Don’t send a fake foot to “get your foot in the door”...

...and other things to consider when putting your portfolio together.
By Sally Hogshead

1. There are no right answers, including these.
2. The hipster creative with tattoos and piercing rarely does the coolest ads.
3. Dominos delivers to Starbucks.
4. Smart beats clever.
5. You’ll create a better book by breaking the rules than by following them.
6. Spend more time thinking, less time executing.
7. Don’t write like a copywriter.
8. Start art directing with a pad of paper, not a computer.
9. The difference between an A- book and an A+ book is all the difference in the world.
10. Your work can have outrageous attitude. You can’t.
11. Don’t use your mother as a reference.
12. The more concepts you come up with, the better they get. Me, I write a hundred ads for every one I end up with.
13. It’s better to fail by going down inn flames than by settling for mediocrity.
14. Idea is king. Emperor. World nuclear superpower.
15. When working on an assignment, try to expose the deepest, most surprising human truths associated with the product.
16. Don’t base your self-image on positive feedback, because you can’t count on that.
17. You can’t outthink everyone, but you can outwork them.
18. By the time an ad appears in an awards book, it’s already a couple of years old.
19. Competitive is okay. Cutthroat is not.
20. Don’t’ waste time or money on ideas you’re not thrilled about.
21. No matter how good it is, somebody won’t like it.
22. Be as respectful to the receptionist as to the president.
23. If you’re happy in your job, it’s easier to be happy in your life.
24. You don’t have to be an asshole, or work for one, to do great work.
25. If you hear the same feedback over and over, make the changes to the work.
26. It’s better to have 8 killer pieces than 30 pretty good ones.
27. You could be unemployed for six months, then get three phenomenal offers in one day.
28. Being creative is only a small part of being a good creative.
29. When you’re a creative director, meet with 10 juniors for every person who meets with you now.
30. Pick out a last name that people can make fun of.