Success!

Being a Graphic Designer for a company is challenging, but making it out there on your own as a freelance designer can bring on more challenges than you can imagine. You must be organized and confident in your self and make your work your passion!  I found an article in which 10 steps are given so that you can become a successful freelance designer.  So take a look at this condensed version and check out the website for more in-depth explanation on how to be successful! Enjoy!

10 steps to becoming a successful freelance designer

1.    Brand yourself.

2.    Create an effective online portfolio.

3.    Create an equally effective print portfolio, business cards, resume, etc.
 
4.    Be brave, bold, and professional.
 
5.    Go the extra mile for your customers.

6.    Take the small jobs first. 

7.    Don’t underestimate yourself. 

8.    Network.
 
9.    Practice, practice, practice. 

10.    Pay attention.

Improve your Online Graphic Design Portfolio TODAY!

In many specialties one thing that never changes is that one must have an outstanding portfolio.  Your portfolio needs to be amazing and have something that no one else has to stand out and land that big job, client or perhaps even a spot at a graduate school.  Graphic Designers are no different and with today's technology having an Online Graphic Design Portfolio is a must have.  I came across a great article in which it gave us "7 Tips For Improving Graphic Design Portfolios"


1. Create a One Page Portfolio
2. Keep Your Portfolio Up to Date
3. Take Multiple Photos of Print Work
4. Provide Live Demos of Web Work
5. Make Your Contact Info Easy to Find
6. Offer Multiple Forms of Contact
7. Show Customer Testimonials or Previous Clients     

 


 Keep these top 7 tips in mind while creating and updating your Online Graphic Design portfolio and you are sure on your way to a successful future!  

Top Fonts

Top 5 Fonts Used by Graphic Designers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Helvetica

2. Trajan

 

3. Garamond

4. Futura

 

5. Bodoni

 

Diverse Groups Take On Social Media

 By Lindsey M. Musch

         As with any group or individual, social media is all about branding and making a name for yourself or your group.  And this is exactly what Christian artists, especially musicians take advantage of.  Some of the positives of social media for this diverse group are to reach out to their audience, which would be Christians in a quick and convenient manner.  According to an article I came across, the author states,

“I believe with the rising statistics of people online and on social media sites, that there is an incredible opportunity to connect "one on one" with people with your Christian music promotional plan. YouTube is a must have for any aspiring Christian music artist. Facebook with its Fan pages, business and group pages is one other great outlet.  Then you have Twitter and the other rising social media sites.” 

            With all good there comes bad, and what would a positive experience with diverse groups on new media be without its negative counterpart?  The biggest negative to Christian artists being on social media would be backlash or other groups such as other religions bashing them for something they produced online.  This does not only affect Christian artists or musicians, it affects any diverse group that is putting themselves openly out there online.  Is it right?  Absolutely not, however, if you put yourself out there, especially online, you are bound and determined to get some negative feedback.

          A Nashville Social Media Marketing Agency published an article in which the author writes,

“Marketing your Christian music whether it be independent or more mainstream Christian worship music, is increasingly much easier and inexpensive with the increasing ability to leverage social networking and consumer word of mouth.”  

 Thus, you can see how this diverse group has experienced power with social media.  By using social media outlets such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook to spread the word of their music and messages it gives them power as a group to become stronger and creates a positive outcome.

            Are you apart of a diverse group that has indulged in the social media world?  What are your positive and negative experiences?

Small Town Girl, Big Time Career

christine mau

BRAND DESIGN DIRECTOR, KIMBERLY-CLARK

Christine lives and works in a small town in Wisconsin, however her knowledge, skills and passion have made a BIG splash in the design world!  In Graphic Design USA she is on the list of People to Watch in 2011.  For more information on Christine and how she has made a name for herself check out  an additional article entitled Woman to Watch.  

NPR Music: Facebook Presence

 By Lindsey M. Musch

After time spent searching around online I found an article in which they explain to the audience “what’s next” for Facebook in terms of future features and interactivity.  This article was rather interesting in what is coming next and is recently available to Facebook users.  Also, I was asked to review a Facebook presence, which I quickly found NPR Music, which is a non-profit organization who uses many social networking sites to make a name for themselves but especially has a great Facebook presence.

            I would succinctly describe NPR Music as a non-profit organization that dedicates its Facebook presence to anything in relation to music, especially new artists as well as interviews and videos.  The organized objective here is clearly all about music, from new music and artists to live concerts to videos.

            This organization has definitely integrated itself within many of the Web 2.0 features.  NPR Music has a Twitter account which I follow them on.  They are always tweeting links to new songs and artists as well as making a huge presence on Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.

                        The article I reviewed, entitled Facebook's next big media move: Comments, would indeed have an impact the presence of NPR Music.  The article starts off by stating, 

“Facebook is planning to launch a third-party commenting system in a matter of weeks, according to multiple sources familiar with the new product. This new technology could see Facebook as the engine behind the comments system on many high-profile blogs and other digital publications very soon.”

            According to this article NPR Music could benefit from this “next” big thing because there are always people commenting on links, videos and articles that NPR Music posts on their Facebook walls.  This will increase the ability to comment on NPR Music’s Facebook page, which will increase traffic as well as interest.

      Do you feel NPR Music has made a positive presence within the “new media” world?  Can you name other organizations that have such a presence?

David Carson "Father of Grunge"

 By Lindsey M. Musch

      Every profession has industry leaders and those that we are inspired by.  One of these people is David Carson, who is an American graphic designer who is often referred to as the “Father of Grunge” and is the creator of Generation X’s new standard for type.
      Carson's career began after he became a professional surfer which helped him in his creation of six issues of a surfing magazine.  These issues were just the beginning of many projects that have displayed Carson's one of a kind design style.
     There are many websites, blogs, even YouTube videos that share Carson's experience and work. Carson himself is not shy about sharing his secrets to success.

       Regardless if Carson is your cup of tea or not, any designer can appreciate his dedication and work, which he continued to develop through many projects in the 90's including ones for big-name corporations such as MTV Global, Kodak and Nine Inch Nails.
     Carson has been quoted on numerous occasions to have said,

“The message that the type sends, I feel, is as important as what it is saying. When those work together, you’ve got really strong communication.”

     David Carson is an innovator and should inspire any graphic designer and all should explore his work so one can become a better designer themselves.
     In the end, whether the work of the designer is clean, grungy, structured, or wild, a good graphic designer would be wise to follow the advice of David Carson:

“Trust your gut. Do what you love. Life’s to important to be taken seriously.”

Do you agree with David Carson's work?  Is there a "Father" of your profession that has gone off the beaten path?