Fleishman - Starting Your Career as a Graphic Designer

Copyright 2014 by Michael Fleishman

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Published by Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Allworth Press is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

www.allworth.com

Cover and interior design by Michael Fleishman

Chapter title illustrations Copyright 2014 Michael Fleishman

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA IS AVAILABLE ON FILE.

ISBN: 978-1-62153-398-6

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-62153-412-9

Printed in the United States of America

Its been one helluva year. Gimme da pie first.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Loans, Credit, Banks, Lawyers

Keeping the Clients You Get

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and above all: to my wife, Joanne Caputo. Next, to my sons, Cooper and Max, plus the two floor managers, Tilly and Simon. Words may fail me here, but my heart does not, because family is what countsespecially when you absolutely, positively have to get your book written overnight.

From here, a big thank-you to all the good folks who added their unique insights, wisdom, and seasoned commentaryyour invaluable input was far more than appreciated. Some contributors were generously there from go, team, go : Ken Bullock, Kristine Putt, and Kelly White. Julie Buschur, Lara Kisielewska, Antonio Rodrigues, Ellen Shapiro, and Vickie Vandeventer. Ty Cooper, Rigie Fernandez, Mega, and Allan Wood. All yinz guys from Pittsburghhey, Kennywoods open. A shout out to Deborah Budd, Gerald D. Vinci, and Rebecca Hemstad; Ilise Benun, Neal Pemberton, Maria Piscopo, and Brad Reed; Alison Miyauchi, Al Wasco, and C.J. Yeh; Roger Starnes and Joy Ring (badda bing!). A chunky note of gratitude goes out to: Jane Baker, Ed Davis, Cathy Essinger, Norton Gusky, Elizabeth Lutz, and Jamie Sharpwhere were you wonderful editors all my literary life?

To my esteemed colleagues, valued counselors, and dear friends (particularly Ellen and Ven Adkins, Phyllis and Ron Schmidt, Doc Pete, Neil Silvert, and Tom Verdon, Nancy Lee Cooper and Maureen Dawn): I am deeply indebted to you for your comic timing, gracious help, solid guidance, and unstinting support.

Finally, my great thanks to Thornwell May and Tad Crawford, along with all the crew at Allworth and Skyhorse (and to all the folks who contributed to the first edition of this book).

INTRODUCTION

There have been incredible changes in the profession since this book first appeared as two separate volumes for another publisher. Fire up the Wayback Machine, Mr. Peabody, to see just when those titles were combined to create the grand update as then offered by Allworth Press.

And since that second go-round, there has been an epic interaction of art and technology, plus a radical morphing of communications and marketing through the rise of social media. This has resulted in modern (and extraordinary) delivery systems squarely slamming the globe into your backyard. The thud of that shock wave has forever rocked both design and illustration and, not coincidentally, rolled that second incarnation back to the future of two volumes again.

Starting Your Career as a Graphic Designer and its sister volume, Starting Your Career as an Illustrator , address the common challenges facing those who want to move up, out, or on. You might be a beginnerlong on talent but short on experienceor perhaps youre a burgeoning professional just getting out of school. You could be on staff and interested in branching off, or you simply want to explore a new arena.

Wherever you are on the continuum, I wanted to keep this updated volume as realistic and honest as the original, but now even more pertinent and absolutely up to date. Toward that goal, I adapted (and folded in) some particularly relevant content from my book How to Grow as an Illustrator .

There has been a gale storm of changes as previously mentioned, but to paraphrase Ward Schumaker from an earlier interview, those who gracefully lean into those winds will do quite well. Schumaker, whose work has appeared in numerous publications worldwide, remarked that there is no such thing as thinking locally, and I agree, now more than ever. The technology that has made this possible was only hinted at in the very first editions of this work. It is simply business as usual now and continues to evolve.

Throughout the years, some lessons remain constant. Of course, what you know is key. Great chops construct the shark tank of talent you must demonstrate every day, on every job. It still matters who you knowin any business climate, military-grade networking is important. As Schumaker says, We must use each other to compare techniques, talk business and finances, to join in solidarity, we must be there for our colleagues.

Another insight, as master marketer Roger Brucker will tell you: diversify, diversify, diversify. To paraphrase Elwood Smith, changes in the industry have opened the gates to other venues and fresh disciplines that mark whole new opportunities for creative growth. Award-winning and internationally respected, Smith says, The Muse is guiding me into areas I never dreamed of. I am inspired to move into other areas of creative activity that Ive been meaning to investigate (but previously too busy to do).

This Starting Your Career ... is still liberally salted and generously stacked with studio-smart tips plus nuts-and-bolts information from designers up and down the ladder. It answers some basic questions including:

How to find jobs and analyze what market is right for you

Ways to stay ahead of the competition and pick up new business

How to get noticed

How to network and get referrals

and much more.

The new Starting Your Career ... presents a positive yet practical look at biz, process, and product. And this update, like the earlier editions of the book, offers the same well-rounded, personal perspective from men and women whove been there (and seen that, and done that, too). Hopefully, its obvious; but if not, all contributors quoted in this book without an introduction are either designers or illustrators, unless otherwise noted in the text.