DESIGNWIRE: A new design forum for the new year

An email this morning, from Australian designer Dale Harris, announced the introduction of a new graphic design forum - DESIGNWIRE: a design community. It is sure to be a great international resource - and already has members from Australia, the United States (California, Georgia, Oregon and Texas), Belgium, Canada, the Philippines, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Check it out for interaction with designers from around the world.

Creative Latitude has already added DESIGNWIRE to the listing of forums at the end of my latest article Funny Things Happen on the Way to the Forums. The piece is a question and answer session, on the topic of forums, with Judy Litt (until recently the guide for the About.com Graphic Design Forum - see previous blog entry), Bryn Mooth (Editor of HOW Magazine and a moderator of the HOW Design Forum, Gavin Laking (Administrator of The Designers Network Forum, and Bob Nicholl (Lead Moderator for the Graphic Design Forum.

Have a safe (and somewhat sane) New Year's Eve!

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Design studio housecleaning - excavated artifact #3

It's amazing what I've saved over the years in regards to projects I've been contracted to design. The simple Post-It note scribble at the left is just one example of the many preliminary concepts I have come across recently in archiving past projects.

Since I was a kid I have spent a great deal of time in the small Central Oregon town of Sisters, Oregon. The favorite backpacking destination of my family was the nearby Three Sisters Wilderness area. In the 1970's my parents bought property in Sisters, eventually building a vacation home that has been their primary residence for the past 15 years. For many years the Sisters Rodeo, "The Biggest Little Show in the World," has been a family tradition - with an annual weekend party at my parents' home that has become somewhat legendary.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Sisters Rodeo it was determined that it might be time for the organization to finally have an official logo. The Sisters Rodeo Association was already working with my sister's advertising agency, TriAd in nearby Bend, for their advertising, marketing and public relations needs. Sue's firm was asked to take on the identity project and she hired me to create the initial image for the rodeo. In one of our telephone discussions I jotted down a rough type treatment - for a logo that I hoped would convey a hint of the 1940's and be a lasting symbol for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event.

From the beginning of the project I had no doubt the symbol representing this live-action piece of Western Americana would end up being red, white and blue in color. The flags, banners, music and patriotism associated with the rodeo immediately dictated that color palette. I also knew that I wanted a cowboy on a bucking bronco, or bull, as the primary element. Having seen many a cowboy hat fly through the air at previous rodeos, I felt graphically representing that would add a little implied movement - and my own little brand of humor - to the logo. The cowboy graphic fit well into the "O" of my original scribble, and the airborne cowboy hat became the dot of the "i" letterform in the word "Sisters," as the symbol almost designed itself.

The logo has served the event well the past six years - and received several honors. In 2000, the identity was included when the Sisters Rodeo was inducted into the Library of Congress “Local Legacies” archive. The following year the logo was honored with an Award of Merit in the Ad Federation of Central Oregon's annual Drake Awards, a Silver Award in the Summit Creative Awards, and received a LOGO 2001 honor (resulting in the design being published in the book The New Big Book of Logos). The design was also published inLogo Lounge : 2,000 International Identities by Leading Designers.

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*:

Fisher named to Board of Directors of

Professional Graphic Design Association

The Professional Graphic Design Association (PGDA) has officially launched with the announcement of an elected Board of Directors from across the globe. Elected officers to the Executive Committee are Catherine (Cat) Morley, (Bangkok, Thailand), President; Robert Wurth, (Lincoln, Nebraska, USA), Vice President; Mark Astrella, (Maui, Hawaii, USA), Secretary; and Jeanette Wickham, (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), Treasurer. Members of the Board include Jeff Fisher (Portland, Oregon, USA), Habib Bajrami (Mississauga, Toronto, Canada), Neil Tortorella (Canton, Ohio, USA), Alina Hagen (Los Angeles, California, USA), and Steve Douglas (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada).

The PGDA is a grass roots, international non-profit professional organization with a client (buyers of design) focus. Through their Code of Ethics and Professional Standards, the PGDA will target clients and designers, spreading the value of ethical conduct and professional business practice within the design industry.

The leadership of the PGDA has set ambitious goals for its first year. “I believe the international graphic design community has long awaited an association such as the PGDA — Our overall aim is to create an improved working relationship between clients and designers by providing an excellent one-stop business resource for clients. The PGDA organisation will be formed from top rated members supporting a code of professional business practices.” said Catherine (Cat) Morley, President.

In the coming months the PGDA will be running surveys out of the new PGDA blog to determine the combined needs of clients and designers. Each month survey results will be analyzed and posted. Your opinions are invaluable and participation whenever possible is most welcome.

* If I don't "toot!" my own horn, no one else will

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

bLog-oMotives tickles "Cat's Fancy"

bLog-oMotives is featured in the recently posted Cat's Fancy column on Creative Latitude. With each update, Cat Morley (who wears the multiple hats of principal of Katz-i International Web & Graphic Design, President of the Professional Graphic Design Association and Project Manager for Creative Latitude) features several blogs from the site Designer's Who Blog. She then comments on the blogs and interviews the designers posting their thoughts online.

In addition to bLog-oMotives, the latest Cat's Fancy features Graphic Push by Kevin Potts, Neil Tortorella's Inside the Marketing Mind, The Prepared Mind from Chris Gee, Von Glitschka's art backwash, the Freshly Squeezed droplets of Robert Wurth and Angela Mittan, Adholes by Jesse Tayler and Marc Lefton, Jeff Andrews' Design Inspiration, Dot's Market from Lisa Duty, and Elisabetta Bruno's Creative Expression.

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Merry Christmas - and happy (insert your holiday here) - to one and all.

It's Christmas Eve day and the stockings are hung by the fireplace with care - and that's about all that got accomplished this season. The holiday cards are not all done and most are still scattered on the dining room table awaiting personal notes, addressing or stamps. Not a single gift has been wrapped - in fact, there is still a bit of shopping to be done. No gifts have been shipped to individuals in other cities yet. Thankfully, Uncle Amazon (and other online vendors) were very helpful in getting some packages delivered. We never did get the lights up on the outside of the house, but I did manage to get some in the big windows in the living room and dining room. I never found the old rolled-up red vinyl to turn the white pillars on the porch into over-sized candy canes. I did manage to get my collection of rustic holiday village buildings set up around the living room.

The big shock to family and friends is that we didn't put up a tree this year. Actually, we haven't had one the past two years either. Last year we were in San Francisco having Christmas with my sister. Two years ago we were leaving right after Christmas to spend New Year's with our friends who were living in Puerto Vallarta. Trees were an inconvenience in those years. This holiday it just seemed like a chore that would take too much time and energy. After all, hunting down and killing a tree, and then determining which of the 600+ rocking horse ornaments would make the cut for display, is a lot of work

Last weekend we were on the incredible boat of friends Anne & Jon, watching the Christmas Boat Parade, and I mentioned we didn't put up a tree. Anne seemed a bit stunned. A couple days later she stopped by with a fabulous bottle of champagne and a large gift bag. From the bag she pulled a little nine-inch tall tree, in a green and red basket, all decorated with miniature garland, tiny ornaments and tiny gingerbread men. She said we had to have a tree. It suddenly felt much more like Christmas around our house.

We certainly aren't "bah, hum bugging" Christmas this year. We've just had a lot going in recent months, personally and on the professional front. We've gone to several great holiday parties in both Portland and Seattle. The 50+ Christmas CDs are on constant "rotate" on the stereo system. I had a wonderful, and hilarious, Christmas breakfast yesterday with my weekly "koffee klatch" gang of Don, Ron, Steve and Myra. Tess, the seven (and a half!) year-old daughter of our friends Tim and Kristin, is in the kitchen right now making cookies with Ed (The warm snickerdoodles are fan-frickin'-tastic!). Christmas Eve will be quiet - Ed and I will enjoy crab cakes and champagne in front of the roaring fireplace of gas-logs that we bought the house as a Christmas gift last month. Tomorrow his entire family will arrive for a big Christmas dinner and later in the evening we will have another celebration with our friends Shawn and Greg, their daughter Lily and the rest of their family. On Monday my college fraternity buddy Greg, and his kids, - visiting from San Diego - will come over for breakfast. Monday night is our annual ham and latke Hanukkah-fest, and Boxing Day, dinner with friends Mary, Kate, Lisa, Bev and whomever else may stop by. Over the weekend there will be the calls to, and from, friends around the country

So, maybe this Christmas is not the perfect Martha Stewart holiday celebration, but we will have the opportunity to spend some wonderful time with those most important to us - and for us that's what the holidays are all about. That, and reflecting on the wonderful holiday times we spent in the past with the four dear friends - Sharon Nixon, Brad Hall, David Coyle and Glo Raineri - we lost to various illnesses in the past nine months. They, and their families, are in our thoughts this holiday season - as are our friends Carol (whose aunt passed away last week following a fall) and Marc (whose brother lost his battle with cancer this week).

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, a joyous Solstice and best wishes for whatever holiday you may be celebrating at this time! (People need to get over the overly PC stuff - there's enough room for the holiday celebrations of all beliefs.) Thanks to all the design professionals and friends, from around the world, who have sent cards, e-cards and wonderful holiday messages.

Hugs, Jeff (and Ed, too!)

Funny things happen on the way to the forums

In late 1998 I finally joined the online design community from my home-based design studio in Portland, Oregon. Having been a one-person operation most of the 27 years I have been in the design field, I did occasionally experience bouts of isolation from the rest of the world. That was about to change.

Judy Litt (until recently the guide for the About.com Graphic Design Forum - see previous blog entry), Bryn Mooth (Editor of HOW Magazine and a moderator of the HOW Design Forum, Gavin Laking (Administrator of The Designers Network Forum, and Bob Nicholl (Lead Moderator for the Graphic Design Forum graciously agreed to answer a series of questions from me about the forums in which they are involved, and forums in general.

Read the entire article, Funny things happen on the way to the forums, at Creative Latitude.

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

New calls for entries: From Index Books in Spain

The Spanish design book publishing company Index Book has issued to calls for entries for two upcoming design volumes. The first is Nude (Just Labels) by Ignasi Vich. The book will feature labels design for products that - because of shape, specific requirements or shipping restrictions - require exceptionally strong labels for identification or purchase persuasion. Vich also wrote the Index Book offering Mute (Just Pictograms).

The second call for entries is for Josep M. Garrofé's upcoming book Structurall Cards. The book will feature invitations, greeting cards and other designed items that stand out due to unique aesthetics or original concepts. Garrofé is the author of the recently published Structural Packaging.

Additional information about submission requirements may be found at the links for the two books.

Index Book publishes some excellent design resources. Some of my own work is included in one of their latest releases, Logos from North to South America by Pedro Guitton. In fact, my designs for the Peninsula Clean Team, Coyner's Auto Body, Oregon Family OUTings, and the play "Caught in the Net" (all Oregon clients) are featured on the Index Book promotion page for the volume. I look forward to seeing an actual copy of the book in the near future.

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Wine, books, beer - and a dash of "gonzo" for good measure

I've always been a fan of the work of artist, illustrator and writer Ralph Steadman. Ever since first seeing his "gonzo" art pieces years ago (related to the "fear and loathing" days of association with Hunter S. Thompson) I have been fascinated with his frenetic, statement-filled work. In part, I think I've appreciated the free-from nature of what comes from his pen due to the fact my own work is made up of rather anal-retentive, hard-lined, structured efforts.

A respected oenophile, Steadman recently announced the release of his new book Untrodden Grapes, the follow-up to his previous volume on the world of wine, The Grapes of Ralph: Wine According to Ralph Steadman. Through his travels to notable vineyards in California, Chile, Spain, France, Italy and South Africa, his unique and vibrant illustrations, and the prose of a curmudgeon, Steadman presents the reader an off-beat look at wine-making and some great wines. The mixture of incredible art, entertaining writing, and travel tales got me hooked. I now need to check out some of the other books he has created.

In addition to his books, illustrating the writing of others (such as a new edition of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451), T-shirts, limited edition prints, posters and other items, Steadman brought his work to the masses as the packaging illustrations for Flying Dog Ales. Be sure to check out their site - especially the page about the "gonzo" connection. I really enjoy going into a grocery store and seeing Steadman's offbeat labels among all the stuffy designs in the beer cooler.

Learn more about Steadman, and see additional examples of his work, at the Creative Refuge site, where you will find Mike Buchheit's interview The Pen is Mightier as a Sword: Talking with Ralph Steadman. At the Creative Refuge site you can also download the Steadman-inspired font "Collateral Damage" by Chris Hunt, courtesy of Chank.com. A visit to poke around Steadman's own site is also worth the cyber adventure.

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Judy Litt: Thank you, you will be missed, and good luck in the future

Judy Litt, the guide for the About.Com Graphic Design site, posted the following on the web resource's home page this morning:

Thanks to the graphic design community

"It has been my great pleasure and privilege to guide this site for 8+ years. It has given me many opportunities I never thought would come my way, and allowed me to meet a wonderful community of graphic designers from all over the globe. It is time to move on, and turn this site over to someone who will come in with fresh, new, exciting ideas. I hope that you will give whoever takes over this site the courtesy and respect you've always given to me. I want to thank all my community, because the simple truth is this site isn't successful because of me. It's successful because of you. Thank you for helping me to make this site one of the best graphic design sites on the Net."

The About.com Graphic Design Forum was the first such site I stumbled upon when I first went online in 1998, and Judy was an incredible welcoming force. Throughout the years she has been a very valuable resource to anyone coming to the forum seeking education advice, career recommendations or project suggestions. When necessary she was able to get forum threads back on track, don her "referee's shirt" to settle disagreements, or politely put an annoying "troll" in their place - all while running her own design business. In addition, Judy was a contributor to my book The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success. I'm so pleased that I had the opportunity to meet her in person at the HOW Design Conference a couple years ago. In the online graphic design community Judy is someone for whom I've always had a lot of respect. Judy, you will be missed greatly as the forum moderator. Thank you for your contributions to the profession of design. Best of luck in all your future ventures.

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

Review: Letterhead & Logo Design 9 - the best yet

Rockport Publishers continues their long-running design book series with Letterhead & Logo Design 9, this volume by Christopher Simmons and his San Francisco design firm MINE. The designs presented in the book were selected from over 3000 submissions from identity designers in 38 states and 40 countries. With a new spin on the publication series, the nearly 300 examples of logos, stationery packages, and other promotional items presented in this volume are organized by attributes, rather than the usual categorization by industry or type of client. The selection of designs exhibited was based on beauty, wit and whimsy, simplicity, subtlety, virtuosity, typography, materiality and miscellany. The latest, and freshest, addition to the on-going Rockport collection will elicit many “damn, why didn’t I think of that?” thoughts and provide a great deal of inspiration to any graphic designer with even the slightest interest in logo design. Simmons is having a banner publishing year, having released the book Logo Lab earlier in 2005. Logo Notions also did a profile on the designer earlier this year with the title “What a ‘little birdy’ told me about identity design.”

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Design studio housecleaning - excavated artifact #2

As I explained in an earlier post, I've been going through boxes of nearly 30 years worth of design work as I attempt to get my studio a bit more organized. In the process I've been coming across initial sketches that became final logos for many clients. Some of the doodles have been on Post-It notes, the backs of envelopes and little scraps of paper.

After initially meeting Don Horn - the founder of Portland's triangle productions! theatre company - at his very first opening night, I began designing logos, signage, posters, T-shirts, theatre programs and other items for his shows and theatre spaces. It was the start of what has become a 15+ year business relationship and friendship. Horn has always been one of my favorite clients; giving me complete creative freedom on the design projects. I have also been recognized with more design awards for the theatre projects than those for any other single client.

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to create logos for plays with great names. Soon after Horn told me he would be producing the show When Pigs Fly I scribbled a rough concept on a little yellow Post-It note. It immediately seemed natural that the curly tail of the pig would become the "S" in the show's name. The final design evolved directly from that sketch and made use of the colors selected for all promotional pieces for that year's schedule of productions. An added bonus was that the When Pigs Fly identity was recognized with an American Graphic Design Award from Graphic Design: usa and a Bronze Award from the Summit Creative Awards.

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

These are a few of my favorite things -

from the world of identity design.

Can't you almost hear Julie Andrew singing the classic Sound of Music favorite "These are a few of my favorite things?" As 2005 comes to an end we are bombarded by media lists of "favorites" and "bests" from newspapers, webzines, television shows and more. Why should "Logo Notions" be any different?

With Maria von Trapp bouncing around in my head I considered some of my favorites from the world of identity design. What is my favorite internationally recognized logo? What local business identity always grabs my attention and makes me say to myself "Damn, I wish that I had thought of that incredible concept!" What logo of my own is my favorite? And, if I had had the opportunity, what logo would I like to redesign in 2006 as a kind of graphic New Year's resolution?

In addition to answering the questions myself, I decided to pose them to a few other design professionals whose identity design efforts have attracted my attention as I have flipped through my library of design books, browsed online portfolios or seen their work in person. Designer Cheryl Roder-Quill of angryporcupine*design in Park City UT, Calvin Lee from Mayhem Studios in Los Angeles, and Gianluigi Tobanelli of Studio GT&P in Foligno, Italy, all agreed to provide their memories, thoughts and favorites for the latest Logo Notions column at Creative Latitude.

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Toot! Toot!*:

LogoMotives presented Spirit of Portsmouth Award

In a recent blog entry, Designs on a North Portland neighborhood, I mentioned that you will often find your best and most appreciative clients right outside your front door. That appreciation was exhibited Tuesday night when one of my clients, the Portsmouth Neighborhood Association, presented Jeff Fisher LogoMotives their "Spirit of Portsmouth Award" for designing their logo in 2005. Each year, the members and board of the association nominate individuals and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to the Portsmouth neighborhood. The awards were presented at the group's annual holiday party, held at Columbia Cottage in Columbia Park. City of Portland Commissioners Sam Adams and Dan Saltzman, State Representative Gary Hansen, board members, community activists and neighborhood residents attended the event.

Two of my clients also received 2005 awards. Susie Law is a staff member of my longtime client the Peninsula Community Development Corporation. The University Park United Methodist Church was also honored. This past summer I designed the logo for their North Portland Pride BBQ and Festival.

Those recogized at the second annual awards ceremony were:

Adela & LeAnn Locher – in recognition of a lovely garden

Susie Law – in recognition of tree plantings and youth nurturing

Walsh Construction – in recognition of being a good neighbor during the building of New Columbia and lighting of the reader board at Portsmouth Middle School

Pamela Kambur – in recognition of being our champion at the Housing Authority of Portland and the St. Johns Parade Drum Major

Officer Jason Christensen – in recognition of unique problem solving and community policing

Jeff Fisher LogoMotives – in recognition of generosity in creating Portsmouth Neighborhood Association’s identity and logo

University Park United Methodist Church – in recognition of community programs and dedication to the Portsmouth neighborhood

Karl Dawson, Urban Forestry – in recognition of creating the Columbia Park Tree Walk

Edna Riddle – in recognition of a lifetime of community involvement (She's lived in the neighborhood, and been an active participant, for over 60 years!)

Mitchell Underwood & Jeff Hinshaw – in recognition of fabulous landscaping and holiday lights

Mitch Gould & Roger Moss – in recognition of a wonderful home transformation

Master Muffler – in recognition of caring enough to keep a garden for all to enjoy

Thank you to the Portsmouth Neighborhood Association for the "thank you."

* If I don't "toot!" my own horn, no one else will

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

A toot! toot!,* a cup of coffee & a coffee table book

David E. Carter's latest graphic design book, American Corporate Identity 2006, has hit the shelves of bookstores nationwide. I saw it yesterday while checking out the latest offerings in the design section at Powell's City Of Books. The book features the winning entries from the annual American Corporate Identity design competition. (The deadline for entering this year's awards is December 12.)

Logo designs for two of my Portland area clients are featured in the latest edition of the awards annual. One is the identity for Beaverton architect Thomas Fallon. The Fallon identity is also featured in the book Logo Design for Small Business 2. The other is the logo for Bella Terra Landscape Designs, the firm of designer Tina Olsen Binegar. Her project came about after we met when I spoke several years ago, on the topic of marketing small businesses, at a seminar for the Association of Northwest Landscape Designers.

This morning, while having coffee at DiPrima Dolci (one of my neighborhood home office "conference rooms"), I got to flip through an absolutely beautiful book. It was written by Janet Loughrey, another local client and friend, and features her gorgeous photography. I designed the logo for her business, Janet Loughrey Horticulture Photography, several years ago. Loughrey, whose writing and photography has appeared in such publications as Better Homes & Gardens, Garden Design, Horticulture, Sunset and The Oregonian has produced the book Gardens Adirondack Style. It is an incredible "coffee table book" of photographic images and history of many spectacular Adirondack gardens in upstate New York. It's a book that would be greatly appreciated by any gardening enthusiast.

* If I don't "toot!" my own horn, no one else will

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Are you getting your fair share of "creative" sex?

I had a good little chuckle yesterday when I read, in the Arts & Leisure section of the Sunday New York Times, the article "What Artists Do When Not Suffering" by writer Susan Dominus. With the subhead "Scientists say that creative types get lots of action. Isn't that what creative types have been saying all along," the article reports that two psychologists - from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Open University - announced last week that creative types of both sexes have about twice as many sexual partners as non-artistic people. It seems that creativity may be an aphrodisiac. Research was done on 425 British professional artists and it was discovered they had 4 to 10 sexual partners in their past - compared to the 3 claimed by those who are less creative. The study will be published in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

In her article, Dominus says, "Perhaps there is an easy explanation for the tendency toward multiple affairs. Procrastination, for example – artists and poets tend to be world-class work avoiders, and what better way to put the empty page than an elaborate, time-consuming seduction. Or perhaps it's poverty – sex is, after all, one of the great, cheap recreational pleasures available to the penniless, if highly lauded poet."

Dominus also notes that the researchers seem to try to console the public by reminding them that "creative types" also have a higher rate of depression. She asks, "...could that be why they're seeking so much sex? Or maybe it's all that empty sex that is depressing them."

When I brought the article to the attention of my partner he burst out laughing and could not stop. Was he laughing at the article or me - the one he always refers to as one of those "creative types?"

You can read the article here on the NYT web site if you are a registered visitor to the paper's web presence.

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Tooting Your Own Horn:

How Designers Can Get the Word Out

I recently received the latest issue of my favorite design organization publication, Designer, from the University & College Designers Association. This particular issue (Vol. 30, No 3) contains an excerpt from my book, The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success - as well as many other articles of interest to any graphic design professional. The UCDA is primarily an organization for designers working within college or university environments. I initially got involved with the association due to my design efforts with Reed College, George Fox University, Willamette University, the University of Oregon, and other educational institutions over the years. I had the pleasure of speaking at the UCDA annual conference in San Diego in September and had a great time meeting many of the members. I would suggest that any designer working with colleges or universities check out the resources, seminars, workshops, design summits, annual conference and other activities of the UCDA.

The book excerpt appearing in the UCDA publication is Tooting Your Own Horn: How Designers Can Get the Word Out. Both the Designer and online versions of the piece are illustrated with self-promotion pieces created by Portland design firms Lift Communications and Whiplash Design, and the Salem design company Glitschka Studios. Here's a portion of the article:

"If you build it, they will come" was the haunting message from above in the movie Field of Dreams. However, clients are not magically going to appear unless they know about what you have to offer. The reality of the business world—including the design world—is a bit harsher than Hollywood with its instant, magic following. That is where marketing principles come into play. Designers must consider a myriad of methods to get the word out, from direct mail to press releases.

Press for Success

Designers must constantly promote themselves—especially when conditions are at their best, so work will be coming in the door when the economy takes a turn for the worse. I think the biggest mistake regarding self-promotion that most designers consistently make is to wait until there is no work on their desks before beginning their own marketing efforts.

In her book, BRAG!: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It, Peggy Klaus writes: "Promoting ourselves is something we are not taught to do. Even today, we still tell children 'Don't talk about yourself, people won't like you.' So ingrained are the myths about self-promotion, so repelled are we by obnoxious braggers, many people simply avoid talking about themselves."

Still, you must make your potential clientele—or employer—aware of who you are, your capabilities and what you have to offer. Doing so may require walking a fine line between coming across as an obnoxious braggart or presenting a finely honed, savvy marketing message...

You can read the piece in its entirety posted online at Graphics.com

© 2005 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Congratulations to "Designers Who Blog"

Congratulations to Cat Morley, of Katz-i Design, for some well-deserved recognition due to her efforts with the design blog directory Designers Who Blog. HOW Magazine has listed the site as one of the Top Ten Web Sites for December.

Oregon design blogs (or those having local connections) featured on the site include Adventures in Blogging, The ZehnKatzen Times, I am Pariah, News Designer, Design Inspiration, Cracking The Whip, Art Backwash, Designorati and my own.

Jeffism #1

"It's not that I don't play well with others; it's just that I want to choose where, when and with whom I play." - Jeff Fisher