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The Social Arts - Social Media for Designers
The various ways a designer can use social media, both as a means of support and a way to publicize your designs.
If you're a graphic or Web designer (with a bit of programming thrown in), where do you begin with social media? How can you call attention to your work or how do you find support for questions you may have? In this article, Linda talks about the various ways a designer can use social media, both as a means of support and a way to publicize your designs.
It's all in your imagination...
I know a lot of designers, and if you offered me a million Euros, Yen or dollars or whatever financial denomination you have on hand to provide a one-line description of those individuals, I'd have to pass on the money. This group of individuals is, perhaps, the most varied bunch of personalities I've met under one label. Here are the issues:
· First, a designer is an individual before he or she is a designer. An individual with quirks, beliefs, preferences, boundaries and limitations.
· A designer, also, can specialize in a number of mediums. Today, I'm sticking with Web and graphic designers, but designers also work in product design, industrial design and more.
· Finally, each designer eventually might develop a style that fits his or her individuality and medium.
As you can see from the short list above, each designer is unique. So, to fit all designers into one box is both foolish and unproductive; therefore, to fit all designers into one social media plan also is foolish and unproductive. With that said, I'm going to offer some solutions that are broad and generic, but that fit designers who want to find support and to showcase their work.
In the previous article, I listed twenty-plus social networking platforms where designers might find support as entrepreneurs. Additionally, those platforms can be used to find work. This week, I want to offer other social media tools that designers might use to find support from other designers, to obtain ideas to break through that designer's block or to market your work from a designer's platform. In future articles, I plan to show how some designers use these tools. For now, it's up to you and your imagination to find a mix that might fit you.
Social Media Platforms for Designers
The lists below are categorized by "mainstream," "showcase" and "utilization." Mainstream social media tools are those that are used by people other than designers. Showcase platforms are those where you can showcase your work, and Utilization methods are those that you can use to increase your design education and/or peer network and standing in that community.
All links are listed in alphabetical order to show that I do not prefer one platform over another (unless I state otherwise, of course!).
Mainstream
· Digg: You can, over time, build a following or network of people who 'digg' the same stories as you. But, I believe other platforms might be better to build your design following, such as StumbleUpon (see below).
· Flickr: Although not pointed specifically toward designers, Flickr has shown that it can provide an excellent platform for networking and to show off your 'stuff.'
· LinkedIn: Can't live without a page filled with your credentials that you can forward to potential clients.
· Reddit: Add links, including your own, to stories, galleries, etc. However, you link may become lost rapidly unless you build a reputation for a certain topic or for 'hot' stories through participation and feedback.
· StumbleUpon: You can be assertive here in gathering friends and in sharing Web sites and your own products. Beware of being too self-focused, however – the point is to share information, not to use this platform as an "It's all about me" venue.
· Twitter: I've provided examples for designers who use this medium in previous articles, and many designers use this platform to build a following of both clients and peers.
Linda Goin
Linda Goin carries an A.A. in graphic design, a B.F.A. in visual communications with a minor in business and marketing and an M.A. in American History with a minor in the Reformation. While the latter degree doesn't seem to fit with the first two educational experiences, Linda used her 25-year design expertise on archaeological digs and in the study of material culture. Now she uses her education and experiences in social media experiments.
Accolades for her work include fifteen first-place Colorado Press Association awards, numerous fine art and graphic design awards, and interviews about content development with The Wall St. Journal, Chicago Tribune, Psychology Today, and L.A. Times.