How to build a reputation in the design community, and why you should
The benefits of a positive reputation
Reputation isn’t just an ego massaging exercise. It’s not even about getting on the radar of potential clients. It has a profound impact on every aspect of your business and career. Not only will a good reputation ensure clients have heard of you, it will also increase the chances of you winning work. If they have seen your work, heard your opinions and had you recommended, then this will make the world of difference. In fact often it will allow you to bypass the competitive tendering process. This will make your projects more profitable because your sales cost will be near zero. A good reputation will also help once you have won the work. If the client is aware of you and how you work, it will make projects go much smoother. The client already understands your working practices, but they also perceive you as an expert. When the client sees you as the expert it makes the world of difference. Clients who feel their project is in expert hands relax. They stop worrying so much about the project and trust you to do a good job. They also are less likely to argue with you or endlessly iterate the design. In short a good reputation makes projects more profitable and easier to win. But to build a reputation that provides these returns will take time and effort.Is it ever worth it?
Building a reputation doesn’t happen overnight. I have seen many web designers who launch a blog and then give up because nobody reads it. I see others complain that they are never asked to speak, but have made no effort to promote themselves. For many of the names you know in the web industry they have taken years to build their reputation. Years of blogging week in and week out. Years of speaking at conferences. Months of slaving over their latest book. Then there is building relationships over social media, in forums and at meet-ups.![zeldman](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2014/12/zeldman.jpg)
Focusing your efforts
It is easy to put a lot of effort into reputation building without seeing much return for your efforts. You write blog posts every week. Record a podcast once a month. You even submit guest posts to sites like this and yet nobody remembers your name. The problem is that you are using a scattergun approach. You are pushing out content onto the web and hoping for the best. The web is a big place and your voice will not be heard in the noise. You are a small fish in a vast ocean. Instead you need to focus your efforts. It is not enough for somebody to read just one of your posts. They need to hear about you time and again. Only then will they remember you. Only then will they consider following you. But if you are pushing out content far and wide this will not happen. That is why you need to focus.How to focus
There are two basic ways of focusing your reputation building efforts. You focus on an area of expertise or on an audience. If I asked you who was the biggest name in CSS, who would you think of? Maybe you would think of Chris Coyier or Brad Frost. That is because they have focused on this area. That is the main focus of their writing and speaking. They have built a reputation in that area.![coyier](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2014/12/coyier.jpg)
The two secrets to a great reputation
At the beginning of this post I said good work does not speak for itself. That is not entirely true. Once word has spread and you have established your reputation, your work will start speaking for itself. People will recommend you based on good work you have done. But you need to have built that reputation first. To do that you need to focus. You only have limited time for self-promotion so the scatter gun approach is not going to work. You need to pick an area of expertise or a sector to focus on. The two secrets of a great reputation are these. Build a reputation through focused effort and produce outstanding work. Featured image, Boagworld Big Breakfast via David Roessli.Read Next
15 Best New Fonts, July 2024
Welcome to our monthly roundup of the best fonts we’ve found online in the last four weeks. This month, there are fewer…
By Ben Moss
20 Best New Websites, July 2024
Welcome to July’s round up of websites to inspire you. This month’s collection ranges from the most stripped-back…
Top 7 WordPress Plugins for 2024: Enhance Your Site's Performance
WordPress is a hands-down favorite of website designers and developers. Renowned for its flexibility and ease of use,…
By WDD Staff
Exciting New Tools for Designers, July 2024
Welcome to this July’s collection of tools, gathered from around the web over the past month. We hope you’ll find…
3 Essential Design Trends, July 2024
Add some summer sizzle to your design projects with trendy website elements. Learn what's trending and how to use these…
15 Best New Fonts, June 2024
Welcome to our roundup of the best new fonts we’ve found online in the last month. This month, there are notably fewer…
By Ben Moss
20 Best New Websites, June 2024
Arranging content in an easily accessible way is the backbone of any user-friendly website. A good website will present…
Exciting New Tools for Designers, June 2024
In this month’s roundup of the best tools for web designers and developers, we’ll explore a range of new and noteworthy…
3 Essential Design Trends, June 2024
Summer is off to a fun start with some highly dramatic website design trends showing up in projects. Let's dive in!
15 Best New Fonts, May 2024
In this month’s edition, there are lots of historically-inspired typefaces, more of the growing trend for French…
By Ben Moss
How to Reduce The Carbon Footprint of Your Website
On average, a web page produces 4.61 grams of CO2 for every page view; for whole sites, that amounts to hundreds of KG…
By Simon Sterne
20 Best New Websites, May 2024
Welcome to May’s compilation of the best sites on the web. This month we’re focused on color for younger humans,…