This is what the president of an advertising agency said to me as we sat with our clients at dinner. He pauses and continues, “I hope you don’t mind me speaking for you…” as he proceeds to tell the clients about a proposal I prepared for one of their other luxury brands for a potential experiential marketing exhibition.
This made me think. You know why I’m not good at promoting myself? It’s because I spend the majority of my time promoting and communicating for other organizations and brands. I am the Communications Coordinator World Design Weeks, where I promote all our members across their social platforms. I am on the Communications Committee at The Factory Media Centre where I am developing and implementing the 2018 communications strategy. Before that, I worked at George Brown College where I was a one-person marketing and recruiting team for the School of Design, Institute without Boundaries and Digifest. And now with L’Institut, I am helping our clients develop communication strategies for their upcoming marketing campaigns.
When it comes to self-promotion one of my former colleagues comes to mind. Brandon Donnelly, who now is a thought-leader in urban development and design started by blogging every day. He told me that is was a test for him to see if he could do it. And through dedication and discipline, he managed to write every single day for a year and now is an influencer in the field.
But now I think it’s my turn to shine the spotlight on initiatives, projects, and topics that I am truly passionate about. I believe that design can change the world. And as a creative individual, I try to add value in everything that I do, using design strategy and systems thinking. Lately, I feel that there isn’t a voice in the community that looks at design with a critical eye. A perspective that pushes the industry forward through elevation and education. I feel that this is my purpose. To elevate Canadian design culture locally and internationally. And I will do this by writing about it every single day this year. If there are others that would like to join me in this mission, reach out. I love to collaborate.
Richelle Sibolboro 