The "Bizarro Terry" Incident...

I just read a post on Web Worker Daily about maintaining and protecting one's "personal brand" online. The main question posed in the article was: If someone did a random Google search on your name, what would they find? Would it all represent your image accurately and in the best light?

I was inspired to respond with an amusing little story of an incident that happened to me a few years ago, regarding my portfolio website terrygriffindesign.com, and another creative professional named "Terry Griffin" . . .

Once a few years ago, my boss discovered—from a coworker whom I'd trusted with the information—that I maintain my own website. So in his curiosity, the first place he went—mistakenly so—was to "terrygriffin.com," which turned out to be the portfolio site of "Terry Griffin" the illustrator!

Anyhow, I was upset with my coworker for having blabbed my personal business to the boss. But there was good and bad that came of it...

Because my curious boss had gone to the wrong website, still thinking it was me—and no one ever told him my real URL—he never found out about my freelancing. (Not that I was trying to hide it—but different employers react differently to knowing their people have lives outside of work!)

I was more than happy to let the boss go on, obliviously thinking that terrygriffin.com was actually me. (Great decoy!) The only problem was, this dude's portfolio SUCKED!

Some years later, I would discover that bizarro Terry had disbanded his website and the domain name had become available! So these days, I also own "terrygriffin.com."

For now, it just redirects you to terrygriffindesign.com...and that may be all it ever does. But so help me, as long as I remain Terry Griffin, no one else will ever again go to terrygriffin.com and see someone's work besides mine! Which goes to my point:

The gist of the WWD article was that, in all the various ways we represent and market ourselves online these days—articles, blog entries, online resumes, portfolio websites, etc.—we need to make sure it's all working to build a positive, accurate, intended brand image for us. It ain't always easy, but among other things, I try to stay conscious of:

• Keeping the online portfolio and resume fresh, as well as my LinkedIn profile.
  
• Making sure my personal blog stays private, and that my professional blog (The InHouser) doesn't embarrass me too much!
• Doing an occasional Google search on my name, just to see what comes up...
  

I guess one can say I was lucky with my boss. But these days, more so than ever, one bizarro incident online can wreck a career!

(Note: I'm sure Terry Griffin the illustrator is a very cool guy—and probably a lot more upstanding than me! This article is in no way meant to slander his good name; and if we ever meet, I'm sure our encounter will be just as ironic and humorous as the one above...)

Performance Review Anxiety...

It's that time again! If your employer's policy is to drag the whole company, kicking and screaming, through its yearly, company-wide performance reviews, you're probably going through yours right now. Gotta love it!

(Especially the kind that starts with a multi-step, carefully-written self-appraisal, then submitted to your boss, who then passes it up to their boss...and so forth up the line.)

Officially, these kinds of red-tape endeavors are necessary in your company's attempt to track its people's performance and dole out (hopefully) appropriate compensation. But inadvertently, the practice of forced self-evaluation also provides the in-houser with an opportunity to bone up on that valuable corporate survival skill called self-promotion.

From a career-management standpoint, it also gives you the chance to look back on the past year of your performance, evaluate your successes and shortcomings, and lay out new work-related goals for the coming year. This isn't just in the interest of 'brown-nosing' or 'horn tooting' but also getting some real value and sense of accomplishment from what you do. Below is a brief, generic, sample self-evaluation which may sound similar to the one you're doing now:

As this company's first dedicated web designer, I have contributed much to the efficiency of the E-Commerce process, as well as the overall effectiveness of TheCompany.com as an online retail outlet and branding tool.

As part of our initiative to control more of the production process in-house—which will ultimately save costs by creating a more efficient and flexible operation—E-Commerce has already achieved the following successes:

• The ability to consistently fulfill our weekly production deadlines has dramatically improved.
• We're able to gradually take on more production responsibilities and develop richer, higher-quality, more user-friendly content.
• Greater cross-branding cohesiveness has been achieved, between our year-round Print and Web marketing efforts.

Another achievement on which I personally pride myself is having developed a workflow system that is efficient, flexible, and easily taken on by other assisting designers and employees. My goals for the coming year are to

1. create and implement a much improved, more effective design and content structure for TheCompany.com,
2. help develop and organize an even more capable in-house staff dedicated to our E-comm and Marketing initiatives, and
3. continue streamlining and refining Web design and production, through the advent and implementation of ever better processes.

Tracking progress. Setting goals. Self-improvement. Essentially, the evaluation process is your time to shine. Not only is it smart practice for anyone working in-house, but employers eat this stuff up! So don't be afraid of the dreaded 'yearly performance review'—it's not so dreadful as it seems. The 'value' of evaluations is that they can help you 1) reassess your career goals and directions, 2) dust off those rusty self-promo skills, 3) enhance your visibility and credibility with the bosses, and 4) maybe even get a pay increase...

(Well, so much for wishful thinking!)

Happy New Year from the Grif!

Hey fellow in-housers...

Sorry it's been months since my last post here. But a lot's happened since June. I don't suspect that many of you actually read these quite wordy entries of mine, but just in case anyone wants to know:

I'm working a new job now as a Web Designer—something I've never been before! (I'd done a handful of websites in the past, but this is the first time anyone's paid me a salary just to spit out JPEGs and GIFs all day.) As opposed to my last job working for a small outfit who tried hard to run a corporate-like environment, this is the real deal. Catherines, a clothing retailer with over 400 stores, is owned by the same conglomerate who runs Lane Bryant.

But enough gloating. This actually speaks to the career in-houser's need to stay as versatile and sharp as possible in his/her skillset and knowledge base. Though I've been largely a print-oriented designer for most of my career, I've worked hard to develop basic web design skills, as well as rudimentary knowledge in areas such as database design and Applescripting.

In the middle of a yearlong jobhunt, I just happened to be in the right place when this great opportunity came along. Now, after having pulled off successful stints in publishing and information design, I can add web design to the repertoire. You see, the more skills and experience you're able to build and accumulate, the better you can market your career and stay viable in this rough job market.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be able to settle into a job that you enjoy and feel comfortable in. (So far, I'm quite happy at Catherines.) But one thing I've discovered in my in-house design career is that, as the years go by, you have to evolve—keep it fresh—in order to stay competitive. So never let a job lull you out of being vigilant and proactive in managing your valuable career.

To some, I know this kind of talk sounds a bit Gordon Gecko-ish. But in today's corporate environment, it's a necessary outlook to have—or at least to consider. At the end of the day, active and savvy management of your career determines how long you'll be able to depend on in-house design for your livelihood.

(Yes, you can quote that!)

I will be reporting more on my eye-opening jobhunting experience in the coming weeks. Until then, I sincerely hope that 2007 brings much fortune and fulfillment to everyone!

Regards—grif

The Big Idea

This blog is based on a theory of mine: That in-house graphic designers—those of us working in marketing departments, on 'graphics support teams,' etc.—can always make use of good information geared toward thriving in small-business and corporate environments. Especially since there doesn't seem to be a lot of it out there. But more about that in a minute...

Life on the Inside
A good many designers have always been—or eventually go—in-house, primarily for the sake of a regular paycheck, a level of structure and predictability, and in general, a life more like the rest of the working world. (Unfortunately, that life also includes Microsoft.)

At times in my career—when I was younger, and maybe a bit naive—I struggled with the idea of 'selling my creative soul' for a paycheck. Plus, I still sometimes miss the camaraderie and healthy competition of once having been part of a 'dream team' of designers whose mandate was to "have fun everyday."

Of course, the soul of a true creative is what resides in every designer and AD—even the corporate among us. And yes, some days can be, let's say, more challenging than others. I don't know that there's a 'best way' of getting past this issue. But there's always a fresh mortgage bill to be paid—that usually helps.

In the Meantime...
One thing I do know is that there aren't many popular resources for those of us who must switch gears between Quark and PowerPoint—or from high-end marketing materials to straightforward infographics—on an our-to-hour basis. Plus, because art departments, by nature, seem to be closed-off entities from the rest of the world, there's not a lot of sharing of information and assistance among the in-of-house.

That's why I started this blog: To discuss the everyday, practical issues of what we do—from tricky software issues, to maintaining a level of design integrity, to the politics of having enough bosses to count on both hands—and eventually cultivate some participation and community. (Especially by the time TheInHouser.com is up and running as a full-fledged website.)

The inspiration for this idea has come from regularly being able to help my colleagues' workday go a bit smoother, through whatever practical, creative, or technical assistance I can be of. My ultimate goal here is just to expand on that theme...

Terry Griffin
Designer / Art Director since 1994