Dear AWAI'er,
Disappointed that you couldn’t make it to last year’s FastTrack to Success Graphic Design Bootcamp?
Not to worry…
Because we were able to capture every minute of this exciting event on DVD.
We started doing this a few years back, when it dawned on us that nowhere else in the universe do so many of the industry’s top designers and direct-marketing professionals gather specifically to share their deepest secrets with up-and-coming graphic designers – and that not everyone can be there to see and hear them.
We knew we had to get this event “on tape” when we saw just how significant the information being presented was – and what a tremendous impact it can have on anyone starting out in the business.
It’s probably one of the smartest things we’ve done …
And every year, in the days and weeks after Bootcamp, we get calls and emails from people all over the world asking us if they can get their hands on those recordings.
Not just up-and-coming graphic designers, either...
Established professionals, too. They understand, better than anyone else, what a decisive edge knowing these secrets can give you.
Best of all, recording these sessions means that you don’t have to “be there” to learn all the groundbreaking secrets revealed by some of the top graphic designers in the country… secrets that can propel you swiftly to the upper ranks …
For instance, Michael Masterson himself kicked off this year’s event by taking us step by step through his “Master Moves” presentation – where he revealed 7 “core” techniques that can make you much more successful as a freelance copywriter or a graphic designer.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it to you again now …
There is no one better at decoding the prospect than Michael Masterson. Every year, he dives deeper into the psychology of persuasion. Every year, he adds a twist or two that makes “the mystery that is the perfect sales letter” so much clearer and more insightful. And every year, I leave that room knowing more about direct mail than when I went in.
But this year was very special …
Michael created one of those “Aha!” moments every direct-marketing professional begs to have … where you walk away confident that, from this day forward, you’ll have the tools necessary to conquer your fears and really get your freelance career going – now!
If I were an up-and-coming designer, I’d be happy to pay whatever it costs to get to Bootcamp … just to hear this “hour of insightful wisdom” alone. That’s how powerful and how important I think Michael’s “Master Moves” presentation was.
But that’s only the beginning. For example …
There was Friday’s Logo Design session with Peleg Top – arguably one of the hottest designers in the country. Peleg started Top Design by himself in 1990. Today, Top Design is one of the most successful design firms in Los Angeles, and his clients are some of the biggest names in the music and non-profit industries.
I was anxious to hear Peleg speak, because I’m a huge fan of his work. He’s a master of branding and logo design. Non-profits use his services to help improve their images, generate revenue, and tell their philanthropic story.
If you’ve ever seen the logo for the Tiger Woods Foundation, Music Cares, or City of Hope, you know how great Peleg and his team are. Under Peleg’s guidance and unique blend of artistic and business sense, Top Design has thrived for the last 15 years.
Peleg’s presentation was nothing short of spectacular. He walked the entire group, step by step, through creating a new logo … from concept to completion. He also revealed his own simple secret of creating a design that supports the message, the objectives, and brand positioning a client is after. Then there were his real client case studies, packed with insights you can’t get anywhere else…
No graphic designer should miss Peleg’s inaugural Bootcamp presentation. And now you don’t have to. We captured the whole thing on camera, as part of the 2006 FastTrack to Graphic Design Success “Bootcamp-in-Your-Home” DVD Package.
Which reminds me of an important point …
Going to Bootcamp is a great experience. But, in some ways, having the FastTrack DVD Package is actually better than being there. How so?
Over the years, this event has grown to include so many presentations from so many industry experts that there’s barely enough time to include them all. There are hours and hours of great information on the business of designing, marketing yourself, researching, networking, becoming a better graphic artist – all happening at different times over three very busy, very hectic days.
It’s enough to put even the most disciplined person into sensory overload …
But as a 2006 FastTrack to Graphic Design Success “Bootcamp-in-Your-Home” DVD Package owner, you can experience every career-making moment … in the comfort of your own home … at your leisure … as many times as you’d like – with any distractions edited out.
That’s why we’re flooded with requests for our recordings after every Bootcamp … even from those who were there! They realize they didn’t hear and see everything … and recognize the benefit of being able to reference any presentation any time they need to.
And the great news is ... the 2006 FastTrack to Graphic Design Success “Bootcamp-in-Your-Home” DVD Package is better than ever – packed with a whole bunch of exciting extras and bonuses that you’ll not only find extraordinarily entertaining, but that will be sure to shoot you up the professional graphic design ladder further and faster than you ever imagined.
Before I tell you about those, though, allow me to highlight more of the insights you’ll gain from this year’s Bootcamp recordings …
You know, one of the great benefits of Bootcamp is it “drives home” the basic design principles covered by the AWAI Graphic Design Success program… like providing emotional content that reaches out to your reader. Is your design conservative or elegant, casual or formal, friendly or exclusive? Do you know which it should be? Peleg Top and Lori Haller explain the most critical secrets to designing great packages the way no written program can.
They also take you step by step through crucial design elements of a package, using real-life examples from actual clients. Not some outdated designs from the 90s … but current work that hasn’t even been presented to the client yet. Attendees I spoke with said hearing this concise presentation put to rest, once and for all, any questions they had concerning these “must have” design elements.
But what keeps people coming back to Bootcamp year after year is the stuff they learn above and beyond what’s in the basic program – secrets from some of the top designers in our business.
Like Rob Davis’s presentation “Mastering the Magalog” – where he revealed the secrets that have made him one of the most sought-after magalog specialists in the country.
From Rob, you’ll learn where to find great photos … how to keep your work organized … the secret to getting your reader in the mood (which is one of the lynchpins of designing a successful magalog). There’s a reason Rob got the nickname “The King of Magalogs.”
Fact is, designing magalogs is one of the highest paying segments of direct-response design. Top designers routinely make $10,000 or more per package, and the demand is as high for them as it is for the copywriters who write them. Rob shows you how to break into the business as one of the best.
You’ll also hear from Bootcamp favorites Lori Haller and Donna Doyle with their presentation “The Nitty Gritty of Sales Letters.” Lori could be the best teacher of graphic design in the industry, not to mention the most upbeat and positive person you’ll ever meet. Her enthusiasm has helped convert more than her share of struggling students to top-of-their-game freelance designers.
When you sign up for the 2006 FastTrack to Graphic Design Success “Bootcamp-in-Your-Home” DVD Package,you get the advantage of Lori’s magnetic personality and engaging teaching methods when she and Donna explain the key design components of a sales letter … why it’s so important for the designer and copywriter to work together closely … and precise techniques for them to get their ideas across to each another.
Then there are the presentations you can’t get anywhere else … not even if you attended last year’s FastTrack to Success Bootcamp.
I’ve already told you about some of the new presenters at this year’s Bootcamp … nationally recognized designers like Peleg Top, Rob Davis, Roger C. Parker, and others. But there’s another, hidden, benefit to being exposed to this talent.
They are brimming with fresh ideas. In fact, many of this year’s presentations were unveiled, for the very first time, to Bootcamp attendees right here in Delray Beach. And with the Bootcamp DVD Package, they’ll be revealed to you right in the comfort and convenience of your own home. (There’s nothing that can beat having the full Bootcamp experience delivered right to your door.)
You’ll get to see and hear Rob Davis and Lori Haller’s presentation “Creating Top-Notch Portfolios – Even If You Don’t Have Any Clients.” They’ll show you how to create your own samples … simple strategies for creating a bank of sample ideas … and how to make over old samples. Add to that a step-by-step tutorial from Rob on redesigning an existing magalog for your portfolio, and this is a presentation no designer should miss.
Dennis Rome’s presentation will help you make the most of the entire Bootcamp DVD Package. He took a good portion of the morning on Saturday to teach the specific software techniques you need for direct-mail design. (If you don’t know how to use this software, your career will be stuck in neutral.)
Add to all this yet another presentation from Peleg Top on how to price your design services. When you get done with this one, you will be able to price ANY assignment you’re working on with complete confidence - which means you’ll have everything you need to embark on a career in one of the most enjoyable segments of the direct-mail business.
Wow!
Whether you’re a beginner, an up-and-comer, or an established designer, there’s a huge amount of information for you in this package …
Are you beginning to grasp just how much information is packed into this intense three-day event? Now imagine getting all the most useful and relevant stuff on DVD – so you can watch and learn at your convenience … in your home … as many times as you need or want to.
But there’s more …
Then there’s the Thursday evening session, “5 Essential Skills for Networking and Other Self-Promotion Strategies,” with insights from Bob Bly, Ilise Benun, and others about how to best market yourself on a budget.
You’ll even hear Brian Tracy – the most listened-to audio author on personal and business success in the world today – deliver his keynote opening presentation on “How to Perform at Your Best at All Times.” Brian’s talks are a real “kick in the pants” … just the thing many of us need to get going. This is a great recording to have, because any time you feel your motivation waning, you can slide Brian’s presentation into the old DVD player and feel your batteries recharging.
No question, this is our best Graphic Design Bootcamp in the three years we’ve been doing them. Denise and her team have done a great job lining up the best talent out there – and getting them to share their most potent and personal secrets.
Everything you need to know about elevating your skills as a graphic designer can be found on these recordings. From discovering the latest winning direct-mail formats … to learning techniques that will save you time and money … to 10 foolproof marketing techniques for the graphic designer … all the way to making sure you get paid what you’re worth on every assignment. Even stuff you need to know about the business side of being a graphic designer … it’s all here.
And what are you going to do with all this fantastic information? You’re going to start designing some great pieces, that’s what! And we’ll even help you there, by including the four practice assignments that attendees got to work on at Bootcamp.
We’ve made sure there’s something for everyone:
Taking immediate action is by far the best way to jumpstart you career. So use the core and advanced skills you’ll learn from this year’s Bootcamp DVD Package to get to work right away. The four practice assignments will give you the push you need. (And they’ll make good pieces for your portfolio too …)
So what we’ve done is included all the relevant handouts and workbooks for each presentation that Bootcamp attendees got. That way, you can follow along with every discussion … refer to the same material everyone else was referring to … and have a permanent written record of the key points and highlights.
There are some other goodies as well …
For instance, one of the most popular Bootcamp events is our Friday evening Job Fair. That’s where marketers come from all over, set up tables, and hand out spec assignments to any designer or writer who wants them. Well, you can’t get to Job Fair. But there’s something every bit as good – and in some ways better – included in your package …
Walking around the Job Fair on Friday night, I couldn’t help but think what a valuable part of Bootcamp it is. Everywhere I looked, important contacts were being made, ideas were being shared, attendees were getting the real scoop on what clients look for in a graphic designer or copywriter. Job Fair is so much more that just a place to collect spec assignments.
And this year, there were some choice assignments to be collected. We had some of the biggest names in direct mail offering specs, including our very own Travel Division, the Hennerberg Group, Schaeffer’s and many more. Not only are these folks very familiar with the AWAI programs, they are also VERY open to giving AWAI members a shot at a live assignment.
Still, you can’t help but think that someone who attended the Bootcamp in person would have an advantage. That is, until now …
As a 2006 FastTrack to Graphic Design Success “Bootcamp-in-Your-Home” DVD Package owner, you can “attend” our Virtual Job Fair from home and log your own valuable face-time with the Job Fair presenters. And you can do it on your schedule … when you’re fresh … and not after a grueling 12-hour day at a conference.
We’re still including a list of the spec assignments from Job Fair (as easy-to-download PDF files). You’ll also get contact information for every spec and, as a courtesy, we’ve extended the deadlines for easy submission …
But in addition to that, you’ll get a DVD full of video snippets from the presenters explaining their product and prospect demographics. Plus you’ll hear directly from them the direction THEY think the design and copy should take.
Imagine what you could do with all this industry “inside” information …
Say you’re designing a magalog for an alternative health company that’s not at Job Fair. You’re putting in the time and effort but you just can’t seem to get all the elements to connect. Well, we’ve got one of the industry’s pre-eminent health market directors on video telling you what she would do in that situation.
Powerful stuff.
I know I said this earlier, but, Job Fair alone is worth the price of admission ... even more so if you’re struggling to get your first client.
If just one of your designs mails and beats the current control, you’ll be on the verge of a rocket-to-the-moon career! Once word gets out (and I can tell you this from first-hand experience), you’ll have marketers literally swarming to line you up for work. (Remember, nothing’s changed. The demand for designers is still HUGE, thanks in part to the growth of online marketing.)
It’s happened for plenty of AWAIers: Mike Klassen, Dennis Rome, Erin Michaelson, Kammy Thurman, and others. They’ve benefited from the wealth of knowledge presented at past Bootcamps, and now they’re full-time professional designers – and several of them will break the $100K mark in income this year.
What else?
Another nice little bonus that’ll come your way is an exciting report we just put together called “The 7 Daily Habits of Successful Copywriters.” It’s a special report we created for our Founder’s Circle members, where we interviewed top copywriters and asked them to share secrets – not so much about their writing strategies, but about their work habits instead. Things like ... When do you work best? … How’s your office set up? … Where do you work? … What kind of tools do you use? … What are the secrets to your success? … and so on.
Now I know this report isn’t specifically about graphic designers, but developing good work habits is essential for success. It takes practice and is every bit as relevant for you as it is for writers.
I just saw the finished product the other day, and I told Katie it would be a perfect resource to include in the Graphic Design Bootcamp DVD Package … a nice way to “round out” an already comprehensive program on the business of designing. In it, you’ll learn how top copywriters like Clayton Makepeace, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Don Mahoney, and others set up their workspace … deal with distractions … organize their day … and go about their daily routines. You’ll also discover how they prepare to work on a direct-mail package … the kinds of things they read every day to become better at their craft … how they deal with writer’s block ... and more.
It’s a great report … and a great way to get insights into the day-to-day side of our business. This neat and useful report is yours free when you get the 2006 FastTrack to Graphic Design Success “Bootcamp-in-Your-Home” DVD Package.
So, let’s recap for a minute:
So ... what’s the cost of all this?
I think you’ll be surprised – especially when you compare it to the cost of actually getting yourself to an AWAI Bootcamp.
Now, listen. I’m not saying you shouldn’t consider attending an AWAI FastTack Graphic Design Bootcamp down the road. There’s nothing like being there, mingling with the pros, talking to your fellow up-and-comers, meeting the marketers, visiting the Job Fair, and generally “soaking up” the atmosphere of the event.
But consider this …
Bootcamp costs $1,995 to attend. The average flight is, what, $400? Add to that the cost of a hotel room at $179 per night times four … and the money you’d spend there. I’d hazard a guess that the cost to be at a Bootcamp is around $3,500 – and worth every penny. After all, the design fees from just one successful letter could easily cover that amount and more.
Yet, the 2006 FastTrack to Graphic Design Success “Bootcamp-in-Your-Home” DVD Package – which captures all the most important career-building moments of the event – provides you with all the back-up material, samples, and other goodies in a carefully organized 500+ page workbook. Plus, it gives you four skill-building practice assignments that you can start working on immediately. And it costs just $499.
I think you’ll agree, we’re talking about a pretty thorough package that covers a lot of bases:
I started out this letter by saying that if you couldn’t be at this year’s Bootcamp it was nothing to worry about.
Perhaps now you see why.
Everything – every presentation, every new secret from the country’s top designers, every discussion about what’s working in the mail and online – comes to you in this package … for a fraction of the cost of being there!
I told you earlier that I thought Michael Masterson’s “Master Moves” presentation was, in itself, worth the price of being at Bootcamp. Of course, you get his actual presentation on these recordings for a fraction of the price …
And I wouldn’t have missed hearing insights from Peleg Top on how he and his Top Design firm are able to consistently deliver one blockbuster design campaign after another! This is the first time we’ve had Peleg as a presenter … and did he ever deliver. In fact, I probably can’t count on both hands all the things I learned from his presentation – and I can honestly say the same for the 30 graphic designers who made the trip this year.
It’s great stuff …
But so is all the invaluable information you’ll learn about designing blockbuster magalogs, catalog, sales letters, online promotions. DM marketers are aching for talented designers equipped with the kind of deep and proven secrets you’ll discover in your 2006 FastTrack to Graphic Design Success “Bootcamp-in-Your-Home” DVD Package.
Sincerely,
Kristin Schwarz
Director, AWAI’s Graphic Design Program
P.S. Here’s a fun little thing we’re adding to the mix. It’s something we call “An Irreverent Interview With Herschell Gordon Lewis,” where we explored his long and storied career as a pioneer B-horror movie maker. And what fun it was! Last year, we invited Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel movie critic Roger Hulbert to act as host, and conducted our own version of an “Inside the Actor’s Studio” kind of interview. You’ll be surprised at just how interesting and bizarre the life and times of a “slasher” movie pioneer from the 60s could be. Anyway, it was a blast – and we thought you’d enjoy it as part of the deal.
American Writers & Artists Inc.