4 Important Advantages for A Logo Designer to be Present on Behance and Dribbble

By Eko S

We are living in a very changing world and due to the fact that we are merely in a hurry, the changes are unnoticed. It sounds as a philosophical matter, but it’s a very actual fact in everything we do, including design. As an example, the “pure” designers are on extinction. Nowadays, a designer shouldn’t be only a skilled crafter of design works. He/she must be a good marketer, should have good communication skills and be prepared for every new type of challenge. Yeah, a designer who is focused 100% only on design has a great chance of not getting hired. It’s sad and I think that this situation will continue until the end of the world. This supposition isn’t just a personal remark, it’s the collective idea of the design community!

Willing or not, marketing is part of our life; there is no brand that didn’t invest serious money for marketing. Until ten years ago, the Internet marketing was something unheard about and the entrepreneurs and the companies didn’t pay attention to this aspect. In 2015, Internet marketing is the future! Television ads represent almost 40% the total market ads and the second position is occupied by the Internet ads counting approximately 24%.

Consequently, a designer should adapt to the new context in order to get clients! iBrandStudio.com is a place where the designers may find valuable posts helping them with the marketing issues and we will continue to offer you quality tips in this respect.

On the other hand, marketing without offering top-class services is a waste of time. Obviously, no client will tolerate the poor quality of the services offered because he/she was impressed by the marketing campaign of a designer! Wrapping up, a logo designer, but it’s also valid for any type of designers, should always have a consistent marketing plan, but at the same time, the works done must be well-designed.

The Simple and Effective Self Marketing

A wrong, but widespread conception is that marketing is done by companies and imply the existence of a substantial budget. Well, the reality is different! Any designer has some very efficient methods of self-marketing that are mostly free or the investment is extremely low. Here are the most important ones:

#1. An updated and interesting portfolio

The portfolio is the identity card of a designer. If it looks poor, I am very in doubt that someone will ask for the services of the respective portfolio. A logo designer must have a strong portfolio where are showcased the most interesting works. I think that it important to have added the latest works, too. Would you hire a logo designer that uploaded the latest work in 2011? I guess that you won’t do it!

#2. Maintain a blog and/or write guest posts

Jacob Cass is a well-known example that demonstrates the idea that a logo designer should have a blog or at least write guest posts on a constant basis. Blogging is a common activity and many logo designers engage with people within blog posts. If you aren’t convinced about the utility of a blog, please check this post – here we present very detailed the major advantages of a blog.

#3. Engage on social networks

According to some statistics published by Jeff Bullas, social networks will earn $8.3 billion from advertising in 2015. It’s about serious money, isn’t it? This huge amount of money proves that social networks can’t be ignored. As a result, any logo designer should give a heed to any major social networks. A consistent and interesting streamline is a must to gain the attention of the potential clients and collaborators.

47% from Internet users are on Facebook, therefore ignoring it is a huge mistake. Twitter is very helpful in spreading viral posts, while LinkedIn is a professional network that may bring many customers. Pinterest is another network that grows exponentially and pinning the most eye-catching works should be a top priority for any designer. Of course, if you neglect Google+ it’s probable that the Google spiders will ignore you and this isn’t what you want!

#4. Be active on websites for designers

Design is a very complex matter and any designer needed, at least once in his/her life, the help of other fellows. Luckily, there are many websites that are focused on providing help for designers. Firstly, the design blogosphere is full of top-quality blog posts that are informative and useful. You may like iBrandStudio Facebook page if you want in your streamline the latest posts. Secondly, the forums should be regarded as another possibility of receiving feedback and help from other designers. Here I added a list of three forums – the ones that are periodically checked by me and I am very content with the topics debated. Don’t forget that you should help others in order to receive help! There are many other forums and it will be great to share with us which ones are your favorites.

The Advantages of Behance and Dribbble

Thirdly, there are many networks for designers that should be frequented by the logo designers. The most famous are Behance and Dribbble. Some designers consider these as being a waste of time, but in the next lines I will convince you that any responsible logo designer should be present on these two websites.

#1: It’s a sign that you exist as a logo designer

The skeptic ones think that on Behance and Dribbble are too many talented designers in order to get a client or the appreciation of other designers. It’s true that the competition is fierce, but if you are afraid of it, then you have 0 chances of getting hired.

Behance and Dribbble are two extensions of the portfolio. One of the huge mistakes of the designers is to consider the portfolio as a static entity. It’s wrong! A portfolio is a dynamic entity – your best works must be present everywhere a client might be! Many well-paying clients are networking on Behance and Dribbble so certainly you should be present there.

Much more, a logo designer shouldn’t use only Behance and Dribbble; logo galleries as LogoPond or LogoSpire should be other websites where the latest works are uploaded.

#2: Get huge exposure

Behance and Dribbble are full of talented designers, but these websites are daily visited by tons of potential clients. In this context, a good design work gets a serious number of visits even though there are posted many similar works.

Exposure is a huge advantage for any logo designer and you should try to get as much as possible attention from the potential clients. In other words, getting exposure means that the first time an individual needs a logo or the services of a logo designer he/she will contact you. What do you think, am I right?

#3: Engage with other designers

Getting in touch with other fellows has the same importance as getting in touch with potential customers. One of the main advantages is the best practices exchange information. You have an approach toward a problem while other designers have a different opinion. You may improve your approach by implementing the ideas of other designers and they may benefit from your ideas.

A second advantage consists in the possibility of establishing a collaboration relationship. Some logo designers may have too much client work to do, while you may lack the clients (of course, it’s valid the vice-versa, too). Under these circumstances, a collaboration is the best solution for the both sides.

It implies a stronger relationship with other designers, but it’s also advantageous for both sides to offer feedback to the works created. The idea is simple: before submitting the project to the client you ask a friend for an objective opinion. It’s not rocket science, but it’s helpful! Definitely, having a network of designers ready to offer objective feedback is golden!

#4: A higher change of getting hired

The latest two points were about making connections with other people. Usually, the more connections you have, the more chances of getting hired you have. In conclusion, a strong presence on Behance and Dribble in addition to a professional approach towards making connections is the perfect recipe of avoiding the lack of clients.

Conclusion

Wrapping up, Behance and Dribbble are two websites that bring substantial advantages to the ones that pay attention to them. Once again, I must emphasize these two are probably the most famous ones, but there are many other similar online presences that shouldn’t be neglected. Deviantart, Fiverr or LogoPond are just a few ones to mention. A serious logo designer shouldn’t ask himself/herself if it’s useful to be active on these websites. He/she must ask himself/herself how to use better these and this post may be a reference for such an activity. Do you have another opinion about? It will be great to share your opinions with us, so drop us a line! The more ideas, the better for everyone!