Image From The Design Portfolio of Amanda Reid

The Styleapple Hire A Designer series continues with Amanda L. Reid, President & Principal Designer at MANDARINASTUDIO. Amanda has nearly a decade of experience in various levels of interior design services for commercial and residential projects. Prior to starting MANDARINASTUDIO, she served for 8 years as Project Designer at a boutique architecture + interior design firm based in New York City.  Amanda wrote a very comprehensive article on the Top 10 things to look for when hiring an Interior Designer. If you are thinking about hiring an Interior Designer for for your next project, this is a must read. Find a brief excerpt of her article below. You can read the full copy here.

Sponsor  iPage - Small business web hosting $3.50/mo!!

Design Job Description: "JACK OF ALL TRADES... NOT WANTED"

I meet designers who are involved in so many areas of design it's insane.  I mean I understand how common this is, after all creativity expands.  It is normal for a designer to know and have an interest in many things creative.   I say,  continue to immerse  yourself in the creative culture.  It's a great way to add to your inspiration and design perspective.  BUT....  You should choose what area of design you want your clients to see when promoting and marketing your design business.

The social media and the advent of the global design community have made the design industry a fruitful declaration of art and creativity.  We are seeing the most talented people  ever, showcasing incredible works of  art from graphic design to fashion design to animation design and so on.  

We no longer need to find someone that can do it all.  We are looking for someone that can do it right.... Which translates to someone that eats and sleeps a certain area of design.  So If you are a fashion designer  with major illustration capabilities.  Decide which one you want to be, a designer or illustrator - at least to your clients. 

Please do not misunderstand me.  I'm not saying to stop illustrating.  What I'm simply saying is to market and promote the fact that you are a fashion designer that does beautiful illustrations of  your clothing as oppose to being a Fashion designer and an Illustrator.

Use your other assets (in this case your illustration abilities) as the supporting cast for your number one priority (Fashion Design)  This will then add value to your services rather than dilute your expertise.

We are now in the time of experts and no longer need a jack of all trades, when a specialist is a click away.

"Thanks for listening"  Just a thought I had as I was having a discussion with a good friend of mine about branding strategies for design companies  and wanted to share with my you.

Sponsor  iPage - Small business web hosting $3.50/mo!!

I was recently talking to a friend of mine about freelancing and how one can successfully transition to becoming the highly sought after, genius, guru, freelance designer guy or gal that everyone wants to be like. Well a few years back I started freelancing and my idea of freelancing was to simply sign up with a few fashion temp agencies, sit back and have them call me when new projects came up! (yes I was that guy) Surprisingly enough it worked for a while... BACK THEN. Today we're in a recession. We have to be alot more proactive when decided to take the freelancing route. I've outlined a checklist that will help make your transition as smooth as possible bacause I would hate to see you prematurely go out there, find yourself in financial trouble and end up begging for your old job back... not cool.

The Recession Proof Freelance Designer Check List

1. Are you business minded?
2. Are you currently working full time?
3. Are you freelancing on the side right now?
4. Do you have customers that can transition to a full time gig if you quit your full time job?
5. Do you have savings to help you with your transition to freelance?
6. Do you have a list of potential clients [contact names and numbers] that you know can get you freelance projects (at least 15 contacts)?
7. Is your Design Portfolio up to date?
8. Do you have a freelance website and blog?
9. Have you discussed your plans with your wife or significant other?
10. Is the quality of your work/design portfolio competitive in your field?

If you've answered yes to the above questions, kudos to you, you're ready to rip the chains off your neck, flip your boss the bird (not recommended) and get on the highway to financial independence. On the other hand, if you didn't answer yes to the above questions, you might want to hang around for a little longer; prepare yourself by making sure you're well equipped to weather the first 3 months on your own. Preparing for freelancing is like anything else, if you're not well prepared you may not be successful. I've noted a few articles and websites that will help you with additional questions. As I find them I'll update the Freelance Designer Wall. Please don't sit and wait for temp agencies to find you work; go out there, be proactive and demand the work; excel and show your clients that you are serious about your business; once you've done some amazing work for them; that guarantee repeat business and referrals coming your way. Happy Freelancing. Cheers.

FREELANCE DESIGNER WALL [Articles, Advise and Projects]

• Freelance Switch is a great resource for Finding Freelance work as well as getting some valuable advice; I found topics such as 101 Ideas to Get More Freelance Work and Generate New Client Leads to 101 Essential Freelancing Resources.

Sponsor  iPage - Small business web hosting $3.50/mo!!

Anyway, I've never claimed to be the guru of social networking protocols or SEO optimization; but what I do know is that the businesses that adopt to this wave of marketing are the only ones that will survive going forward; so it's always daunting to meet designers; even website designers who are still behind the eight ball when it comes to creating a successful online presence. I was talking with a very talented designer the other day who was looking for ways to gain more exposure but refuses to start a blog as a step 1. I was talking to another business owner who I literally had to threaten to start blogging as a way of advertising her services. I recently did an article about Google search stats in which Google made up about 70% of the web traffic to a given website. With the change in consumer habits regarding email and intrusive advertising techniques,  business marketers are starting to shift from outbound marketing to more inbound marketing techniques putting the blogosphere and social media networking front and center.

A social media site that should be taken seriously is Twitter - an under estimated, over evaluated socially invading gold mind. I've embedded a video I found on Hubspot; an internet marketing company about the social media factor in a successful marketing campaign. It's a bit long for us who have an attention span shorter than a typical YouTube Clip, but worth the sit down. I came across 2 great articles that will assist in maximizing your marketing efforts when using twitter: The 35 twitter tips from 35 twitter users and 50 Easy Ways To Improve Your Twitter Experience. You should check them out!

Sponsor  iPage - Small business web hosting $3.50/mo!!

Coca Cola is probably the single most branded product in the free world. Just think when you're in a restaurant and you ask the waiter for a drink; 9 out of 10 times it's a coke you're asking for or for some of you- a rum and coke... Anyway, for a company to maintain any kind of success; they need to be first successful in branding their product or service.

Another company that does an exceptional job of branding is Apple Computers. When the iPhone was introduced, it literally blew all other phones available in the North American region out the water; even with a price point of $600, the phone was a must have.

Now why in the world would someone buy a $600 iPhone when they could just as easily buy a blackberry for half the price or even get a free phone by simply signing up for a cell phone plan.... BRANDING, that's why! Steve Jobs has delivered what Tom Peters calls the "brand you" strategy;

1) Developing Your Brand,

2)Packaging your Brand and

3) Communicating your Brand Effectively.

Steve Jobs and Apple have created a cult-like following by implementing these basic principles; I should know- I'm a cult member :)

Just recently Apple introduced the new iPhone 3G; At the same time, Sprint introduced its competitor, the Instinct - the Instinct if you haven't seen the commercials does everything except the dishes; As an iPhone user there are many options that the iPhone still does not currently have even with the new release- so why don't I switch? - simple, I've been APPLE BRANDED

Now some of you might already have a great brand for your design services or product. To verify your assumptions, take my

iPhone Brand Test:

#1 Are your customers completely obsessed with your product or service that they camp out for hours to see new product releases?

#2 Are your customers recommending your services to everyone they meet and blurting out random love phases about your product or service ?, e.g. ‘Boy, that iPhone sure is special!!!'

#3 Do your customers trust your product or service to the point of cult -like behaviors?

#4 What is it that your design service or product offers that make it different from your competition?

Becoming Branded it not a short term project; it's a long term commitment. It can literally take years; but when you're branded your golden. You develop a loyal fan base that will stick with you through anything which easily translates into steady and increasing income.

So how do you become branded? Well I've listed a few great articles and personal brand websites to get you started on your way. I hope I've pumped you up enough for you to take the plunge; get started, get going. As T Harv Eker, author of "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind" once said " Get in the corridor of life" and start walking to the light... paraphrasing of course.

And remember "if you're going to be a brand, you've got to become relentlessly focused on what you do that adds value, that you're proud of, and most important, that you can shamelessly take credit for." Tom Peters CHEERS ;)

By the way let me know of other resources that I can add to the brand illumination wall.

THE BRAND ILLUMINATION WALL:

1. Fastcompany.com - The Brand Called You, by Tom Peters

2. Fastcompany.com - The Brand You Survival Kit, by Tom Peters

3. GarrReynolds.com - Brand You

4. Personal Branding Blog - Navigating You to Future Success

5. All About Branding Dot Com - Allaboutbranding.com

6. Brand Channel - Brandchannel.com

7. Tom Peters! - www.tompeters.com

8. SEOBOOK - Brand Building Tips (On A Budget)

IF YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE YOU CAN SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED

Sponsor  iPage - Small business web hosting $3.50/mo!!