Book review: Visual Marketing by Anita Campbell and David Langton @visualmktgbook

I love marketing. I love designing marketing pieces for my clients. And I especially love marketing my own graphic design business. Sometimes I think I dream up personal projects or side businesses just so that I can market them. (In case you’re wondering, this is my current budding side business). However, it seems that not everyone enjoys marketing as much as I do. And I think I know why: most marketing books are text-based. Visual Marketing by Anita Campbell and David Langton is different: each page is illustrated with a successful marketing campaign or solution. The book is divided into three chapters: web/electronic, packaging/3D, and print/branding. For people who “don’t have time” for marketing, The “Takeaway Tips” on each page offer specific ideas you can easily incorporate into your own business. For the skeptical folks, “Success Metrics” offer proof that this stuff works. After reading the book, I had lots of new ideas for marketing my graphic design business. I especially liked the tip to use a profile photo that expresses your personal brand (pg. 13). And I was also pleased to see one of my favorite packaging designs included (Help Remedies, pg. 80). I only wish the book was in full-color, but it’s easy enough to locate many of the examples online to see them in color. This book is a must-have for new business owners as well as seasoned pros looking for marketing inspiration.

Happy marketing!