'The Art of Self Promotion' book - a valuable marketing tool for any creative professional

Over the past 15 years, my work, writings and comments have appeared in nearly 140 books. I try to keep track of such things; making others aware of great design and business resources in the process. However, once in while I will come across published surprises in bookstores, online or even through the use of the Google book search tool.

It was through a Google book search, a couple of months ago, that I first became aware of my inclusion in the book The Art of Self Promotion, written by marketing expert Ilise Benun. I had not previously seen or heard about the book at all.

Benun and I do have a history of using each other as a source in books and articles, and speaking at the same conferences. She used me as a resource in her books Self Promotion Online and The Designer's Guide To Marketing And Pricing (written with mutual friend Peleg Top), in the HOW Magazine article eSelf Promotion, and in her Art of Self Promotion newsletter. Benun provided valuable information for my first book, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success (now available as a PDF on CD).

The two of us have been able to keep in touch over the years through multiple invitations to speak at the annual HOW Design Conference. I was also honored to make a presentation at the first Creative Freelancer Conference, an event coordinated by HOW Magazine and Benun's own firm, Marketing Mentor.

It was a real pleasure to see Benun at the recent How Design Conference in Denver. Seeing each other also gave me an opportunity to ask about the book The Art of Self Promotion.

It turns out that the book is a compilation of past articles from The Art of Self Promotion newsletter, published by Benun's own Marketing Mentor Press. The Art of Self Promotion is packed with valuable self promotion suggestions and examples. My own inclusion is in regards to the use of my "Toot! Toot!" press releases in marketing my design and writing efforts.

Benun was kind enough to give me a copy of the book when we last met. I would strongly recommend that all creative professionals get themselves a copy of The Art of Self Promotion - a great tutorial in marketing and promotion tactics.

© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

Non-Profit Logos

(Clockwise from upper left)

Rob Buckmaster Fund
Client: Rob Buckmaster Fund/Equity Foundation
Location: Portland, OR USA

This logo was created in honor of an actor friend who died of AIDS and a scholarship fund was established in his name. I've always been very happy with the comedy/drama mask image within the identity - and kind of frustrated with the heart/letterspacing of the text elements. The logo appears in the books American Corporate Identity '99 (Hearst Book International, USA, 1998) and The New Big Book of Logos (HBI, USA, 2000) and Paper, Harper Design, USA, 2003).

Peninsula Clean Team
Client: Peninsula Clean Team
Location: Portland, OR USA

This logo for a neighborhood clean-up organization needed to appeal to children and adults. It appears in the books The New Big Book of Logos (HBI, USA, 2000), The New Big Book of Logos (Paper, Harper Design, USA, 2003), Logos from North to South America (Index Book, Spain, 2005), Logos Café (Page One, Singapore, 2005) and Logos from North to South America (Paper-mini, Index Book, Spain, 2005).

Esther's Pantry
Client: Esther's Pantry
Location: Portland, OR USA

A graphic representation of my own great-grandmother gave the Esther's Pantry logo its personality. The image appears in the PRINT Regional Design Annual.

Hospice of Humboldt
Client: Hospice of Humboldt
Location: Eureka, CA USA

This identity represents an in-home hospice care organization in the Humboldt region of Northern California. The logo design won a Bronze in the Summit International Creative Awards. It appears in The New Big Book of Logos (HBI, USA, 2000), The Big Book of Designs for Letterheads and Websites (HBI, USA, 2001), The New Big Book of Logos (Paper, Harper Design, USA, 2003), Logos from North to South America (Index Book, Spain, 2005), Logos Café (Page One, Singapore, 2005) and Logos from North to South America (Paper-mini, Index Book, Spain, 2005).

All logo designs © 2015 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. All rights reserved.

Toot! Toot!*: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designs included in LogoLounge's 'Animal & Mythology'

Six identity designs by Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, are included in the recently released book LogoLounge Master Library, Volume 2: 3000 Animal and Mythology Logos. The volume, produced by the web presence LogoLounge and Rockport Publishers, features over 3000 logo design examples from around the world.

The selected logos include images for the triangle productions! theatrical presentation When Pigs Fly, Portland company Black Dog Furniture Design and a Fall Thesis celebration for Reed College. One of the designer's first logo creations, created for the Chinese Student Association while a student at the University of Oregon, is also highlighted in the new volume. In addition, designs for greeting card firm Good Pig, Bad Pig and a multi-award winning concept for the Cat Adoption Team are featured.

Fisher, a 30+ year design industry veteran, is the author of Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands and The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career. Future books by the author are in the works.

The designer has received over 600 design awards and his work has been published in more than 140 books on identity design, self-promotion and the marketing of small businesses.

More information about Jeff Fisher, and his design and writing efforts, may be found on the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blogfolio.

(* If I don’t "toot!" my own horn, no one else will.)

© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Jeff Fisher's Speaking Engagements

Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, is often asked to speak at universities, colleges, community colleges, high schools, design industry conferences, non-profit organization events and business-related gatherings. His topics of choice include branding, marketing, graphic design, corporate identity, logo design, social networking/social media and other business-related offerings.

TypeCast | The Type Studio
March 22, 2012
Topic: What "type" is your logo?

Neenah Paper Twitterview
October 20, 2011

Columbia College Chicago
AIGA Student Chapter | iChat Lecture Series
December 6, 2011
Topic: Honesty [in Design] is [Always] the Best Policy

Linn-Benton Community College
May 19, 2011 • Albany, OR
Topic: Making Tracks Towards Success in a Design Career

AIGA Colorado
Denver Art Museum
October 6, 2010 • Denver, CO
Topic: Planning, Packaging and Promoting Yourself

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design
AIGA Colorado Student Chapter
October 6, 2010 • Denver, CO
Topic: Tooting Your Own Horn!

Willamette Writers Conference
August 6-8, 2010 • Portland, OR
Topic: If I don't "toot!" my horn no one else will

CEDIM
Centro de Estudios de Diseño de Monterrey
2010 Summer Stars CEDIM
June 21-25, 2010 • Monterrey, Mexico
Topic: The Social Media Bible

Talk Story Live!
2010 HOW Design Conference
June 8, 2010 • Denver, CO

Bismarck State College
Freshman/Sophomore design classes
April 21, 2010 • Bismarck, ND
Topic: 30 Years of LogoMotives Designs

Bismarck State College
ArtsQuest
April 20-22, 2010 • Bismarck, ND
Topic: Planning, Packaging and Promoting Yourself

AIGA Idaho | Boise State University
Student Event
April 16, 2010 • Boise, ID
Topic: Planning, Packaging and Promoting Yourself

AIGA Idaho
Member Event
April 15, 2010 • Boise, ID
Topic: The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success

Columbia College Chicago
iChat Lecture Series
April 12, 2010
Topic: Tootin' Your Own Horn!

HOW Magazine Live DesignCast
February 18, 2010
Topic: Using Social Media as a (Free!) Marketing Tool

HOW Magazine Live DesignCast
November 23, 2009
Topic: How to Survive as a Freelance Designer

HOW Magazine Live DesignCast
August 31, 2009
Topic: Planning, Packaging and Promoting Yourself

RGD Ontario
Design Business Teleseminar
July 7, 2009
Topic: Tooting Your Own Horn!

2009 HOW Design Conference • Austin, TX
June 24-27, 2009
Topic: Why pay for something you can get for free
Panel: Surviving and thriving in a bad economy

Healthcare Communicators of Oregon • Eugene, OR
June 5, 2009
Topic: No-cost, or low-cost, marketing through social networking

RGD Ontario
Design Business Teleseminar
March 31, 2009
Topic: Packaging Yourself

Working Artists Network Roundtable • Portland, OR
March 29, 2009
Topic: Meet Me on Facebook - Artists & Creatives Who Successfully Use Social Media Marketing to Move Their Business Forward (Panel)

School of Visual Concepts • Seattle, WA
February 23, 2009
Topic: Identity Design Workshop

Central Washington University • Ellensburg, WA
January 21, 2009
Topic: Identity Design Insights

Yakima Ad Federation • Yakima, WA
January 2O, 2009
Topic: Identity Crisis!

Create Chaos Conference • Orlando, FL
October 13, 2008
Topic: Tooting Your Own Horn

2008 Creative Freelancer Conference • Chicago, IL
August 27-29, 2008
Topic: Reaping the Rewards of Creative Independence
Roundtable: Social networking as a marketing tool

APNBA Business District Association Conference
Portland, OR • June 12, 2008
Topic: Projecting a professional association image

2008 HOW Design Conference • Boston, MA
May 18-21, 2008
Topic: Planning, Packaging & Promoting Yourself as the Product

Self-Employed Creative Professionals • Portland, OR
May 15, 2008
Topic: Harnessing the Power of Online Social Networks (Panel)

Art Institute of Portland • Portland, OR
February 28, 2008
Topic: Identity Crisis!

AIGA Oklahoma • Oklahoma City, OK
January 24, 2008
Topic: Tooting your own horn

Oklahoma Christian University • Oklahoma City, OK
January 24, 2008
Topic: Designing in your underwear - life as a home-based independent designer

Southern Nazarene University • Oklahoma City, OK
January 24, 2008
Topic: Designing in your underwear - life as a home-based independent designer

St. Johns Booksellers • Portland, OR
November 8, 2007
Topic: The identity crises of North Portland businesses - book signing

Business Outreach Program
Portland State University • Portland, OR
November 5, 2007
Topic: Identity design as a business marketing tool

Art Beat Week • Portland Community College • Portland, OR
May 7, 2007
Topic: Designing in your underwear - life as a home-based independent designer

Spokane Falls Community College/
Eastern Washington University • Spokane, WA
May 3, 2006
Topic: Designing in your underwear - life as a home-based independent designer

Spokane Advertising Federation
Northwest Museum of Art & Culture • Spokane, WA
May 3, 2006
Topic: Tooting your own horn

University & College Designers Association Conference
San Diego, CA • September 17 - 20, 2005
Topic: Tooting your own horn from the in-house design department

2005 HOW Design Conference • Chicago, IL
June 12-15
Topic: Tooting your own horn

Art Institute of Portland • Portland, OR
May 19, 2005
Topic: The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success

2004 HOW Design Conference • San Diego, CA
May 16-19, 2004
Topic: The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success
Topic: The Limitlessness of the Long-Distance Designer

McNary High School • Art Careers Program • Salem, OR
Topic: Art as a viable career option

Creative Bloc 5 • Waterloo, IA
March 5, 2004
Topic: The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success
Topic: A Designer User’s Manual

City College of San Francisco • San Francisco, CA
April 21, 2004
Topic: Professional graphic design business practices

2003 HOW Design Conference • New Orleans, LA
June 5-8, 2003
Topic: Designers in handcuffs (panel discussion)

Association of Northwest Landscape Designers • Regional Conference • Portland, OR
January 2002
Topic: Graphic design and low-cost marketing solutions for small businesses

Tualatin Chamber of Commerce • Tualatin, OR
November 2001
Topic: Graphic design as a small business marketing tool

SBA/Small Business Development Centers Educators • Portland, OR
January 2000
Topic: Working with graphic designers in creating small business identities and promotions

Canby Union High School • Canby, OR
Topic: Graphic design as a career

Oregon Columbia IABC • Portland State University • Portland, OR
Topic: Profitable PR for non-profit groups