ve ever found interesting, so occasionally they need a prod to get them surfing. A regular e-newsletter will do that for you. People always check their emails, so if you actually are doing something interesting they’ll come around sharpish. However you need to keep the content concise and interesting and not just all about you the wider context of your work and your studio.
Think about it: what’s one of the first things people look for once they’ve clocked a masterpiece? The signature. Be discreet with it but try to do it whenever possible. by tying your name and work together, people will begin to get a better picture of what you do and therefore when they should call you for help.
If you can’t get there yourself, why not send a little something to keep your work fresh in people’s minds? First, think about who you’re trying to reach and what they might enjoy receiving, as the expense of producing and sending an item will be wasted if it’s inappropriate or feels like junk mail. With that proviso, people love getting stuff in the post. Plus sending out physical mailers is a good excuse to ring the person. maybe set up that face to face.
Publishers sometimes invite open submissions for their titles, so submitting work to these books and magazines is a great way of getting your work into people’s hands. This item then becomes a useful promotional tool in itself. And if your the kind of restless creative mind who produces all sorts of self-initiated work, it’s not even going to demand a great deal of extra graft.
Always be prepared to stand up for what you believe in, but make sure you’re the kind of person people enjoy hanging out with. Don’t just pick fights for the sake of it. If you are a pleasure to work with then your clients will enjoy the experience and they will recommend you. It’s as simple as that. Recommendation is a great way to get work and if you stick to your guns clients will also respect and trust you too. As long as your right that is.
You can’t just expect others to notice your inherent brilliance. No amount of social networking can replicate the power of human contact. Meet people face to face wherever possible and explain what makes you different. It’s impossible to convey your passion through the written world alone, so get yourself along to your favourite studios, press some flesh and put your face about.
If your promotional efforts are going to pay off, they have to be leading to a consistent point – that is your brand. Colour schemes, typography, logo and tone are a few examples that can be used to bring consistency to how people perceive you. You have to know what you’re selling. Once you have that clear in your head, it will be much easier to devise clever promotional campaigns.