'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.

Cowboy Jeffie's Picnic Pardner Potato Salad

With the arrival of summer comes many requests for me to contribute my potato salad to summer potlucks and picnics. I thought I would once again share my recipe for Cowboy Jeffie's Picnic Pardner Potato Salad.

(Yep, that's me - Cowboy Jeffie - in the photo)

As a kid, I always enjoyed visiting with my grandma in her kitchen as she made the potato salad for a family BBQ. (We'd often gather in their Medford, Oregon backyard, in the shade of the big old trees, to celebrate the Fourth of July and other summer events.) There was something magical watching her slice, dice and mix all the elements of her salad without the benefit of measuring the required ingredients - or even looking at a cookbook or one of her hand-written recipe cards. Over the years I've made the spud salad so many times the recipe is stored in my brain. However, a few years ago I took the time to measure all of the ingredients and write it down to share with others.

Cowboy Jeffie's Picnic Pardner Potato Salad
(serves 8-10 people)

10 red potatoes (boiled 30-40 minutes - or until a fork/knife can poke easily - and cut into bite-sized pieces)
6-7 eggs (hard boiled, sliced and diced)
1 medium onion (diced finely)
3 stalks celery (sliced thinly)
3-4 sweet or dill pickles (optional - diced finely)
Sliced black olives (optional - sometimes added for a little variety)

I usually boil the potatoes and eggs in the same pan and take the eggs out after 20 minutes. The eggs are immediately put into a ice water bath to cool. I continue boiling the potatoes until they are tender and also cool them in an ice water bath before cutting into small bite-sized pieces (leaving the skin on). All ingredients are mixed together in large bowl before adding the dressing

Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons gourmet mustard (I use Grey Poupon or Gulden's Spicy Brown Mustard)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon pickle juice
3-4 tablespoons cider vinegar

Mix all dressing ingredients together well and pour over salad fixings. Mix well and store in fridge prior to serving. It's always best if allowed to sit in fridge for at least a couple hours. Mix well again before actually serving. You may want to add additional salt/pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Check out other Cowboy Jeffie recipes.

© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

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

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. He is currently writing the book Logo Type: 200 Best Typographic Logos from Around the World Explained, about typography in identity design, with a scheduled 2011 release.

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

Calls for entries: Upcoming graphic design competition and book submission deadlines

All of the following competition or book submission deadlines present great opportunities to showcase your design efforts, market your work on an international scale through the published books, and "toot!" your own horn to clients, peers and the media:

Graphis Annual Reports 2011
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: 28 June 2010
Entry fees charged

Graphis New Talent Annual 2011
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: 28 June 2010
Entry fees charged

HOW In-HOWse Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Late Deadline: 1 July 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

American Graphic Design Awards
(GDUSA - USA)
Deadline Extended: 9 July 2010
Entry fees charged

Summit Marketing Effectiveness Awards
(Summit International Awards - USA)
Deadline Extended: 9 July 2010
Entry fees charged

Print Student Cover Competition
(Print Magazine - USA)
Deadline Extended: 15 July 2010
No entry fees charged

The Design Activist’s Handbook
(HOW Books - USA)
Deadline Extended: 16 July 2010
No entry fees charged

UCDA Design Competitions
(University and College Designers Assn.
- USA)
Deadline Extended: 16 July 2010
Entry fees charged

London International Awards
(London International Awards - UK)
Deadline Extended: 30 July 2010
Entry fees charged

Basic Brochures
(Index Book - Spain)
Deadline Extended: 30 July 2010
No entry fees charged

Trademarks USA
(American Pixel Academy - USA)
Deadline: 31 July 2010
Entry fees charged

Inside the World of Board Graphics
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: 31 July 2010
No entry fees charged

International Wine Label Design Competition
(IWLDC - USA)
Deadline Extended: 2 August 2010
Entry fees charged

TypeCon: TypeGallery2010
(Society of Typographic Aficionados - USA)
Deadline: 5 August 2010
Entry fees charged

TypeCon: 2010 Poster Show
(Society of Typographic Aficionados - USA)
Deadline: 5 August 2010
No entry fees charged

Top 100 New Creatives 49
(CMYK - USA)
Deadline: 9 August 2010
Entry fees charged

Letterhead & Logo Design 12
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: 12 August 2010
No entry fees charged

W3 Awards
(IAVA - USA)
Deadline Extended: 13 August 2010
Entry fees charged

Creativity Print Awards
(Creativity Awards - USA)
Deadline: 13 August 2010
Late Deadline: 27 August 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Letterpool - London
(Letterpool - UK)
Deadline: 20 August 2010
No entry fees charged

HOW Interactive Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline Extended: 31 August 2010 (late fees waived)
Entry fees charged

iheartlogos
(iheartlogos.com - USA)
Season One Deadline: 31 August 2010
Entry fees charged

HOW International Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 1 September 2010
Late Deadline: 15 September 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

1000: A Steampunk Collection
(Rockport Publishers - USA)
Deadline: 1 September 2010
No entry fees charged

Communication Arts Typography Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 10 September 2010
Late Deadline: 24 September 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Summit Emerging Media Awards
(Summit International Awards - USA)
Deadline: 22 September 2010
Entry fees charged

Book of the Year, Volume 3
(Design & Design - France)
Deadline: 30 September 2010
No entry fees charged

Communication Arts Interactive Competition
(Communication Arts - USA)
Deadline: 8 October 2010
Late Deadline: 22 October 2010 (with late fees)
Entry fees charged

Print Creativity + Commerce Competition
(Print Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 October 2010
Entry fees charged

HOW Poster Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 October 2010
Entry fees charged

HOW Logo Design Awards
(HOW Magazine - USA)
Deadline: 15 October 2010
Entry fees charged

Hiiiband International Logo Award 2010
(New Graphic - China)
Deadline: 31 October 2010
No entry fees charged

Graphis Poster Annual 2012
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: 29 November 2010
Entry fees charged

Logo Nest
(Logo Nest - International)
Deadline: 31 December 2010
No entry fees charged

Graphis Design Annual 2012
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: 10 January 2011
Entry fees charged

Summit Creative Awards
(Summit International Awards - USA)
Deadline: 24 January 2011
Entry fees charged

100 Best in Advertising 2012
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: 14 February 2011
Entry fees charged

100 Best in Photography 2012
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: 9 May 2011
Entry fees charged

100 Best in Annual Reports
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: 13 June 2012
Entry fees charged

Graphis New Talent Annual 2012
(Graphis - USA)
Deadline: 13 June 2012
Entry fees charged

PAPERWORKS Letterhead Contest
(Neenah Paper - USA)
Deadline: Ongoing - judged quarterly
No entry fees charged

PAPERWORKS Text And Cover Contest
(Neenah Paper - USA)
Deadline: Ongoing - judged quarterly
No entry fees charged

(To make sure you are reading the latest bLog-oMotives design competition update click here.)

You may want to read my article about participating in design industry competitions and calls for book submissions: A collection of design competition - and book submission request - tips, tricks and observations.

A design competition calendar is also available at Icograda. Lürzer's ARCHIVE has an impressive online list of competitions sponsored by international magazines and organizations. Dexinger posts competitions of great value to industry professionals - however designers need to be aware that some of the listings are for "spec" work as a requirement for submission. Requests for new, or speculative, work as a condition of entering a "contest" are much different than legitimate design competition "calls for entries," in which previously created works are judged for possible awards, exhibition, or publication in an annual or other book.

My own work appears in over 130 graphic design books. Many of those inclusions are the result of design competitions, or requests for submissions, like those listed above.

© 2010 Jeff Fisher LogoMotives