Ian Bates
Who printed it?
Smartpress out of Minnesota.
Who designed it?
I’m not a designer at all but did it myself.
Tell me about the images?
The images are from commissions and personal work from 2018. I thought my first promo of the year would be my version of the “best 9” Instagram trend. I wanted to highlight pictures I made from the commissions and see how they worked with my own work. This year, more than ever, I tried to make work that I wanted to make for commisisons. Because of that, I think it feels cohesive.
How many did you make?
I printed 400.
How many times a year do you send out promos?
It really depends on how much work I am getting. You kind of need new work to make promos, at least in my mind. I try to keep them current since I want people to hire me for the work I’m currently interested in making. That said, I want to be consistent in my face of promos. I think every 2-3 months is a good pace. Not too much, not too little.
Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
Promos are good at breaking the ice with new connections but also showing editors that you already work with that you do care and it’s not just a paycheck. I wouldn’t take the time and money to do all this if it was all for the money. I’d get a job.
