Thanks!

There are lots of tweets going on at the AIGA PIVOT Design conference. If you want to go back later and see the stuff you missed here is the live blog recap starting on Saturday, October 15, 2011.

Enjoy!

I’m usually the one doing the interviewing. But in Kelly Kingman‘s new book, I sat down with her to discuss how design firms hire photographers. Our chat covered tips for submitting photographer portfolios (a lot of my tips apply to designers, too), working with art directors, do’s and don’ts for how to get noticed and working with clients.

Kelly has a fun and casual interview style. The book is full of tips and plenty of guidance for new photographs. Reading it feels like you are chatting with a seasoned pro giving out hard-earned advice. And Fervor Creative‘s work is displayed throughout the book with our insights on working with photographers.

For a limited time, buy it from Digital Photography School for $29.99. If you have questions or want to chat with Kelly, finder her on Twitter. Thanks!

The HOW Design Conference is taking place in Chicago right now. Last time it took place in Chicago I was just entering into the design profession. It was my first design conference and still many years later I continue to see the lasting effects the event had on my career.

Sadly, I’m not headed out to Chicago this month. Instead, I’ve sicked my live blogging tool Cover It Live on the Twitter feeds coming out of the Windy City. Feel free to peruse the conversation at your own pace.

Thanks!

Now at least we can pretend I’m there and look up something later if needed. Enjoy!

*Update: I posted these notes to Notesee, a place to catalog and share your own conference notes. They made me MPV of the day. Thanks, Joel!

**Update: Sam reposted these notes on her website after I posted them to Notesee. Go to SEO Penguin to read more and learn about her work! Thanks for spreading the word Sam!

Thanks for reading!

Taken from http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158972450801634

The idea behind Spirit Day, first created by teenager Brittany McMillan earlier this month, is a simple one, not dissimilar to the idea of “Spirit Week” held in many high schools, and can be summed up in three words: Everyone Rally Together.

Spirit Day honors the teenagers who had taken their own lives in recent weeks. But just as importantly, it’s also a way to show the hundreds of thousands of LGBT youth who face the same pressures and bullying, that there is a vast community of people who support them.

Purple symbolizes ‘spirit’ on the rainbow flag, a symbol for LGBT Pride that was created by Gilbert Baker in 1978.

Wearing purple on October 20 is a simple way to show the world that you stand by these courageous young people and a simple way to stand UP to the bullies. Remember those lives we’ve tragically lost, and show your solidarity with those who are still fighting. ‘Go Purple’ today!

On 10/20/2010 at 6:30 p.m. our community will be meeting at Cityscape, located at 11 West Washington Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, for a candlelight vigil. This is a peaceful get together to remember the young lives that have been lost. In support of this evening, we ask everyone in attendance to wear purple to show our solidarity within the community. We must make a stand that bullying cannot and will not be tolerated any longer.

Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools. RIP Tyler Clementi, Asher Brown, Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase and Billy Lucas. You are loved.

Join this event and invite everyone on your friends list. Don’t let their deaths be for nothing. Let it mean something, and let’s do something to change this country for once.

Here are some people you know talking about this issue. Stand tall, be proud of who you are.

Thanks!

I’m wearing purple to end anti-LGBT bullying. Make your Twitter avatar purple and change your background to raise awareness. Twibbon was down early today so I created this New Twitter -friendly background and avatar template for you to use. I enclosed the PhotoShop file in a zip file so you can reuse it or update tomorrow. Download the PSDs and jpgs in this zip file.

This video explains how the Phoenix Design Week (PHXDW) staff used social media to promote and organize a full week of design-based exhibits, celebrations, and a two-day conference in Phoenix. I discuss my involvement and a little back-story on how I was approached to be the volunteer coordinator.

Here’s a recap of the ways in which we used social media.

Organization

• used Basecamp to collaborate on processes online
• Twitter used to distribute information
• used YouTube to communicate with large volunteer base
• Facebook invites were used to spread the conference schedule
• Twitter lists used to connect volunteers with one another
• Twitter lists used to promote conference speakers and organizers
• Google Docs used to collaborate on scheduling matters

Promotion

• pre-scheduled tweets for events and exhibits
• teaser photos and videos “leaked” online
• conference schedule “leaked” online two weeks before the conference
• consistently used hash tags to promote the week and conference #PHXDW #FORWARD2010
• used Eventbrite for conference registration (option to tweet/Facebook that you were going instantly once registration was processed)
• Facebook “Like” feature used to judge poster contest
• Twitter “re-tweets” used to judge design battles
• Promotion page on website housed general info, avatar “twibbons”, info for blog blitz

Conference

• pre-scheduled tweets promoting key-note speakers
• used Twitter to advertise updates in the schedule
• used Twitter for announcements and clarifying common questions
• live-blogging on the website showed a minute-by-minute account of attendees tweets and comments (also this is archived)
• “Check-in” areas created for exhibits and conference

The entire staff of PHXDW was social media savvy. So this is just the beginning. We will use the data from this year and then focus on growing our volume/reach, increase engagement, and aim for a higher conversion of attendees. I can’t wait!

What social media tips and tricks do you have for promoting and running an event?

“I am terrified of this industry…isn’t that stupid?” This is what my friend, a current graphic design student said about our profession. I find our industry and design community to be active and fun, filled with visionaries, entrepreneurs and go getters.

But for the 45 minutes following his remark we talked about his fears and I offered some tips and insights on graduating from design school and getting a design job. Here’s a recap of that conversation.

My school’s image

“My school hasn’t presented a positive image…” I hear this from students across the nation and he said it early on in our talk. Every school has a completely different program and some seem to stress areas of our profession over others. There’s a lot to learn and it’s difficult to cram into a few short years. Schools seem to garner reputations. You’ll hear some schools only teach their students software, things like that. But the truth of the matter when it comes to schools is: you can only get out of it what you put into it. If you think you’re not getting a certain kind of education, then fill in that deficiency. The way I did it was to attended a few colleges which is probably a little extreme. But I wanted to ensure I had a well-rounded education. And I loved it! I had fun living in different cities, meeting different people and learning from my professors.

Keep in mind that when you graduate, you’re not only competing with your classmates, but all other schools and out of work designers. Your portfolio needs to be the best. Do something different in addition to what’s required and you’ll be fine. Employers are looking for problem solvers, a creative mind, self-learners and team players. But most importantly they are looking for a perfect fit. They want not only the best designer but someone who can fill in the blanks. So you’ll need to show them you can do that.

On the interview and portfolio

Practice interviewing. Think of common questions an employer would ask and write them down. Google it to find different scenarios and find commonly asked questions. Then sit down with someone and practice coming into an interview, going through the questions, and presenting your portfolio. The goal is to become comfortable in the situation so your real interview will feel natural and you feel confident.

If your practice interviewer is not a designer, give them a cheat sheet of things to point out or ask so you can talk shop with industry terms.

Your handshake should be strong. Hold eye contact until your interviewer break it and lets go of your hand. Hold it longer than you think is necessary. Then hold it even longer. Practice the handshake again and again.

Don’t carry a huge portfolio. Your work should fit in your briefcase. Photograph your work and don’t carry the original comps. You only need to highlight the parts that tell a story. Take a look at design studios you like and see how they present their work. You want your work to be better than theirs since you wan them to hire you.

Attend every AIGA portfolio review you can. Even if you’re not ready to leave school, the practice and networking experience is invaluable. You’ll meet potential employers and get real world advice about your work in progress.

Design is a business

Remember that design is a business. Think of yourself as a business person first and a designer second. Market yourself like a product. Make it easy for employers to contact you on your website. Design is what you do, but you can’t work for a studio or company if people don’t know about you. Plus, marketing yourself well shows how well you can apply design principals to a real world product – you.

Your website

Don’t hind behind web forms. People want to speak with you so post your phone number and email in addition to a form. Let people contact you in a way that they feel comfortable, not what’s easier for you.

Post your photo. If people don’t know who you are or see your smiling face it’s hard for them to evaluate your personality.

Proof read

Proof read everything. Hire a copywriter. When I was a student I traded portfolio proofing for design and branding services. I couldn’t afford it when I was in school and trade is a mutually beneficial situation. My work was free of typos and my copywriters’ visual identities elevated their own level of professionalism.

Studio tours

AIGA offers occasional studio tours in every major city. Drop whatever you’re doing that day to attend them. They are that important and worth your time and investment. When you visit the offices, don’t just chat with the tour guide. Chat with the person who greets you at the door and and the employees of the studio. They will give you a honest impression of what it’s like to work there. If they are not happy despite the historical prestige of the shop, you won’t be happy working there either.

Social media

You can sign up for any AIGA chapter’s mailing list, Facebook page or Twitter account. Keep tabs on a few cities to find the right community for you. You can follow any company on LinkedIn, too. It will tell you who works there along with any new hires and past employees.

On your competition

There are always going to be better designers than you. But no one can be who you are. So be yourself. Be kind, nice and loving. Treat people well and others will notice it. Pay no attention to people who try to bring you down. Place yourself around people who are doing good and amazing things. Find friends that are creative in any industry. My personal favorite are drag queens and musicians. Their confidence is contagious.

On surviving design school

Do what’s required to get through school, but push yourself to do more. Schools can only offer you basic building blocks to start your career. But you need to do the rest.

I hope these tips help you get that design job you’ve always wanted. If you already have a design job, do you have tips of your own to share? Feel free to add them as a comment and share these tips with other designers and students.

Thanks.

Here are some things I’ve learned so far. Take these tips and run with them. Why should you listen to me you ask? Well, for one thing my business card title has “Social Media” on it. No joke, I hustled enough to get it. And second, I just had 3 people write to me on the same day last week asking to pick my brain on this very subject. Instead of keeping all this between us four, here they are for your benefit.

Purchase a domain name (URL) that has your name in it and start your personal website.

Think of it as electronic real estate where everyone can find you and get a quick overview of who you are. It’s great for search engine optimization and cool-looking when your email is ——@yournamehere.com. Having a central place is important for you to keep information, a resume, a blog, your photos, links to your social spaces and so forth. Sure you use Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, or maybe even MySpace. And who knows, those sites may not be around in a decade. But if you own your own site, people will always know how to find you and connect. I recommend Dreamhost for domain hosting and URL registration.

Full disclaimer: I get a small kick-back if you use the Dreamhost for hosting and domain registration. I’ve used Dreamhost for years because they make a great product, they are reliable, easy to use, have amazing prices and because they have a fun company culture. Other companies have come and gone, but happy companies with great products and customer service tend to stick around and I value that.

Speak your mind

If you’re funny, show me. If you’re smart and insightful and I want to know. If you’re creative or hot let everyone know. Your website is an interactive exhibit of who you are. If you want an audience or an employer to see those things.

Hire a designer to create your identity and website

By identity I mean your brand. Designers can design and create your business card, thank you cards, website, blog, resume, etc. Designers don’t decorate. They clearly communicate what you want to portray (ie who you really are) to your audience through storytelling. They can visually establish your brand in a way you can’t. Don’t feel bad, it’s what they do. Yes, design costs money and you’re putting another person in charge of establishing your “essence”. So hire a designer from AIGA, the professional association for design. AIGA has a guide for folks thinking about hiring a designer. It clearly states what you can expect for you money. So read it and be prepared. The AIGA website has a directory of professionals who adhere to strict ethical standards to get you started. They also have designers who specialize in eco-friendly and sustainable practices. Chose them first.

I am a member of AIGA and have been since 2002 when I graduated. And I’ve been a board member for my local chapter. I have a long-term commitment to the organization since it’s shaped me and introduced me to people who have inspired me to progress in my career.

Carry a business card and don’t apologize for not having one

Get a business card stat. Designers are their worst client. I hate when visual people apologize for not having a “new” business card. Create your brand and roll with it people. You hurt your brand and creditability by not having one. I’m not going to remember your you later so make it easy for everyone to find you.

Get out of your house and meet people

It’s not enough to be social online. Get off of Facebook and interact with people who are “your friends”. I love Facebook, but it’s a time suck. Do something that worth posting about later. Then tag everyone you know who was there. Take a photo, tag it and keep the good times going.

Photograph yourself, do it for me

Please post a somewhat current photo of yourself on your online social spaces. I don’t want to see a photo of your pet or your third grade summer vacation photo. I want to see your gorgeous smiling face. I don’t have a relationship with that dog or your third grade self. I have a relationship with you, right now. Good lighting is always best, know your angles and smile. Not that fake smile, your real smile.

Student tips

Next week I’ll share some tips specific to design students.

Please share this post if you find it valuable. Thanks for reading.