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Beyond Design: Practical Tips for Freelancing and Creating Your Brand
How do you build a professional personal brand without losing the personal part? You may often feel like you need to be someone other than yourself when you're in a professional setting. Building a personal brand can be organic but the best ones are built authentically and strategically.
Once you know who you are and what you stand for, your reputation will speak for itself. Whether it's where you go to find clients, what your client onboarding process is or what clients you choose to serve, all aspects of your freelance business matter.
In this Master Class, Nakita M. Pope will show you practical tips for freelancing and building your own brand.
You’ll learn:
- How to think like a brand even if you’re a solo freelancer.
- How to apply the elements of an effective brand (like storybranding, brand voice, messaging and design) to create results.
- How to define your niche and define your audience.
- How to genuinely connect with your colleagues and clients.
- How to get and keep clients.
- How to develop a workflow, process and communication structure that makes working with you a pleasant experience.
No matter where you are in your design career, building your own personal brand authentically and strategically will always give you an advantage! When you learn how to think like a brand, what makes you unique and how to better connect with clients and stakeholders, you’ll be able to open up new and exciting opportunities for yourself!
Speaker
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Nakita M. Pope is the Chief Chick and Principal Brand Strategist of Branding Chicks, a boutique branding agency in Atlanta, GA with clients all over the United States. Over the past 25 years, she has worked as a strategist, graphic designer, creative director and brand manager which has given her experiences that inform how she works with her clients.
Her passion for brand strategy also extends to her advertising strategy, branding and design professorship at The Creative Circus for the past 13 years. In 2019 she also took on an additional role there as their Diversity & Inclusion Advisor and a year later the Design Department Chair role. In 2020 she was also named one of Graphic Design USA Magazine’s People to Watch. Nakita is involved in several professional and non-profit organizations including AIGA where she was named an AIGA Atlanta Fellow in 2021 for her contributions to AIGA and the local, regional and national design community. She is a core team member of African-American Graphic Designers (AAGD). She is also the Vice President of the Board of Directors of Smart Girls on Campus and a board member of Good Thinking Atlanta.
She is also the Co-Founder of Bella Boss, a subscription box for Black women business owners. Along with her work and passion projects, she now gets to share her knowledge and experiences with diverse audiences on the international speaking stage for organizations like The Female Founders Network, BBDO Atlanta, Phoenix Design Week, The One Club, Public Relations Society of America and the Georgia Tech College of Business. As always, her goal is to wield her crayons for good. You can connect with Nakita on her website or LinkedIn.
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You’ll get a certificate after every Master Class you attend. Use your Certificate on your LinkedIn to showcase that you got advice and insights from design masters.
Prove to managers and clients that you're committed to upskilling yourself.
Organized by the Interaction Design Foundation
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Get advice and insights from design masters through our webinar series. Learn more about how we are revolutionizing design education worldwide
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are design skills so important right now?
Design skills are incredibly valuable for both you personally and for your company.
For you personally, design skills are important because:
Salaries for people who learn design are soaring, surpassing $200K in cities like San Francisco, with global job growth rates at 13%.
Many of your job competitors already possess design skills. When you enhance your design skills you can significantly elevate your personal brand and make you a more attractive candidate.
You learn skills that protect you from losing your job to AI.
You can ignite your passion through design and leverage it to make a meaningful impact.
For your company, design skills are important because:
Your design skills can help increase sales, keep customers loyal, and turn them into powerful advocates of your company. That’s because design is all about helping people reach their goals and meet their needs.
Companies that invest in design outperform the S&P 500 Index by a whopping 228%.
Design goes way beyond creating attractive visuals and aesthetics. When you possess design skills you’re equipped to revolutionize businesses, make technology more user-friendly, and innovate customer experiences and systems.
I’m not a designer. Why should I learn design and tech?
Design and tech skills can make you an indispensable asset to your company and open up career opportunities.
For example, if you’re in a field such as:
Marketing, Communication and HR
Software Development
Customer Service
Business
Psychology
Project Management
Architecture
Content Creation
Healthcare
Teaching
And other fields
Why can design skills make you valuable in all these jobs and industries?
That’s because design skills are incredibly valuable for both you personally and for your company.
For you personally, design skills are important because:
Salaries for people who learn design are soaring, surpassing $200K in cities like San Francisco, with global job growth rates at 13%.
Many of your job competitors already possess design skills. When you enhance your design skills you can significantly elevate your personal brand and make you a more attractive candidate.
You learn skills that protect you from losing your job to AI.
You can ignite your passion through design and leverage it to make a meaningful impact.
For your company, design skills are important because:
Your design skills can help increase sales, keep customers loyal, and turn them into powerful advocates of your company. That’s because design is all about helping people reach their goals and meet their needs.
Companies that invest in design outperform the S&P 500 Index by a whopping 228%.
Design goes way beyond creating attractive visuals and aesthetics. When you possess design skills you’re equipped to revolutionize businesses, make technology more user-friendly, and innovate customer experiences and systems.
How can design skills protect me from losing my job to AI?
AI is killing jobs in all industries. Humanity has never faced such a powerful force, developing at an exponential speed.
You can protect yourself by learning design: You’ll use the very fabric of being human, like empathy and intuition. AI never can never replace that. These skills are timeless and will stay with you forever.
Design is centered on human needs and goals. That’s why you can protect your future with the power of human-centered design. Mastering these skills can shield you from AI-driven disruptions.
We’ll even teach you how to use AI as your career helper, not your terminator.
Do I need any prior experience in design or tech?
Good news!
You don’t need any prerequisites or prior experience in design or tech. We’ve crafted the learning experience to ensure your success and real career outcomes, regardless of your age or background.
Will I receive a Certificate?
Yes! After you finish, you’ll receive an industry-recognized IxDF Certificate.
Use your IxDF Certificates to increase your credibility and salary potential. Your employer and clients will trust you when you can prove that you’ve learned from the best.
Be in distinguished company, alongside industry leaders who train their teams with the IxDF and trust IxDF Certificates.
Add IxDF Certificates to your LinkedIn profile, resumé and job application in a few easy steps.
You can download your certificates as .jpg files, so they are easy to share. Certificates are always valid.
How do I add the IxDF Certificate to my LinkedIn profile?
That's easy! You can use your IxDF Certificates to increase your credibility and salary potential. Your employer and clients will trust you when you can prove that you’ve learned from the best.
Add your IxDF Certificates to your LinkedIn profile, resumé and job application in a few easy steps:
Click “Add profile section” on your LinkedIn
Tap “Recommended”
Select “Add licenses or certifications”
Enter your IxDF Certificate details
Hit “Save”
You can download your IxDF Certificates as .jpg files, so they are easy to share. IxDF Certificates are always valid.
Need more detailed instructions?
How can the global and local IxDF community help me?
We can help you in several ways.
Join meet-ups in your city: Join the regular meet-ups in your city in a nearby cafe or office building to have fun and learn with people just like you. You get full access to IxDF Local Groups where you can build your network, find your next job, enjoy yourself and learn from your peers. The meetings are completely optional and are spread across over 500 cities worldwide. Your network is your net worth.
Get instant help and career advice in IxDF online global communities. Build your global network through the supportive IxDF community. Earn IxDF Distinctions like “Community Influencer'' and “Social Impact Award”.
Learn from global leaders and build your network and job opportunities locally and globally.
I just signed up for a live Master Class. What's next?
Wonderful! When you sign up for a Master Class, you’ll receive an email from Zoom with a link to join the live Master Class.
This email is sent from noreply@zoom.us - please check your spam folder.
If you can’t find the email, please reach out to mads.soegaard@interaction-design.org and we’re super happy to help you!
Great news! You’ll also get an on-demand version of your Master Class a few hours after the live event ends.
A few days later, the on-demand Master Class will show up on your private profile page.
That way, you can view the Master Class on-demand at any time. As many times as you wish.
Will the live Master Class be recorded and become available on-demand?
Absolutely!
When you sign up for a live Master Class, you’ll automatically receive the link to the recording a few hours after the live event ends.
A few days later, the on-demand Master Class will show up on your private profile page if you’re an IxDF member. If you’re not a member, you’ll receive your recording by email.
You can enjoy your Master Class on-demand at any time, anywhere. Watch it as many times as you want.
What if I can’t attend a live Master Class?
Great news! We’ve got you covered.
When you sign up for the live Master Class, you’ll automatically receive the link to the recording a few hours after the live event ends.
A few days later, the on-demand Master Class will show up on your private profile page if you’re an IxDF member. If you’re not a member, you’ll receive your recording by email.
You can enjoy your Master Class on-demand at any time, anywhere. Watch it as many times as you want.
What if I have more questions?
We’d love to hear from you and help you!
Reach out to us at hello@interaction-design.org or use the online contact form.