Self Promotional Strategies: Print

By doing some research and thinking about the kind of things i have already seen i can see that the most effective means of self promotion in a physical format is to create something wholly different, something that represents who you are and what you do in an innovative and creative way.

Laura Weeks: In an interview, i asked her what her most effective form of self promotion was and apart from making appearances at craft fairs etc and actually meeting/talking to people, Laura said her resin models/toys tend to get her more notice and work due to their distinct look and how different they are to the many other self promotional methods being used by other illustrators.

This self promotional pack by Dusan Cezek encorporates a 3D model which sets it apart straight away but i think the thing that really helps to make this self promo pack stand out is the packaging. When a potential client receives a form of self promotion i think its important for them to Want to open it which means the packaging needs to be inventive, creative and intriguing.

This is the cutest self promo tool ever! I found it on Pinterest and it's essentially a business card sketchbook. It fulfils the purpose of a business card, providing the essential details of the illustrator but by also becoming a sketchbook theres an added value of interactivity.

I'm not sure if i like this or not but it was so different that i had to include it! As far as doing something different this definitely serves its purpose. The packaging is simple but well crafted and the idea has been well thought out and i suppose that it would be very hard to forget once a client received this!

I also found these on Pinterest but they were not described as being self promotional materials. I have included them because i think they would make effective self promotional tools; they are different from many of the other things i have seen and the packaging is beautiful...i think this design or idea could be an easy but effective form of promotion.

Best way to get a client on your side...chocolate! I am not sure if this idea is a particularly good once, maybe not in the illustration industry, but it is different, innovative and the packaging has been really well thought through. Also, you get a golden ticket, and who doesn't want one of those!!!

Business cards: one of the best self promotional methods, i think, is still the original idea of a business card. They are small, concise and unobtrusive which means that when a client receives one they do not need to find somewhere to keep it etc, it is small enough to tuck away on a pin board, in a wallet...


As some of these examples show, business cards do not need to be boring, filled only with text...some illustrators are putting lots of effort into creating new and creative business cards which are becoming so much more than a small piece of card with information on it...They are becoming pieces of work in their own right which makes them feel much more valuable.