Graphic design Portland. The words go together well. They also speak to one thing Portland can claim: design. Portland is the place where designers come. The place that fosters creativity. No days are gloomier than a February rain storm. No days are more glorious than August sunshine. Portland is a land of amazing emotional extremes. Brood when the sun hasn’t shined for 6 months, rejoice and exalt when the sun shines everyday and the beauty of the region inspires. 

In the 4+ years 52 has pounded the pavement for designers, we have been consistently amazed at the quality of the talent here and the quality that wants to be here. Graphic design Portland. Says it all.

Boston Business Journal - by Lisa van der Pool

As companies trim their advertising budgets, the ad agencies they work with are also learning how to survive the recession with less business than in recent years.

Jeff Freedman, co-founder and marketing principal of Boston-based ad shop Small Army, says that he has had to tweak his - and his clients’ - strategy.

Many of the agency’s clients, which include Bugaboo Creek Steak House, SolidWorks and Emerson Hospital, among others, are focused more on planning and how to spend their media dollars in this economy. For instance, some clients have trimmed print work, but beefed up their online advertising.

“There might be less ads, but more messaging and positioning work,” said Freedman, who is encouraging clients to be bold with their marketing messages to grab attention during the downturn.

As for his own business, Freedman, whose 18-person shop is on Newbury Street, has a positive outlook.

But Freedman is nevertheless taking precautions to keep costs in check by being conservative about hiring.

“We won’t hire people unless we know we can take care of them for a while. We never want to be in a position where we hire people and then the economy hits us. So we’re more dependent on freelancers,” said Freedman, who notes that there’s a large pool of talented freelancers in the market now.

52 and Souk partnered to help launch RYZwear. RYZwear is a community based footwear company that uses the designs of the people on their shoes. Over 200 people attended the inaugural design competition and voted on the 5 final designs with the winner going to Caveman for his shoe design, The Creep.  The shoe can now be purchased on the RYZwear site, www.ryzwear.com. 

The world of Flash design and development has come full circle in the last 1-2 years in Portland. Flash was hot during the dot com boom as it seemed every web design company had to show off their ability by including long Flash intros to their websites. Quickly bored and un-impressed, people just defaulted to the “skip intro” button. Then something happened. Companies began thinking strategically about their sites rather than just using them as promo pieces. Soon they began to incorporate Flash into the sites to improve and enhance features and navigation. The use of gratuitous Flash slowly went away. This “re-thinking” has spurned a huge need for Flash designers and developers in Portland. Talented Flash designers and developers have felt the crunch and freelance rates have increased. Full-time Portland flash jobs have gone unfilled as local flash designers have more flexibility and bargaining power as independent contractors. But often times these are cycles, and while up now things could change in the years ahead.

52 Limited managing partner, Steve Potestio, spoke to Mt. Hood Community College’s class of integrated media students. The class was comprised of students in graphic design, interactive media, television production, radio broadcasting and photography.

Steve spoke of the current state of the employment market within Portland creative services and gave advice for those seeking employment in the field. Insight was also provided into working through placement agencies, freelancing and the difference between working for a corporation or working for a creative company, such as a design firm or advertising agency.

Advice on resumes, interviewing, portfolios, and the importance of networking rounded out the discussion.

Judging by the number of calls 52 Limited receives each week from folks all over the country Portland continues to be strong on the creative class’ radar.

Portland graphic designers should take note. People from Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other major markets are looking to move here in droves and they will aggressively be seeking work. And due to the level of hustle needed to get ahead in these markets, these folks don’t always take no for an answer. Some will find Portland’s pace of life and commerce frustrating, others will assimilate and do quite well.

This migration is welcome and will continue to make Portland a focal point for creative thinking. One question is whether Portland, and Portland’s employment market, is ready for this influx? Are there enough jobs? Without the large corporate base other cities enjoy, Portland has fewer large marketing departments to hire staffs of designers. Portland though has always been a small design firm town so that trend should continue as many transplants open their own practice.

What drives people here? The same things that make this a livable place. Recreation opportunities. Parks. Urban Planning. Sustainability focus. Take a look at the industries here and there is commonality. Sports apparel, footwear, recreation and equipment. This synergy will continue to build upon itself with companies like Keen Footwear following the migration. Let’s hope this continues and job growth remains strong.