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Most designers struggle with marketing.
Not because they don’t know how.
Because they think marketing is sleazy.
That it's about showing off. Selling out. Becoming someone you're not.
But here's the truth:
Marketing yourself isn't about being loud. It's about being visible to the right people.
You could be the best designer in your city. But if nobody knows you exist, it doesn't matter.
Good work alone won't get you clients. Good work + visibility will.
In this newsletter, we'll break down exactly how to market yourself as a designer without feeling fake, pushy, or uncomfortable.
Let's start.
First, let’s clear one thing up
Marketing is not hype.
Marketing is not lying.
Marketing is not pretending you’re bigger than you are.
Marketing is simply this:
Helping the right people understand what you do.
That’s it.
Your work doesn’t speak on its own
Designers love this idea:
“If my work is good, people will find me.”
But that’s rarely true.
Great work hidden in folders
is still invisible.
Your designs don’t speak.
You have to speak for them.
Explain why you made something.
What problem it solved.
What changed because of it.
That’s marketing.
You don’t need to be everywhere
You don’t need:
every platform
daily posts
a big following
You need one place where:
your work lives
your thinking shows
people can understand you
Pick one platform.
Show up there consistently.
That’s enough.
Market your thinking, not just visuals
Anyone can post pretty designs.
What most designers don’t share is:
how they think
how they decide
how they solve problems
That’s where trust is built.
Clients don’t just hire aesthetics.
They hire judgment.
Show your judgment.
Talk like a human, not a brand
Don’t over-polish your words.
Don’t sound like a case study.
Say things simply.
What was hard?
What didn’t work?
What did you learn?
Clear communication is part of good design.
If people understand you easily, they remember you.
Marketing works quietly
Here’s the part no one tells you.
Most people won’t:
Like your posts
comment
DM you
But they are watching.
They notice consistency.
They notice clarity.
They notice how you explain things.
Months later, they reach out.
Marketing compounds slowly.
Silence compounds nothing.
Marketing is not bragging
You’re not saying:
“Look how great I am.”
You’re saying:
“This is how I work.”
“This is what I care about.”
“This is how I can help.”
If someone doesn’t like it, they scroll.
If someone needs you, they remember you.
Help us make better ads
Did you recently see an ad for beehiiv in a newsletter? We’re running a short brand lift survey to understand what’s actually breaking through (and what’s not).
It takes about 20 seconds, the questions are super easy, and your feedback directly helps us improve how we show up in the newsletters you read and love.
If you’ve got a few moments, we’d really appreciate your insight.
You don’t need to become louder.
You need to become clearer.
Show your work.
Explain your thinking.
Repeat patiently.
That’s how designers get noticed.
That’s how opportunities start.
Not overnight.
But inevitably.
You don't need to be the loudest. You need to be remembered.
The designers getting hired aren't always the most talented. They're the ones people think of first.
That's marketing.
And you can do it in a way that feels true to you.
Start small. Show up consistently. Add value.
Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed this edition and would consider forwarding it to a friend.
If you hated it, reply and let us know what we could do differently. Same time next week <3
