Cloudjammer and J.D. Jordan Featured in "The Graphic Designer's Guide to Better Business Writing"

Cloudjammer Studio and creative professional J.D. Jordan appear in Allworth Press’s newly released design industry text, The Graphic Designer's Guide to Better Business Writing by Barbara Janoff, Ruth Cash-Smith. The book makes use of various Cloudjammer written assets, including its standard long proposal, mission statement, and J.D. Jordan’s professional resume.

The book tackles one of the creative industry's most persistent problems: visual designers and artists’ unfamiliarity and discomfort with the written word. Visual-thinking graphic designers sometimes struggle to express themselves clearly and effectively in writing. The Graphic Designer’s Guide to Better Business Writing teaches graphic designers how to write compelling business communications. Created especially to address the needs of graphic designers, this handy guide breaks the writing process down into simple, easy-to-understand stages and offers practical writing and presentation models that designers can put to use immediately. Real-life examples cover an array of essential topics: writing winning resumes and cover letters, landing accounts, writing polished letters and reports, creating design briefs, and much more. As a bonus, the authors include time-saving insider tricks of the trade, gleaned from interviews with design professionals and creative directors from across the country.

Author Ruth Cash-Smith contacted J.D. Jordan after reading his Newsweek MyTurn editorial in September 2005. After a series of phone interviews, Cloudjammer Studio and J.D. Jordan made various assets available to Cash-Smith and her co-author, Barbara Janoff. In The Graphic Designer's Guide to Better Business Writing, Cloudjammer’s standard long proposal – cost estimate, studio background, portfolio case studies, process, scheduling, and working agreement (pp.121-126) – is used as an example for other designers to work from while the studio’s mission statement is used as an example of professional, concise business writing (p.221). Alongside these corporate samples, J.D. Jordan’s resume is used as the functional example of a midcareer designer (pp.61-2).

According to J.D. Jordan, “the book serves as a good starting point for designers either just getting started or veterans who need to write their own materials. Writing is just as germane to a good graphic design business and career as are skills with Photoshop, InDesign, or Dreamweaver. I was flattered to have been involved with the book’s creative process and thrilled to see some of my own and Cloudjammer’s assets in prints. As good examples, no less.”

The Graphic Designer's Guide to Better Business Writing can be purchased through Allworth’s website or though other online book vendors, such as Amazon.com.

Other texts that have helped Cloudjammer’s creative professionals in terms of business management and professional writing include:

Cameron Foote’s The Creative Business Guide to Running a Graphic Design Business
Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines
Ellen Shapiro’s Graphic Designer's Guide to Clients: How to Make Clients Happy and Do Great Work