Even an overtly optimistic person like me had to admit that second and third quarter of 2009 challenged the creative industry. Locally we saw ad agencies, marketing/design firms and in-house departments reduce hours, lay off staff and reduce salaries in an effort to stay viable. C2 strives to support the creative community by offering FIVE strategies to help maximize resources (and perhaps even GROW) while times are tight!
1. Hire well.
2. Invest locally
3. Retain great staff
4. Expand your service offering
5. Embrace new media while staying grounded in strategy
Strategy ONE: Smart hiring saves time, money and sanity while mitigating risk
Agencies who run lean eventually need to hire for projects or permanent positions. What’s the EASIEST, FASTEST, most ECONOMICAL, LEAST RISKY and satisfaction-GUARANTEED way to fill temp and permanent needs? Call C2!
What makes C2 the least risky hiring option? We offer our clients the opportunity to work with our W2 employees, for whom we pay unemployment and workman’s compensation, provide liability insurance and manage taxes. Check this LINK to see IRS the guidelines for determining who qualifies as an employee or independent contractor to protect individuals and companies. It’s a complex issue. Why risk an audit or unemployment claim? Use C2, we take the risk so you don’t have to!
Employers find it difficult to resist the temptation of competitive freelance prices, low hourly and project rates that lend themselves to increased profits. C2 can offer similar rates and a guarantee that if the talent doesn’t meet your expectations or needs, we’ll replace them at no cost to you. If a freelancer gets a better offer or has their own deadline, sometimes they don’t give you the attention you deserve. C2 helps hold freelancers accountable, but in the rare event that they flake out, we’ll bring in another talent to take their place. We’ve got you covered.
We know you can write a compelling job description, run an ad, screen the hundreds of resumes/applications resulting from the ad, review portfolios, schedule interviews, track down references and test software skills…of course you can. But why would you want to spend a lot of time and energy on that when you could try us first. Within hours of your call or web site request, C2 talent scouts will produce qualified, pre-screened, software skill-assessed candidates AT NO COST to you. Review resumes/samples and interview candidates without committing any financial resources to your search. We’ll negotiate a competitive rate only when you fall in love with a C2 talent.
Strategy TWO: Invest in Locally Owned Businesses
According to OurMilwaukee.net, a local business alliance, “For every $1 you spend at a locally owned business, more than 68¢ remains in Milwaukee.”
Since our inception in 2004, C2 has supported the creative communities in Madison and Milwaukee, investing time, resources and financial support through memberships and sponsorships. C2 actively participates in AAF Madison, Ad2 MKE & Ad2 Mad, AIGA Wisconsin, BMA-Milwaukee, the Creative Coalition, Design Madison, The Eisner, United AdWorkers (bowling, softball, golf outings), WPPC and many other professional organizations and user groups. Our investment of Jell-O shots, time, effort and passion for these organizations ultimately reflects our absolute dedication to the individual creative professionals in them. It’s not too strong a sentiment to say that C2 loves our clients, talent and the creative organizations that support them.
C2 knows you have choices when you need Adobe training or creative talent placement. We’re not asking you to ignore the other firms that wish to serve you, we’re just asking for the opportunity to bid on the job along side our competition. If you’re going to ask a national agency to search for a Creative Director, ask us too. Having multiple teams support your search will likely lead to a better pool of candidates to choose from. Worried about negotiating fees? At C2 you can get an owner on the phone or see us at an event. That accessibility isn’t an accident, we want to work with our clients directly to ensure satisfaction and encourage a long term, mutually beneficial partnership. At C2, relationships matter.
Visit the following two articles to read additional articulately-crafted arguments for buying local.
http://ourmilwaukee.net/index.php/about/
Strategy THREE: Retain Great Staff
Right now offering bonuses and raises to reward long hours, exceptional creative and client satisfaction may not be a an option. How can you show gratitude to valuable staff while increasing productivity? Reward them with professional development opportunities! C2 offers a spectrum of options, from free user group meetings to $5 Fridays, one-day seminars and multiple week hands-on training classes. Participants generally return to work more inspired, more productive and more confident. Ultimately you’re investing in the growth of your company by investing in the growth of your staff.
Another strategy to show you respect the sanity of your staff, hire project help rather than making your team pull late night or weekend duty. Quality of life can be a great benefit, can attribute to positive office morale and can make the difference when the team has to support management decisions (like salary cuts or position eliminations). Also, consistent sleep deprivation leads to sloppy work, including spelling, editing and calculation errors. Whether software upgrade training or a creativity workshop, invest in the best, make them better, keep the team happy, healthy and fresh. Your clients will see and feel the results.
Besides C2, professional organizations offer pro devo opportunities frequently, see the C2 Pipeline for all the regional meetings or if you want to expand your reach, see Big Shoes Network for their list of organizations. And, for a brain tickling exercise from overseas, check out: http://workout.dandad.org/
Strategy FOUR: Expand Your Service Offering
You spend a great deal of time building trust and relationships with your clients. When they ask you for more, say YES without hesitation. From Flash projects to hand illustrations, from copy writing to custom content management systems, C2 allows you to say YES! to any project, any deadline and most budgets without sacrificing sleep, employee morale or your profit margin. We have several clients who use C2 to manage service expansion, project fulfillment and capabilities exploration.
C2 offers you THREE shortcuts to success, delivered when and how you need them.
Creative Talent Placement (4 hours, 4 days or forever), choose from competitively priced and thoroughly screened creative professionals, from copywriters to web developers and all talents in between, satisfaction guaranteed.
Creative Software Training focused on industry best-practices for print and web design and production. From Adobe Acrobat to XHTML, our seminars, hands-on or one-on-one training options will expand capabilities, enhance workflow efficiency, boost productivity and are a great investment in creative professional development.
Offsite Unmanageable Project Support (as in, “OUPS! We may need some help!”) allows you to take advantage of all C2′s skill sets:
• experienced professionals (aka C2 instructors),
• a 12-station production facility (aka C2 classrooms) and
• a large supply of qualified creative professionals (aka C2 Talent)
to turn the most daunting projects to doable! So go ahead, say YES WITH NO STRESS! C2 can economically augment your team and facility – let us help you out! Nimble, versatile, ready to say yes to any project…that’s YOU and that’s C2, your shortcut to success!
Strategy FIVE: Embrace New Technology While Staying Grounded in Strategy
Buzz, buzz, buzz! Twitter, Facebook, Social Media, YouTube, LinkedIn, Meetups, Tweetups and all the other new media channels can be tantalizing to a client! Embrace the new channels as appropriate to your clients’ needs, but also hold on to your initial strategies. Keep all decisions about new media channels rooted in the strategic approach that guides your marketing, advertising and media buying decisions already. Regional thought leaders in social media have emerged, offering training, advice, case study material, guidance and consulting, to help you integrate these new channels into clients’ marketing mix.
A few to watch:
1. Cd Vann pulls together social media innovators for once-a-month seminars focused on building strategy. Check out Magazine Soho, the seminars and www.sohobiztube.com for info about these Naked Biz Growth events.
2. Join Steve Glynn and the Spreenkterns as they gather monthly for Spreenkler the Meetup. Topics vary widely but creativity, growth of the region and social media as a tool for growth are always on the agenda.
3. Trivera owners Tom & Marjie Snyder just hosted a sell-out seminar called Social Media University-Milwaukee. They too pulled together regional thought leaders to help businesses understand the power of this new media channel. The RECAP page is FULL of great resources! http://www.socialmediamilwaukee.com/recap.php
Adria is an experienced graphic and web designer with a diverse portfolio. She designed multiple sites including small business, not-for-profit and exclusive corporate clients. Adria tested solid in Flash and very good in Web Development. She has Master of Arts with an emphasis in Visual Studies. She understands and applies solid hand coding. Adria is available part-time or full-time on a project basis only.
Brad is an accomplished, award-winning creative director with 25 years’ expertise developing and executing all aspects of integrated marketing communications campaigns designed to meet and exceed strategic marketing objectives. Very strong in concept development and art/photo direction. Experience in a broad range of B2B and B2C categories. Proven creative leadership talent with demonstrated strength in developing high performance and dedicated teams. Deep understanding of online, print, broadcast, experiential/event marketing. A persuasive presenter and a passionate listener who leverages relationship management talents to achieve consensus across all levels and organizational boundaries.
Dave C. tested at exceptional level in Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign/Quark, close to expert levels. His portfolio reflected good art direction/design skills, and he clearly can take any project from concept to completion. Dave is just completing a long term assignment at Reader’s Digest. He is available full or part-time, on temporary, temp to hire, or direct hire basis.
Paul R tested solid+ in Illustrator, Photoshop and Flash and solid in InDesign. He is a talented designer with strong production skills, and a great portfolio including packaging, logos and branding, ad campaigns and several web site designs. Paul performs with speed, accuracy and a delightful attitude. He is available full or part time, for projects, temp to hire or on a direct hire basis. His portfolio may be viewed at http://prauwerda.com
Vanessa is a multi-talented art director/graphic designer who can lead a project from concept to completion. She tested very good in Illustrator, Photoshop and solid+ in InDesign. Her portfolio displayed samples of photo editing, branding and identity packages, electronic newsletters, as well as copy writing, PR, brochures, catalogs, books and PowerPoint presentations for mid-size and small businesses. She can also update and edit web pages and banner ads.
Andrew G is a talented problem solver with a passion for aesthetics, web standards and usability. In his previous role he was at the forefront of user interaction for a Midwest technology company. He has examples of strategy documents and usability reviews on his website. Originally a design practitioner for print, he successfully evolved into the interactive space serving as both a web development manager and as a creative director in an interactive agency. He tested at exceptional level in Illustrator and Photoshop and more than professional in Flash and InDesign. He tested at EXPERT levels in web development. He is available full or part-time on a project or interim basis, temp to hire, or direct hire.
Ashley is an adept disciplined graphic designer with a clear, fresh eye and nicely executed portfolio. She tested solidly in InDesign and solid+ in both Photoshop and Illustrator. She presented samples of posters, illustrations, inventive packaging, campaigns, identity and exceptional attention to detail. She likes clean, simple designs and works to not over design pieces. Ashley is currently completing a digital editing project in After Effects but was not tested on it. She works well with others, and is available full or part-time, for projects, temp to hire, or direct hire basis.
Brian is a talented graphic designer/creative director for print, video, animation and multimedia. He is an Expert at Illustrator, exceptional at Photoshop and professional+ with InDesign. He’s spent the majority of his career working on creative teams in agency settings. His portfolio reflected his strong creative/design and solid production capabilities. He is available full or part-time, for projects, temp to hire, or direct hire.
Meghan is a gem! A multi-talented art director/designer who also has extensive B2B experience in multimedia and web design. She tested at professional level in Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign, exceptional in Dreamweaver and exceptional+ in Flash. She can art direct a project from concept through creation-in Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, Golive and more. Exceptional interpersonal communication skills, and still works well well with others. She is available full or part-time, on project, temp to hire or direct hire
Angelo tested very good in Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign/Quark, solidly in Dreamweaver and Flash. He serves as a C2 instructor for Keynote, Flash and Standards Based Web courses. He showed an electronic portfolio of both design and production projects which he took from concept to completion. He’s also comfortable working on Macs or PCs, manipulating audio and video files, creating presentations in Keynote and performing pre-press file prep. Angelo is fluent in English, Italian, Spanish and French. He is available full or part time, temporarily or permanently.
Ann, a strong production artist with exceptional design and organizational skills, received accolades from her last company for design, teamwork and her attention to detail. She tested very good in Illustrator and InDesign and solid+ in Photoshop. Ann is a great listener, she’s organized and focused. She is able to multi-task effectively and relishes the challenge of a deadline. Ann is available full or part-time, for projects, temp-to-hire or direct hire.
Kerry is a talented graphic designer who also performs as a speedy and strong production artist, allowing her to take any project from concept to completion. She tested very good in InDesign and solidly in both Illustrator and Photoshop. Recently, Kerry has worked extensively with in-house corporate work, developing an affinity for successful direct mail campaigns of all formats–response cards, magazines, post cards, buck slips in B2C marketing campaigns. Her portfolio showed a diverse array of projects: an heirloom book, magazine and billboard ads, flyers, gala invitations and a program for a non profit, as well as for a national cable company. Kerry is available full time, for projects, temp to hire or direct hire.
Patrick is a graphic designer with strong production skills and a great eye for design. He tested very good in Photoshop and Illustrator, very good + in InDesign. He has fine art and digital production skills, is focused, efficient and works well on a team or independently. Patrick is available full or part time, temporarily or permanently.
Dina presented a gorgeous professional level portfolio with a diversity of print and electronic designs. She rated between very good and expert levels in Quark, InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. As represented in her portfolio, Dina can design for print and the web, and has a good understanding of design constraints and challenges associated with electronic media. Dina is available full or part-time.
Kate is a fresh graphic designer with an awesome portfolio and excellent skills. She tested very good in Illustrator and Photoshop and solid in InDesign. Her portfolio included examples of packaging, print, interactive, video production and multi-media campaigns. She is eager to learn, plays well with others, and is open to feedback and direction. Kate is available full or part-time, for projects, temp to hire or direct hire.
Paul R tested solid+ in Illustrator, Photoshop and Flash and solid in InDesign. He is a talented designer with strong production skills, and a great portfolio including packaging, logos and branding, ad campaigns and several web site designs. Paul performs with speed, accuracy and a delightful attitude. He is available full or part time, for projects, temp to hire or on a direct hire basis.
Lori is a seasoned copywriter/art director with experience directing award winning and national campaigns. Published author with extensive project management experience in B2B, multi-media, branding, communication and production. Lori spearheaded the graphics standards manual for Media Communications Association-International (MCA-I), including retrofit of a branding strategy to accommodate a new name and logo. Lori is available full or part-time on a project, temp to hire, or direct hire basis.
Gina S. tested solidly in Illustrator, Photoshop and Quark/InDesign. She has a strong production background in an agency and printer environment, so her files are top notch. She is ready to take on a challenging position in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment. Gina is available full or part time, temporarily or permanently.
Ben is a talented web designer who has been C2 Talent for years. He works with a wide range of clients locally and nationally to create user-friendly, dynamic web sites. Ben understands how to translate complex information into everyman’s language. He is a specialist in CMS (Content Management)-driven web sites which empower businesses to maintain and expand their own web sites without technical skills. Ben is a continuous learner and student of his craft, and available for projects large and small, and will travel for meetings and consults.
Meghan is a gem! A multi-talented art director/designer who also has extensive B2B experience in multimedia and web design. She tested solid in Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign, very good in Dreamweaver and very good + in Flash. She can art direct a project from concept through creation-in Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, Golive and more. Exceptional interpersonal communication skills, works well well with others. Meghan is available full or part-time for projects, temp to hire or direct hire.
Jake is graphic designer with strong production and organizational skills. He presented a nice book and has a range of experience designing identities and logos, concepting, as well as strong illustration, production, large format and pre-press skills. He tested solid in Photoshop and solid+ in Illustrator and InDesign. Jake is available part-time or full-time, for a project, temp to hire, or direct hire basis.
Denise is a business savvy, seasoned graphic designer/art director who is comfortable taking any project from end to end. She tested solidly in Illustrator, and solid+ in Photoshop and InDesign. Her print and web portfolios showed extensive examples of high-impact print design and web lay-outs. She has project managed the re-branding of comprehensive national media campaigns, including sales aids, cover wraps, sales kits, logos and identities, and has extensive magazine lay-out experience including headlines, captions, sub-captions. She enjoys doing her own color correcting and re-touching work. Denise is available full or part-time on a project, temp to hire, or direct hire basis.
