Life is all about relationships. With your parents, kids, spouse, significant other, boss, co-workers. And if you manage them well, hopefully you’ll keep “therapist” off the list. As an in-house creative, one of the most important relationships you’ll have is with your internal clients—your stakeholders. You know, those people down the hall, up a floor ...MORE
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By Donna Farrugia, Executive Director of The Creative Group Breaking into the design industry can be challenging – particularly for recent graduates with no relevant work experience. And landing an internship doesn’t appear to be much easier: Nearly six in 10 (58 percent) advertising and marketing executives surveyed by The Creative Group said their ...MORE
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Dear In-House Diva, I am an in-house designer at a very well-known retail fashion company and I’m constantly being asked by my internal clients to do personal design projects for them. I don’t mind doing a favor every now and then but lately it’s getting a little excessive. Creating a party invite is one thing ...MORE
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By Donna Farrugia, Executive Director of The Creative Group Think back to the last work week. How many of those days did you actually get outside the office (or even away from your desk) for your lunch break? I’m betting that if you’re like many in-house professionals, you spent most days scarfing down a sandwich ...MORE
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Years ago I participated in a 360-degree assessment. Peers, colleagues, management and direct reports all had the opportunity to anonymously tell me how I was doing. And based on their responses, I was doing pretty well. But there were a few comments that I didn’t expect and one in particular that stopped me in my ...MORE
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Posted in Featured, Ilise Benun on Mar 4th, 2013
So many designers I talk to are working for a company while freelancing on the side when projects come along. But for more and more of you, the goal is to build a freelance business and transition to full time freelance, whether you jump or are pushed first. So in a recent podcast interview (http://marketingmentor.libsyn.com/how-to-make-strong-connections-interview-with-dana-manciagli-2) I asked Dana Manciagli, one of the speakers at CFC 2013 ...MORE
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Dear In-House Diva, I work in-house as a designer for a very well-known financial institution. With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I was thinking about dying my hair and painting my fingernails PMS 186 Red. Because our organization is very conservative I do have some concerns, and I’m not sure if this type of fashion statement ...MORE
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Since this is Valentine’s Day week and love is in the air, I asked some of my peers what they love about being a corporate creative. I Love Being an In-House Designer Because... I have access to so many resources all under one roof. I believe colleagues truly respect the value I bring to the ...MORE
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Lunch with Mark McGuinness, a Fearlessly Resilient Mind By Ed Roberts Virginia, my beloved grandmother, drove me to the School of Design on the campus of North Carolina State University in the winter of 1987. I remember wearing the same black suit I wore to my very first interview—at McDonald’s. It was hard looking into ...MORE
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So I didn’t receive HO Trains for Christmas. Oh well. There’s always next year. Anyway, readers of my September “Back on the Bus” blog might recall I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, which have become somewhat of a clichéd ritual. Unlike those crisp and sharp September mornings that pull me back to ...MORE
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