Promoting Self Promotion
Last week, Lynda/LinkedIn.com released my course, Running a Design Business, Self Promotion. I had a great time writing this course. After 25+ years in the field being called a media whore, it was nice to lay some of the tips on the table, and pass the knowledge on to others. How to get published, how to build your brand, what to avoid, and when to reinvent are some of the topics.
Rather than turning to other designers for examples of self promotion work, I created a new one. I wanted the viewer to have a sense of how one brand is created, managed, and disseminated throughout a career. Susanna Walker became my new designer. I have several Susanna Walker's in my families history, but they were typically nicknamed Sukey. I considered creating a new firm, Cutsie Pie Dezigns, with a "z", or Flbberty Gibbet Design, but there were too many letters.
Susanna needed work to populate her website and printed matter, so I designed a body of work. Then I played it out over her career, from youthful exuberance to mature confidence. I ended up liking Susanna Walker. I may hire her to do some work for me. Or I may start the firm, Cutsie Pie Dezigns and create heinous work, then see what happens. Could I promote a firm that traffics in work for Precious Moments figurines?
What not to do.
Precious Moments, if you didn't know.
