CLIENT: Self-Employed Creative Professionals (SECP), of IABC; City of Portland
PROJECT: Create an educational brochure to help clients hire and work with independent creative professionals
ROLE: Project manager; writer and editor
EXCERPT:
Why Hire a Self-Employed Creative Professional?
* For unique or specialized skills (eliminating the time and money to train yourself or an employee)
* For one-time projects or as a backup for overload situations (no ongoing expenses or commitments)
* For a fresh perspective for your business
...
Before You Go Shopping for a Creative Professional
Carefully lay the groundwork. The better you plan, the better your creative professional(s) will perform -- and the better your results.
MESSAGE
* What is your message? What do you want to say?
* Do you want this piece to educate or motivate?
* Are you selling a product, service, or idea?
* Avoid the temptation of making one marketing project (ad, brochure, event, etc.) serve a multitude of purposes.
* Keep it simple and concise (your creative professional will help you determine the content, look, and feel of your message).
AUDIENCE
* Who is your primary audience?
* How much does your audience already know about your message? In order to nail down the audience, nail down the message first.
MEDIUM / VENUE
* How (in what format) will this message reach your audience? (e.g., print: direct mail; electronic: your Web site)
* Where will this message reach your audience? (e.g., at work, at home)
BUDGET
* Know what your resources are and share that information with your creative professionals up front.
* Ask for estimates based on the project you have in mind. Expect it to take a few days for the creative professional to provide you with this information, depending on the project's scope/complexities.
TIMELINE / PRODUCTION SCHEDULE
* Allow plenty of time for planning and executing your project.
* Note the factors that affect a timeline -- number of people involved, length of project, stage of development, etc.
* Be aware that a generous time frame saves you money, reduces stress, and results in a superior product.
* Build in extra time for possible delays.
* If you're faced with a short turnaround, lower your expectations and be prepared for relatively higher costs.
* Recognize that scheduling is often an evolutionary process.
OTHER PROJECTS / WORK COMPLETED:
- Contributed as one of the original SECP “core” members to grow the organization
- Acted with other members to develop and promote creative professionals’ interests with the Portland Development Commission (PDC)