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rue-madame's Diaryland Diary

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Casting

The other day a marketing firm in San Francisco called, asking to see my portfolio. I was excited and flattered, asked the requisite questions regarding the project, timeline, etc, when it hit me like a truck: how did they get my number? Who gave them my name? Where had they seen my work?

It�s sort of strange knowing that you have been �tracked down.� I am not listed in Los Angeles, and I was neither listed in Paris nor in San Francisco. It�s a funny tactic, I know. How many people work actively to keep their business under the radar and out of the phone book? Terence calls my marketing strategy �witness protection.�

The woman on the phone said that her boss had seen some of my work in a typography annual (which was cool, actually, since publication last year cost me around $350 and when I sent in the materials and the check, I wasn�t sure that I would ever see a return on my investment.) So now my portfolio is in San Francisco, in some office suite on Market Street, hopefully being scrutinized by folks with a modicum of design savvy.

It�s not always evident (ce n�est pas toujours evident... French, again!) when you send in your stuff that it will be analyzed properly. Although I hate accompanying my portfolio and doing my little song and dance routine, I think it�s actually better because I can at least explain and elaborate, answer questions about concept or printing techniques. When you send in your work, you have no idea who�s going to be pawing through it. Someone who knows nothing about design? Someone who could kick your ass in hand-to-hand typography combat?You can�t defend yourself.

You may think you have an edge when you send your stuff to a company with a reputation for �good design� (whatever that means... define your terms) but you don�t always. One time, I sent my portfolio to an �artsy� publisher and after about two days, the manager sent it back. No note, no phone call, absolument rien. I tried not to take it personally, but I was bummed. I think I may even have called the manager to get feedback, and she didn�t call me back. At the time, I was knee-deep in snoring corporate communications, and I was looking forward to designing something different. Oh well.

I stewed for about a month. As though in a somnambulistic state, I would drift into bookstores and pick things up that had been produced by that very same publisher, and I would think to myself, �I could do that. Why didn�t they let me do that?� One day as I was indulging in more �poor me� shopping behavior, I zeroed in on an ugly thing... that had not only the publisher�s imprimatur, but that very same publishing manager�s design credit! And the design was HIDEOUS! Whoo eee, I felt so much better after that. Of course she didn�t like my work--how could she? She had no taste! Not only that, when left to her own devices, she had no grace or talent. I felt vindicated.

All I know is that I hope my portfolio comes back in one piece.

6:40 p.m. - 2002-03-27

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