Designer/Illustrator:  Andy Quick

As you know my job is portfolios. I eat and sleep design portfolios all day, every day. Sounds boring? Not in the least. I love seeing new portfolios and exploring a new designer's creativity. But there is a catch - I have an ulterior motive.

I look for things that are effective portfolio design. Effective from a usability and marketing perspective. I mean at the end of the day isn't it all about getting new clients? My routine is that when new designers sign up on Styleapple I do a quick once over of their portfolio on the site as well as their external portfolio. Make a decision fairly quickly whether or not I'm a fan.

I am by no means absolute judge and jury when it comes to portfolio design but I'm no different than the next guy. Some I'll like and some I won't.  So let's get to it. Andy Quick is an illustrator from the UK. I like the way his portfolio summarizes.

Thumbnails with description... cool. Thumbnail opens up seamlessly into a larger image of the project... very cool. All projects place on one page for easy scrolling and quick viewing... sexy. Quick previews of the projects cycling through on top.... very sexy. Great job Andy and welcome to Styleapple.

As far as my blog title goes... after finishing my post I realized that maybe what I do is not that random and maybe I wasn't looking for something else. But hated to get rid of it... so there I said it. Oh I also wanted to piss off the SEO voice in my head who kept telling me that the title was way too long... Sometimes you just gotta live a little :)

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Image Credit:  From The Design Portfolio of Ana Gomez

As we depend on the web more and more to sell our product or service, it's important that we take the things that have worked for us offline and implement them online . When selling was done on the streets with a briefcase or vacuum cleaner in hand, it took years of trial and error to figure out what worked and what didn't. Now that the process has been somewhat perfected, it makes sense to transfer those methods to our online efforts. There are 6 key steps in the sales process:

1) Prospecting - The act of finding the right clients or customers to sell your product or service (Target Demographics).
2) Contact - The actual contact you make with a potential client, either in person, on the phone, email, snail mail or on the web.
3) Sales Presentation - The sales pitch, tour or description of your product or service and the explanation of why it's the right product for your potential clients.
4) Handling Objections - Objections are the reasons why your client or customer will not buy your product, whether it's the price, time or quality of your product or service.
5) Closing the Sale - Closing the sale is the summary of the benefits of your product/service and finalizing payment options or service agreements.
6) Follow-up/Service - Following up after the sale by checking in to make sure the product is working correctly or servicing the product.

These are the steps your sales process will most likely follow whether you're selling an actual product or looking for new clients. Having a blueprint of these steps can be an asset when looking to increase your sales conversion rates.

With that said, your design portfolio website should embody the essence of these six steps in order to take full advantage of every user that visits your design portfolio website. Here are some suggestions on how you can implement these offline techniques in order to be more effective online.

PROSPECTING
OFFLINE: Prospecting offline usually includes lots of cold calling, showing up at potential clients offices... sometimes unannounced, sending out mailers and promotional offers, etc.
ONLINE: Prospecting online includes various social networking activities, blogging, search engine optimization, email newsletter subscriptions, email campaigns, and other inbound marketing techniques.

CONTACT
OFFLINE: An initial contact offline can be made through a cold call either on the phone or in person, a response to a promotional mailer, or email reply to information sent to your potential customers.
ONLINE: An initial contact online refers to a website visit by a potential client, someone sending you a message on Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin, connecting with you through instant message (IM), or leaving a comment on your personal or business blog.

SALES PRESENTATION
OFFLINE: The Sales presentation is your sales pitch about your product or service which includes a description of the product and benefits to your potential clients.
ONLINE: An online sales pitch or presentation can be tricky to master since you're not personally guiding your visitors through your website, so your website needs to be set up to do exactly that. To get an idea of how a client might search your website read "10 decisions your clients will make before hiring you". Most People don't have the time to figure out how to navigate your website. It's important to make your website intuitive enough that your visitors conduct their own tour of your design portfolio. Ana Garcia, a 3d Designer on Styleapple does a great job of introducing her design portfolio and giving potential clients a tour of her work and design expertise.

HANDLING OBJECTIONS
OFFLINE: Handling objections is a skill that will close many deals for you. To effectively handle objections you must answer all the questions your potential clients have way before you ask them to sign a contract or get their credit card number.
ONLINE: Handling objections online is simply answering the questions your visitors have in the very beginning. For example: What does it cost (Provide a general price list for projects, i.e. Print Work, Illustration Work, Branding, etc) What kind of work have you done in the past (Showcase of previous projects or client recommendations) What tools do you use ? (PHP, Mysql, Adobe Photoshop, Ruby, Illustrator, Dreamweaver,etc). BTW, a great way to handle objections online is by integrating a live chat button on your website incase a client has a quick question for you.

CLOSING THE SALE
OFFLINE: Closing the sale offline is the summary of the benefits of your product/service and the moment you ask for their credit card number or signature on your service agreement.
ONLINE: Closing the sale online happens the moment your website visitor fills out your contact form, contacts you on Skype, initiate a live chat session, email or give you a direct phone call. It's important to have multiple ways of contact, so your clients can reach you in a format convenient to them.

FOLLOW-UP/SERVICES
OFFLINE: Follow-up/Service is where you keep your clients happy and build your referral base. Performing any necessary service to make sure your product is working correctly or being there to answer questions or concerns.
ONLINE: Follow-up/Service online includes detailed updates on current project progress. Having them subscribe to your blog, connecting with them on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc. and having them subscribe to your monthly newsletter where you can share promotions, design advice and request referrals.
The truth is, you have a small window to close the deal. Just like selling offline, you have a small window in which to get your client's attention. Guide them carefully through the sales process, manage their objections and get them to contact you either by a phone call, filling out a contact form or requesting a project quote.

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I've decided to do a series of video reviews of design portfolios from the Styleapple Network.  There is no science to who I'll select for review, simply that the designer's internal portfolio (on Styleapple)  and external portfolio (Own website) is built with the potential client in mind.  Meaning that the design portfolio is an effective marketing tool, keeping the visitor engaged from the minute they enter the website to the end where they are either filling out a conversion form or picking up the phone to inquire about your design services.  The goal of this series is to showcase designers that are effectively using their design portfolios to get leads and ultimately acquire new clients. 

The hope is that this will allow designers and design firms to see what tools they can implement to improve their marketing effectiveness online. 

The first installation of the series is a review of Industrial Designer, Jonathan Smith.  Please leave your feedback and comments below.

Increase your chances of being featured on Styleapple 5 Minute Portfolio review by creating a design or brand portfolio here.

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The September issue of The Styleapple Juggernaut is now available, Here is an excerpt:

It's Fashion week in New York City. A time for the fashion industry to enjoy all the fruits produced from fashion designers who have worked around the clock to create collections they hope will invite rave reviews from critics and spectators alike.  For that reason We've dedicated this issue to all of our fashion designers in the Styleapple network.  Read the complete issue here.

Fashion Illustration by Camille Wilkinson

Are You Looking To Market and Promote Your Fashion Design Portfolio? 

Join The Styleapple Design Network: Learn More>>

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It's Official, Styleapple - The Branded Designers Social Network Has Launched

We have arrived.  Our website is now live and we are so excited.  After several months of very hard work, I am happy to announce that we are officially "open for business"  If you haven't already, remember to create your designer or design company profile on the Styleapple website.  Our appetite for helping designers "Get Branded" are bigger than our stomachs, so don't miss this opportunity to partner with us on our mission to get you branded.  

Thank you everyone for all the support and hard work you've put into this project. 

I've included our press release below:

btw:  Our release is also on Yahoo News, please buzz us up: Here is the link: LAUNCH SPRING 2009:  New Social Network Launches To Get Designers Branded   

Thanks again guys.

---

(1)   Differentiate: Focus. Focus. Focus - Who are you? What do you do? Why does it matter?
(2)   Collaborate: Your brand is not what you say it is, it's what they (clients and customers) say it is. 
(3)   Innovate - Creativity is what give brands traction in the marketplace. "How do you know when an idea is innovative - When it scares the hell out of everyone." 
(4)   Validate - Feedback. Feedback. Feedback. Bring your audience into the creative process.
(5)   Cultivate: Brand building is a process, not an entity. A living brand is a pattern of behavior, not a stylish veneer.

"The challenge is no longer only about finding a creative vision, it's now more so about bringing that vision to the marketplace successfully," explains Calvin.

As Styleapple continues to develop a network for design firms to successfully market their brands. They are adamant about the development of effective social media tools that will expand their members brands seamlessly across the web, ultimately and intuitively reaching their demographics while separating them from their competition. As is evident from the Styleapple tag line: STANDOUT-- Get Branded.

"We are very excited about bringing Styleapple to the design community. Our mission is to provide the marketing (tools, space, resources, framework) that enables designers to be successful at what they do best," concludes Calvin.

ABOUT STYLEAPPLE
Styleapple Is The Branded Designers Social Network. Styleapple is a social network developed for creative professionals seeking to effectively promote and market their design businesses, whether you are a novice freelance designer or an established design firm looking to build your brand.

Founded by Calvin Cox, a former New York Fashion Designer and a Fashion Institute of Technology Alumni, Styleapple's global design community boasts a cross section of creative pros with backgrounds in art, advertising fashion design, industrial design, interior design as well as interactive design, illustration, animation and web design to name a few.

Our goal is simple, to develop a platform that will effectively utilize social networking and inbound marketing techniques to promote and build your design company's brand. For more information please visit styleapple.com

Source: Styleapple, Inc
http://www.styleapple.com

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We have been working on Styleapple.com - The Branded Designers Social Network  [A place  for designers to create or submit their portfolios website URL, Promote their work, find new creative jobs, build their fan base and become fans of other designers]  for the past few months and we are now ready to show our readers the (Private) beta version. 

We are not ready to go into full beta until we've ironed out all the kinks.  You guys get the first stab at it.  I've included the email below that we sent to close friends and investors(family) which includes the username and password to enter the site, you guys made the list for the first rollout.  Please give us your feedback on the site.  Thanks.

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. WOO-HOO, Styleapple.com Private Beta Is Here! Dear Creative Pros You have been selected or have expressed interest in the past to be a part of our private beta testing.  We are still very actively in development but wanted to give our designers a chance to start testing the site.  Since this is private beta, we expect more than normal hiccups and bugs in the software.  Please be candid and give us all your feedback... Go ahead we promise not to take it personally.   To login visit www.styleapple.com, Username: beta   Password: tester    Once you've scaled our beta wall. You can create or submit your design portfolio to be viewed and envied by your peers while positioning yourself to be seen by future employers or freelance and project work opportunities.  Our goal is to find creative ways to help promote and grow your design business. Thank you for being a part of our private beta test squad. Sincerely Calvin --  Calvin Cox Director of Talent Resource calvin@styleapple.com Styleapple, Inc www.styleapple.com Build & Promote Your Own Design Portfolio Website In Minutes. | Our goal is simple; to provide an invaluable resource for clients looking to discover and hire the brightest talent in the design industry. | *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Unsubscribe *|EMAIL|* from this list | Forward to a friend | Update your profile Our mailing address is: *|HTML:LIST_ADDRESS_HTML|* Copyright (C) 2008 *|LIST:COMPANY|* All rights reserved.

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My last blog post was about Google releasing its 2001 search engine for show for their 10^th  year Anniversary  and how their logo has changed since then -  pointing to current company growth and design trends as two possible reasons for the change.  I was since energized to find other top company logo design that has changed over the years.  What I found was that in most cases the logos were noticeably similar to their predecessors as expect  but still showcased a modern spin that appeal to the current design trends in their respective industries.  What I found kind of funny was the Starbucks coffee logo changed from a practically x-rated half naked mermaid to a more censored version as their demographics grew.   I wasn't sure whether they wanted me to get a cup of coffee or  get a room  ☺ Anyway, check out the list, let me know what you think.

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We hear these words tossed around the marketing round table all the time; branding, logo design, typography, personal branding, brand you, brand me, brand us. But what exactly does that mean to you. Well frankly it should mean a lot to you. With the introduction of the web base economy a company's logo design and branding are probably two of the most important factors in achieving success in today's highly competitive market.

A lot of us choose our company names way before we know what products the company will sell or what kind of service the company will offer. Our logos are based on the hottest trendiest typography that just hit the graphic design scene. We hire a graphic designer who's ‘up' on the newest trends and pay for a cool trendy logo that looks great but says nothing about our product or service.

WHEN TRENDY ISN'T COOL:

This is not an uncommon practice, especially for designer entrepreneurs. Our background in design makes us an easy target for this kind of short term thinking. Let's take the idea one step further: So you've designed your killer logo and created your website around it. 6 to 8 months later it's no longer cool to use the '28 Days Later' font for anything but a reference of what not to use. But you -Genius, you have this font in your logo... oops. Yes, my thoughts exactly. you have two options: keep the dated logo, which will more or less create an old image for your company and brand (not recommended) or redesign your logo; which will set you back about 8 months of your company's branding campaign; not to mention all the time and money that went into the logo design, business cards, marketing materials and... oh yeah, the company coffee cups.

HERE'S A BETTER IDEA:

Take a breather and think about your company's name, the product or service, your target market and your competition. Ideally you'd like to create a synergy between all these factors: The company name speaks volume about your product or service, the logo pushes that one step further, your image logo marries well with the former two and the product or service simply brings it to life and finally all together marries well with your target market.

THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE:

Please don't take what I'm saying so literal as to call your company DAN'S COW HOUSE, have a logo design with a black and white cow skin color typography and have a branded cow as your image logo, selling to local farmers. Depending on your market you may have to employ more forward thinking exploring out of box abstract ideas and concepts when branding. Remember that your design should be centered around your number one priority, your customers. Knowing your customers habits and thought process will help a great deal. Companies that have created a brand around names that may not seem literal are of course Apple, Google, Nike and Yahoo. Their vision and market shift thinking contributed greatly to their successes. I came across a cool website that gives you an idea of what people think about some of the more popular brands in the marketplace. Take a look, it may inspire you when considering your company's logo and branding strategy. And finally make sure when your logo is finally finished that your gut agrees with the decision your brain made. Happy Branding, CHEERS.

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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.

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My Creative design Portfolio of the moment is from designer Dave Werner. His design portfolio does an amazing job outlining his work, his thought process and creative perspective. The layout while creative still lends an easy navigation and thorough overview of his work. He provided a taste of his dynamic talent and included examples of his vast creative reach. Great Job Dave; you are my creative Pro of the moment.

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