Wednesday, March 14, 2012

14 Proven Ways to Find Graphic Design Clients

This is a wonderful, comprehensive list from graphic designer Sheila Patterson with 14 tips to find more clients. Sometimes it can be hard to have the confidence to market oneself as a designer, having the guts to talk yourself up, go door-to-door, whatever it takes to build up that initial client list. This list will definitely help challenge the introvert in all of us to get out there and show people who we are and what we can do!

http://www.sheilapatterson.com/sliders/14-proven-ways-to-find-clients/

Friday, March 9, 2012

Taking "Mini-Risks": The Practice of Uncertainty










Here is a very interesting article I found today on Jonathan Fields' written by guest author Emilie Wapnick. Emile is a "writer, coach, violinist, filmmaker, law school graduate, and web designer. She works with multipotentialites to help them build lives and businesses around ALL their interests." First off, Emilie's approach appeals to as a designer as my tastes and talents are varied and numerous. Perhaps this is due to the fact that designers like living in the grey area of grey matter, between the right and left sides of the brain, balancing the analytic and global brainwaves. Who knows. One thing I do know is that it is difficult to weave the web of my life, career, and artistic endeavors sometimes because there is just so much I am interested and want to do.

Recently, I have been grappling with confidence. Confidence in my talents, my career choices, my ability to make it all work somehow. This is normal for someone who, not but a year ago, decided to go "all in" and work for herself. I have learned thus far that selling myself is not my forte, that networking can be excruciating for a shy girl, and that no one is going to do it for me. I have to dig deep and do it for myself, or face the prospect of no work. Enter the idea of mini-risks.

In her article, Emile describes mini risks as being ways to "embrace uncertainty in small ways throughout the day." Her rationale is that by doing things that make us just slightly uncomfortable and stretching ourselves, it becomes easier to do those things that are seemingly impossible. The theory being that if we stay small, shrunken inside our shells of self-doubt and fear, we will never attempt to go big.

You can read the full article here:
http://www.jonathanfields.com/blog/how-to-pick-up-a-stranger-or-produce-brilliant-work/
You can find out more about the author Emilie Wapnick on her site Puttylike: http://puttylike.com/
And check out her book "Renaissance Business" here: http://puttylike.com/renaissance-business/

Thursday, March 1, 2012

21st Century Design: Shaping Behavior for Preferrable Outcomes


21st Century Design from Artefact on Vimeo.

Designers are now armed with a growing set of persuasive techniques for shaping behavior. But with great power comes great responsibility. Check out this very informative article from Rob Girling about the inherent power and ethical responsibility that comes with being a designer, a profession built on influencing people's power of choice.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669055/designs-next-frontier-nudging-consumers-into-making-better-life-choices?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter