It took some trial and error for Susie Novak to get her PR footing, but once she did, it became integral to her firm’s strategy for success.

Susie Novak didn’t realize she was missing out on an opportunity until she looked around at her peers. “About five years into my business, I noticed that my designer friends were getting press coverage for their work,” she says. “I was at a point in my career where I’d built a portfolio and was ready to make the investment to get my firm and work out there more.” The results have been undeniable: Since first taking the PR plunge four years ago, the Oakland, California–based designer has participated in a slew of new business opportunities that collectively have raised her eponymous firm’s profile.

Susie NovakR. Brad Knipstein