2014 Articles about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Articles, mentions of Jeff Fisher and sightings of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designs online and in print:

Creating the Perfect Logo with LogoMotives’ Jeff Fisher, by GraphicDesign.com | USA (May 2014)

Design plagiarism is alive and well in Nottingham, by Together Agency | Nottingham, UK (January 2014)

© 2016 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Tweet

2013 Articles about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Articles, mentions of Jeff Fisher and sightings of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designs online and in print:

Wilfully Plagiarising? LogoThief Is On Your Case, by Graham Smith, The Logo Smith (November 2013)

Stolen Design is Bad Design, by Shawn MacDonald, 989 Design (November 2013)

Catnapped, LogoThief (November 2013)

31 Must-Follow Twitter Accounts for Graphic Designers, by Brian Morris, PsPrint (September 2013)

The Benefits of Pro Bono Work, by Bryn Mooth, The Creative Group (September 2013)

When it Comes to WWDC 2013, Sometimes a Logo is Just a Logo, by Michael Simon, Mac | Life (May 2013)

3 Reasons Why Logo Design Contest Sites are Bad for your Business, by Patrick Sesko, Sesko Creative (March 2013)

Getting the Most From Your HOW Design Live Experience, by Bryn Mooth, HOW Design (March 2013)

Designers Tackle Copyright & Intellectual Property Issues, by Terry Lee Stone, HOW Design (January 2013)

© 2015 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Tweet

2012 Articles about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Articles, mentions of Jeff Fisher and sightings of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designs online and in print:

Benefits of Pro Bono: roundup of good deeds by designers, by Bryn Mooth, The Creative Group eZine (November 2012)

Copyrights, Trademarks and Infringements … Oh My! (Part 2), by Neil Tortorella, GraphicDesign.com (October 2012)

5 Steps to Finding the Best Clients, by Ilise Benun, HOW Magazine (September 2012)

Neighborhood Branding: How to Launch Your Neighborhood Brand and Engage Your Community, by Chris Young, Neighborhood Notes (August 2012)

10 Steps to Creating Your Freelance Brand Personality, by Martha Retallick, FreelanceSwitch (August 2012)

Neighborhood Branding: How To Create A Neighborhood Logo, by Chris Young, Neighborhood Notes (July 2012)

Indie: Last Call!, by Steve Gordon, Jr., RockPaperInk (July 2012)

Neighborhood Branding: Goals and Guidance for Creating Your Neighborhood Brand, by Chris Young, Neighborhood Notes (June 2012)

Neighborhood Branding: Determining What To Change and How, by Chris Young, Neighborhood Notes (May 2012)

designer conversations // Jeff Fisher, by Brian Gray, iheartlogos (May 2012)

Neighborhood Branding: Do People Have The Wrong Perception of Your Neighborhood?, by Chris Young, Neighborhood Notes (April 2012)

10 Things you (probably) didn’t know about Jeff Fisher, by Ilene Strizver, The Type Studio (March 2012)

5 Steps to Finding the Best Clients, by Ilise Benun, HOW Magazine (January 2012)

© 2015 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Tweet

2011 Articles about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Articles, mentions of Jeff Fisher and sightings of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designs online and in print:

Homes & Gardens Northwest Photo Contest 2011 [Honorable Mention], The Oregonian Homes & Gardens (December 2011)

The Designer's Guide to Blogging, by Richard Baird, The Designer's Survival Guide (November 2011)

Logo Design Awards 2011: Graphic Designer of the Year, Famous Logos (November 2011)

I ditched my big bank!, by Charles Riley, CNN Money (October 2011)

Find Logo Thieves with Google's Image Search, by Terri Stone, CreativePro.com (October 2011)

Logo Garden’s bitter harvest, by Steve Douglas, The Logo! Factor (August 2011)

Grand Theft Logo, by Judith Mayer, Northwest Indiana Creative (August 2011)

Logo Garden Sells Logos It Doesn’t Own, by Armin Vit, Brand New (August 2011)

Chuck Green's Design Likes, by Chuck Green, ideabook.com (July 2011)

Logo Design: Trains, by Paulo Gabriel, Abduzeedo.com (July 2011)

Secrets of Success with Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, by Carlos Castellanos, Drawn By Success (July 2011)

30th Anniversary Issue: In Their Words, Media.Inc Magazine (June 2011)

Is Freelancer a Negative Term?, by Ilise Benun, Creative Freelancer (June 2011)

It's Spring! (Somewhere), by Ellen Shapiro, Dig It! (February 2011)

Learning to Love (or Survive) Speaking Events, by Debbie Swanson, FreelanceSwitch (February 2011)

© 2015 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Tweet

2010 Articles about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Articles, mentions of Jeff Fisher and sightings of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designs online and in print:

Essential Logo and Identity Design Resources on Twitter, Logobird (October 2010)

Paper Cuts: All Aboard the Paper Train, by Tad Dobbs, The Squall Line (September 2010)

The Social Media Bible, @CEDIM (July 2010)

Top Graphic Designers Interviewed - The Sequel!, GraphicDesignBlog.org (May 2010)

Developing expertise in an industry or project type, by Neil Tortorella, NeilTortorella.com (May 2010)

How to Win A Design Competition, by HOW Editors, How Design (April 2010)

Career: How to Get Promoted, by Julie Anne Sims, HOW Magazine (April 2010)

Perpetual Logomotion, by Sean Thorenson, Inklings (April 2010)

In Depth With Jeff Fisher, by Brian Hock, designerID.com (March 2010)

Face to Face with Jeff Fisher, by Otba Mushaweh, Logo Talks (March 2010)

13 Must Follow Logo and Brand Identity Design Blogs, Logobird (March 2010)

Gay Marriage: Jeff Fisher and Ed Cunningham, by Christian Messer, id Magazine (February 2010)

Designers *First* Designs..., by Niki Brown, Design O'Blog (February 2010)

Do You Toot Your Own Horn? Jeff Fisher Does!, Against The Grain/Neenah Paper (February 2010)

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives | Facebook, Illustration Pages (January 2010)

A Look Back, A Look Forward, by The Creative Group, TCG eZIne (January 2010) © 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Tweet

Toot! Toot!*: Blogging efforts of designer/author Jeff Fisher featured in TCG eZine article

The multiple blogging efforts of Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, are featured in the TCG eZine article "Make it Big by Blogging: an Interview with Jeff Fisher and Sheri L Koetting." The Web publication is an online resource of The Creative Group, a firm that focuses on placing freelance professionals in the creative, advertising, marketing, web and public relations fields

In the article, designer/author Fisher and the design firm MSLK's Sheri Koetting, are interviewed about blogs being a great low-cost or no-cost way to promote oneself as a business or potential employee.

The blog presence bLog-oMotives is used to make readers aware of the author's design efforts, announce speaking engagements, share design inspirations and more. Fisher makes use of the "Identity Crisis!" blog to promote his book Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands. A third blog, Jeff Fisher LogoMotives serves as a blogfolio for the design professional.

Fisher, also the author of The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career (recently re-released as a PDF on CD by HOWBookstore.com), has been blogging as a business marketing tool since 2005.

Designer Jeff Fisher has received over 600 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts and his work is featured in more than over 100 books on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing. Fisher is currently writing a book about typography in identity design.

Fisher was recently named one of design industry publication Graphic Design USA’s “People to Watch in 2009.” In 2008, Jeff Fisher LogoMotives was recognized as one of the top 100 U.S. home-based businesses by the web presence StartupNation

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.)

© 2009 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Tweet

2009 Articles about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Articles, mentions of Jeff Fisher and sightings of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives designs online and in print:

Top 10 PsPrint Blogs of 2009, PsPrint (December 2009)

A new review of my first book, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success, Design\, by Kitty Florido (December 2009)

10 simple, yet effective logos , Wildfire Marketing Group, by Jeremy Knauff (December 2009)

25 Naughty Logo Designs – Don’t miss the fun!, Graphic Design Blog, (December 2009)

40 Logo Designs with negative beauty - An interesting trick , Logo Design Blog, (December 2009)

Creative Medical Logos - 22 Logos to inspire , Corporate Logo Design Blog, (November 2009)

How to Network On-line for Your Next Big Project , Method to the Mayhem, by Calvin Lee (November 2009)

10 Inspirational Interviews for Designers, Powerusers, by Nikhil Misal (November 2009)

Gardens and Their Designers, Design Observer, by Timothy Jack Ward (October 2009)

Braintalk with Jeff Fisher, Sharebrain, by Thomas Ulbricht (October 2009)

Interview Series: Jeff Fisher on success and freelancing , Freelance Show, by Neil Brown (October 2009)

Self-Promotion the Social Way, HOW Magazine, by Jeff Fisher (October 2009)

Sidebar: 8 tips and tricks for professional and effective 'Self-Promotion the Social Way', HOW Magazine, by Jeff Fisher (October 2009)

Best Logo Designs Created by You - Part 1 , ImJustCreative, by Graham Smith (October 2009)

How Do Creative People Use Twitter? , Fresh Asylum, by Aliyah Marr (September 2009)

Interview with Jeff Fisher LogoMotives' Jeff Fisher , PsPrint, by Brian Morris (September 2009)

Episode 5 – Social Networking with Jeff Fisher , Escape from Illustration Island, by Thomas James (September 2009)

Designing A Church Logo? Some Things to Remember , eGrace Creative, by Brandon Cox (September 2009)

Jeff Fisher of Logomotives: Toot! Toot!, Against The Grain/Neenah Paper, by Julie Sims (September 2009)

Freelancing Finesse, Creative Freelance Conference, by Julie Sims (August 2009)

"Experience Matters", YouYube video, by Summit International Awards (August 2009)

A Study in Black and White Logos: Designer Jeff Fisher shares some of his past mono-color logo work, CreativePro.com (August 2009)

Quickies: 10 Readable Branding Books, Fuel Your Branding, by Beth LaPierre (August 2009)

40 Weird and Playful logos – A Double treat! , Graphic Design Blog, by Charles B. Johnson (August 2009)

Career: Office Anthropologist, HOW Magazine, by Julie Sims (August 2009)

Five Logo Design Heroes, eGrace Creative, by Brandon Cox (July 2009)

Designers' Couch: Interview with Jeff Fisher, by James Costa (July 2009)

38 Business Cards of Top Graphic Designers – The inspiring creative gurus, GraphicDesignBlog.org, by Charlie B. Johnson (July 2009)

Crazy Train, Toots Style: Local Design Savant Turned Clown Has the Last Laugh, Just Out, by Ryan J. Prado (May 2009)

Thoughts on Design: Back where it all started, CobaltCow Brand Development, by Nathan Sarlow (May 2009)

NO!SPEC • CreativePro: Spec Work and Crowdsourcing, NO!SPEC, by Catherine Wentworth (May 2009)

Business Card Design: Better Than A Plain Ol’ Business Card, Smashing Magazine, by Kat Neville (May 2009)

Creating Images From Text, Famous Logos, by Roberta Seldon (May 2009)

Care And Feeding Of In-House Designers, HOW Blog, by Megan Patrick (May 2009)

'Make it Big' by Blogging an interview with Jeff Fisher and Sheri L Koetting, The Creative Group e-Zine (May 2009)

85+ of the Best Twitterers Designers Should Follow, Mashable, by Cameron Chapman (May 2009)

Thought Leader Thursday: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, Wildfire Marketing Group (April 2009)

10 Creative Minds of the Design Industry, Powerusers, by Nikhil K. Misal (April 2009)

Spec Work and Crowdsourcing: Gambles that Don't Pay Off, CreativePro.com, by Pamela Pfiffner (April 2009)

The Upside of Working for Free, FreelanceSwitch.com, by Martha Retallick (March 2009)

Using Twitter to Promote Your Book, FreelanceSwitch.com, by Kristen Fischer (March 2009)

10 Great Logo Design, Branding and Identity Books, Logo Critiques, by Erik Peterson (March 2009)

30 Beautiful Logos, Abduzeedo/Abducted By Design, by Fabio Sasso (March 2009)

Making Public Speaking Fun, Communication Steroids, by Tim "Gonzo" Gordon (February 2009)

People to Watch in 2009, Graphic Design USA (January 2009)

Five Great - and necessary - Marketing Makeovers, Entrepreneur Magazine, by Gwen Moran (January 2009)

30 Must-Have Logo Books, You The Designer, (January 2009)

Jeff Fisher - Public Portrait | MonoExpression, MonoExpression (January 2009)

Over 50 Ways Designers Promote & Brand Themselves, I'm Just Creative, by Graham Smith (January 2009)

20 Weird Logos That Work (and Why They Do), VECTORTUTS, by Chris Spooner (January 2009)

Tweet

2008 Articles about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

40 Playful Logos, Kreative Garden (December 2008)

Creative Advent 2008: Jeff Fisher, Positive Space, by Anthony Zinni (December 2008)

20 amazing or original Logotypes & Logos!, by Mickaël Bertrand Alexandre (December 2008)

Open Thread: What's Your Email Signature?, FreelanceFolder, by Jacob Cass (December 2008)

100 Brands of Interest, by David Pache (December 2008)

The Ultimate List of The Best Logo Design Resources, Just Creative, by Jacob Cass (December 2008)

Jeff Fisher Interview Transcript, CreativePublic.com, by Doug Farrick (November 2008)

What makes a logo designer a professional logo designer?, I'm Just Creative, by Graham Smith (November 2008)

How designers charge their clients, by David Airey (November 2008)

42 Information Packed Twitter Backgrounds, by Mike Smith (November 2008)

40+ Creative Logos Submitted By The Designers Themselves, The Design Cubicle, by Brian Hoff (November 2008)

10 Principles of the Logo Design Masters, VECTORTUTS, by Chris Spooner (October 2008)

My Freelance Life: Why I Started On The Road To Self- Employment, CMD+Shift Design Blog, Liz Andrade (October 2008)

Making Time to Market, ADBASE Insight, by Linda Whitehead (October 2008)

25 Must Read Interviews From 2008, You The Designer (October 2008)

Designer's Favorite Fonts In Use, Design O'Blog, by Niki Brown (October 2008)

Graphic Design 101, Nails Magazine, by Ami Neiberger-Miller (October 2008)

Designer Spotlight: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, DesignHide, by Dustin Turin (July 2008)

Ingredients of a Successful Capabilities Presentation, Dynamic Graphics, by Daniel Schutzsmith (June/July 2008)

Here's my card: The networking aid gets a makeover, Associated Press, by Jackie Farwell (June 2008)

Logo design guidelines abet a strong brand, Buzzworthy Branding, by Martin Jelsema (May 2008)

Logo Design Tips & A Not-So-Ordinary Interview with Logo Designer Jeff Fisher, Just Creative, by Jacob Cass (May 2008)

Home Business by Design, Savvy Marketing Secrets, by Marcia Ming (January 2008)

What Can Celebrated Graphic Designer Jeff Fisher Teach Us About Small Business Marketing?, Ezine Articles, by Marcia Ming (January 2008)

Art School vs. The Real World, Create Magazine, by Dave Willmer, The Creative Group (January/February 2008)

A New Brand for the New Year, TCG eZine, by The Creative Group (January 2008)

Tweet

Marketing and promotion via a 'blogfolio'

I was a bit naive about the Internet when my original Jeff Fisher LogoMotives website went live in the fall of 1998. The largest newspaper in the state, The Oregonian, had interviewed me for a feature story about my business and, at the end of the interview, the reporter asked me if I had a website.

In saying "yes," I told a bit of a fib. No, let me correct that, I told an outright lie. I had a URL registered, and had thought about the website a little - but no effort at all had been put into actually creating a web presence of any kind.

I gave the reporter the URL and went into panic mode. I had three to four days to get a site up and running before the article was published the following Monday.

Over the course of a long weekend, my partner Ed, friends Scott Randall and Jason Holland, and myself worked days and nights to get a website up and running. Sunday night it was all set to go. On Monday morning I retrieved The Oregonian from my front porch and a great article had been published - with all my contact information, including the web address, edited out of the piece due to concerns about length.

Still, I now had a website - which I saw as nothing more than an online portfolio for my primarily local clientele. I had given no consideration to the fact that my website had an immediate international audience. Soon I was attracting clients from across the United States and around the world.

For the next nine years the website remained fairly static. There were minor updates, but not a lot changed. I was kind of in an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mode. Redesigning, or updating, the site was one of those things I might do when I had the time. Yeah, right.

This past fall my second book, Identity Crisis!: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands, was being released. The upcoming major event in my life made me realize that I was actually embarrassed by my now tired, old website. At that time I'd been writing my blog, bLog-oMotives, for about two years and I really enjoyed the process. A few months earlier I'd also started a blog to promote the Identity Crisis! book. Creating an online portfolio in a blog format seemed a natural, and manageable, solution for me - especially since, although I use a computer daily for my work, I am not a skilled technician when it comes to such things (nor do I want to be!). Knowing just enough to be a bit dangerous is just fine.

The Jeff Fisher LogoMotives "blogfolio" was born.

A little over seven months since its initiation, I am very pleased with the results my "blogfolio" has produced. With a Jeff Fisher LogoMotives homepage - making use of my decade-old URL - directing visitors to all three blogs, many more potential clients seem to find their way to me. It gets much more traffic than ever visited my more traditional site. Potential clients, clients, editors, writers, design peers, design students, design educators and others have all taken the time to compliment me on the new web presence and its content.

I really appreciate how the blog format has allowed me to easily exhibit examples of my work, share articles I've written, post articles written about my work, present my "Toot! Toot!" press releases and even recycle a few bLog-oMotives entries into a concise archive. I've especially enjoyed presenting my identity redesigns and "excavated design artifacts" again.

A "blogfolio" may not work for everyone, but it's been a great marketing and promotion tool for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

Tweet

The lost art of the thank you note

I can't stress the value of a simple "thank you" enough. It will be one of the most important communication tools throughout your professional career. In addition to be being a common courtesy, you are conveying that the value of another person's time, or effort on your behalf, is understood and appreciated. However, expressing appreciation has seemingly become a lost art in day-to-day business dealings.

As a child, one of the most annoying things my mother ever made me do was requiring me to sit down at the dining room table for the purpose of writing personal thank you notes for gifts received on any occasion. A couple years ago I let my Mom know I had been cursing her as I hand wrote about 25 personal notes to people from the HOW Design Conference who had taken the time to give me advice, took me out dinner or presented me with gifts. Her response was, "I guess someone raised you properly."

The use of the thank you note has been in the news recently. The Web presence CareerBuilder.com conducted a survey of hiring professionals in regards to how their employing decisions were influenced by thank you notes, or other forms of appreciation or acknowledgement, from interviewees.

"Although most hiring managers expect to receive a thank-you note, format preferences differ. One-in-four hiring managers prefer to receive a thank-you note in e-mail form only; 19 percent want the e-mail followed up with a hard copy; 21 percent want a typed hard copy only and 23 percent prefer just a handwritten note," wrote Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com, in her article No Thank You Could Mean No Job.

She added, "No matter which format you choose, it's crucial to act quickly when sending a thank-you letter to your interviewer. Twenty-six percent of hiring managers expect to have the letter in-hand two days after the interview, and 36 percent expect to have it within three to five days. Sending the letter quickly reinforces your enthusiasm for the job, and helps keep you top-of-mind for the interviewer."

The thank you note has a variety of valuable applications.

When David E. Carter publishes a book featuring a designer's work, as a result of one of his design competitions or some other effort, he sends a complimentary copy to the contributor. I've made it a practice to make sure I immediately send a thank you to Carter each time I receive one of his publications to add to my collection. In 2001 I received a copy of his book Blue is Hot, Red is Cool, exhibiting several examples of my logo design work. I sent off a thank you, in email form this particular time. I was stunned when I got Carter's response:

"Thanks for the nice note. You don't know how much I appreciate your taking the time to do so. (I know, you are supposed to send 'thank you' notes; parents all taught us that. But of the 70+ copies of the new book I sent, I have received exactly two 'thank you' notes.) Best wishes."

I couldn't believe that lack of appreciation demonstrated by those in our profession. I do realize that everyone has busy schedules, but it should be a regularly scheduled activity to take time to jot off quick notes to those who have done something worthy of a "thank you." Doing so makes a huge impression on people — and for some reason most people's professional manners just aren't what they once were. I recently had a letterpress blank notecard produced for multiple purposes — including showing appreciation.

"I make it a point to send a thank you note," says King Design Group's Cindy King. "I have specific notecards that I designed for this purpose. It's always a handwritten note."

"We always send a handwritten note of some kind after first meeting with any potential client thanking them for their time and consideration." contributes Gary Dickson of Epidemic Design. "Sometimes it is a card that we have produced but, if not, we are very careful to purchase a unique card that cannot be found in a typical store."

Martha Retallick — "The Passionate Postcarder" — adds, "I have a special 'Thank You' postcard. I try to make it a point to send at least five handwritten 'Thank You' cards per day. No, my handwriting isn't the best, but what better incentive to improve it?"

No matter what form you chose to communicate your thanks, making the effort is a must and the recipient will remember it. All designers — and all business people for that matter — need to make it an element of their daily communication, marketing and promotion efforts.

Article links:

David E. Carter / GraphicBooks.org

Cindy King / King Design Group

Gary Dickson / Epidemic Design

Martha Retallick / Western Sky Communications

*Note: This article originally appeared on the late, great web site Commpiled.com. As the site article archive no longer exists, I am reposting it here. It was also previously posted on bLog-oMotives. Portions of this piece appear in my book, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career."

© 2008 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Tweet

What can celebrated graphic designer Jeff Fisher teach us about small business marketing?

By Marcia Ming

One of the key mistakes small businesses make when creating an online presence is trying to do it all themselves, says Jeff Fisher, a graphic designer with 30 years experience, and author of two books on graphic design. Fisher also is a member of the advisory boards for How Magazine, UCDA Designer Magazine and the How Design Conference.

"I always tell business owners do not try this at home," he says. "Hire a professional who knows what they are doing. It does not need to cost a fortune, but there will be tremendous benefit in bringing in someone who really understands how to create what a business needs to get off on the right foot."

His suggestions for finding a professional include:

• Check out designer portfolios online.

• Contact local design schools, universities or community colleges for recommendations of outstanding students who may be able to help for monetary compensation and possible school credit.

• Some college business programs have outreach programs to assist small businesses in marketing and promotion efforts.

• Research the resources available through the Small Business Administration. If your business has a service or product of value to a design professional, consider bartering or a partial trade of equal value.

Remember, that the initial online impression made with a potential customer can make all the difference; the cost of the online presence is an investment in the future of your business, says Fisher.

The Portland, Oregon graphic designer, writer and speaker hails from a family with deep roots in PR and marketing; his father, mother and sister have all had careers in some aspect of the business. In fact it was his sister, who owns an ad agency, who helped Fisher zone in on the aspect of graphic design he enjoyed most at a time when he was experiencing burnout.

"For about the first 17 years of my career I took on any and all design projects that came my way," he explains. "I thought that was what graphic designers were expected to do. In a conversation with my sister I mentioned I was starting to get burned out by my work. Her comment was, Why aren't you focusing on what you enjoy most? I kind of looked at her with a blank stare and she said, Logo designs."

That was when he adopted the business name Jeff Fisher LogoMotives and began marketing himself primarily as a designer of corporate identities.

Although his customers typically find him these days, Fisher has a lot of ideas about what works and does not work with small business marketing. For example, he avoids paid traditional print advertising and Yellow Page advertising.

"I learned that print advertising was simply not effective in marketing my services," Fisher says. While Yellow Page advertising, "tends to bring designers too many tire kickers looking for services based on price only."

Strategies that have worked for Fisher include:

• Press releases, distributed online and through traditional snail mail. The relationships developed with editors and writers over the years are incredibly valuable to a business.

• Writing also has become a major marketing element for my business, Fisher admits, mentioning he has been asked to write numerous articles for design and business publications and websites.

• Two books, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success: Ideas and tactics for a killer career released in 2004, and Identity Crisis: 50 redesigns that transformed stale identities into successful brands, in 2007 have earned him the status of industry expert.

• Business blog, bLog-oMotives, started in 2005.

• Speaking engagements - Fisher speaks to high school groups, design schools, colleges and universities, design organizations and at conferences like the industry HOW Design Conference.

• Pro bono work - While such efforts might not be considered marketing by many, it does get my name out into the business community, puts me in contact with many local movers and shakers, and provides an opportunity to promote the end results.

• One direct mail-piece long ago generated a targeted, self-created list of 500 individuals so powerful that Fisher has not needed to do a mailing since.

Like many small business owners, Fisher prefers low-cost - or no-cost - marketing tools. He has even managed to turn some of them, like the writing of articles and books and speaking engagements into income-producing activities.

"With my writing, and speaking engagements, my business is also evolving into one of becoming a professional industry expert while taking on limited design projects," Fisher said. "At a design conference a few years ago I explained to an audience that I wanted to work less, charge more."

Marcia Ming, publisher of Savvy Marketing Secrets, is a former print journalist and small business marketing consultant. To learn more about marketing your business online and off, visit her website: www.savvymarketingsecrets.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/Marcia Ming

(Note: Marcia Ming also wrote the article "Home Business by Design," for Savvy Marketing Secrets, based on her interview with Jeff Fisher.)

Tweet

"Identity Crisis is a rare book" - Chuck Green

One of the blogs I check out on a regular basis is PagePlane, an online presence of design industry expert and author Chuck Green. His site Ideabook.com, the tutorials he offers, and his Jumpola design links are incredible resources for anyone in the profession.

On PagePlane Green has posted a review of Identity Crisis! under the headline Identity Crisis is a rare book. In part the review reads:

If you are a graphic designer who has real-world clients—I suggest you add this book to your toolbox. If you are a business owner or marketer who wants to see how others make over and leverage their identity—Jeff Fisher’s Identity Crisis is a good place to start.

The entire review is available on PagePlane.

© 2007 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Tweet

2007 Articles about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Veteran Designer Embraces Identity Crisis and Casual Fridays, FreelanceSwitch.com, by Kristen Fischer (December 2007)

Start Smart, HOW Magazine, by Esther D'Amico (December 2007)

Identity Crisis is a rare book, PagePlane.com, by Chuck Green (November 2007)

Career: Plotting Your Course, HOW Magazine, by Julie Sims (August 2007)

Tweet

2006 Articles about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Business Etiquette Survival Guide: Navigating Sticky Situations at Work, TCG eZine, (October 2006)

Design in Portland: An A to Z Guide to All Things Wild, Weird and Wonderful, Commerce Magazine, (October 2006)

Away from the sketchpad; away from the struggle, Right Brain Reader, by Philip Bailey (October 2006)

Tweet