A Look at Art & Design

The Value of New Media In The Art Industry

The art industry has, in the past, been quite slow to jump aboard the Internet bandwagon. Once considering it too pedestrian, many museums and galleries are now embracing new media and are seeing the positive results of opening up their artistic arms to the greater public. Museums, galleries and artists alike are now all agreeing that a website is not a fad and is a major component in their business collateral. You will not likely find a museum that hasn't spent several thousands dollars on a website and online marketing/advertising. In doing so, these organizations are clearly finding the investment is justified.

Yet, there are many who simply resist participating in what can be a very valuable and powerful outreach tool. I must admit, I really don't understand this mindset. A recent conversation with a client once again causes me to reflect on what exactly is the value of new media in the art industry and how is it best harnessed to bring about a favorable ROI.

Now I could talk here until I'm blue in the face about all the benefits of new media for the art industry.... or any business for that matter. As a person who deals on a daily basis with artists, galleries and art organizations, I frequently find myself in the mist of conversation debating the value of online marketing. I could tell you that there are buyers and collectors of fine art that actually have "monthly Internet purchasing budgets." I could tell you that gallery directors regularly search the Internet for art news, exhibition reviews and art work. Museums not only are investing in websites but they are also taking innovative approaches at using the Internet to build their in-person attendance. Let's take a look at the facts and figures.

News24.com, published on article on March 28, 2008, Web Boost for Museums. The article talks about how museums are finding that sculpture and art once stored away, is now finding a new audience online. Now able to show these works on their websites, the museums are finding "that rather than diminishing the number of museum visits, the web is actually boosting in-person attendance."

Offering more than just information on museum hours and driving directions, these institutions are now seeing the beauty of providing their inventory to visitors who may never be able to actually get to the museum. The person in Connecticut can now access the wonderful works and resources of a museum in London....or Sydney... or Cleveland. A gallery in London can pursue the work of an artist in New York. News24.com reports via The Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, that Internet users actually go visit the museum 2.6 times more than those who don't. The ILMS further reports on Feb 28, 2008:

• Libraries and museums are the most trusted sources of online information among adults of all ages, education levels, races, and ethnicities. Libraries and museums rank higher in trustworthiness than all other information sources including government, commercial, and private Web sites. The study shows that the public trust of museums and libraries migrates to the online environment.
• The explosive growth of information available in the €œInformation Age€ actually whets Americans€™ appetite for more information. People search for information in many places and since the use of one source leads to others, museums, public libraries, and the Internet complement each other in this information-rich environment.
• The Internet is not replacing in-person visits to libraries and museums and may actually increase onsite use of libraries and museums. There is a positive relationship between Internet use and in-person visits to museums and public libraries. In 2006 remote online access increased adult visits to museums by 75%.

But you can't just build a website and hope the people will come. You can't bemoan the value of the Internet if you are not willing to take the time and effort to build your online business collateral. It sounds strange but this wonderful online marketing tool known as your website or blog, must be marketed as well. Submitting your URL to third party sites, utilizing email campaigns, advertising your domain name and offering quality content is what will create a successful online presence. It takes time, money and creativity. This is a journey not a sprint.

BizReport's Kristina Knight, and The US Email Marketing Forecast, reports that email marketing is expected to rise by 75% by 2012 and to reach $1.2B. That's a pretty impressive number. Email marketing, while it still has its issues, works because it's quick and results can be tracked and analyzed within hours. Its geographic outreach is vast. And instead of waiting days for a postal direct mail campaign to deliver results, galleries, artists and museums can reach out to recipients immediately. Additionally, it's cost effective. The price of postage and postcard or brochure printing for every announcement can get pretty costly.

Setting up and participating in a blog is a very effective way to drive Internet traffic to your website and thus increase sales and recognition. The effect of a blog is cumulative because the posts you create are published online immediately (via RSS) and stay online FORVER. Jim Spadaccini at Ideum reports that museum blogging is now mainstream. In a post dated October 18th, 2007, Jim discusses the findings he compiled for a conference at the Association of Science-Technology Center. His findings showed 211 blogs were listed in the Museums Blogs directory. By the time he returned from the conference he was surprised to find that 20 new museums had submitted to Museum Blogs. His findings were already (only 10 days later) quite dated.

While this article focuses mainly on Museums and the Internet, these findings should provide a basis for establishing the Value of the Internet in the Arts Industry. Artists and galleries should not only follow this lead but also apply the principals of online marketing and promotion to their own businesses. In December 2004, Pew Internet published a report "Artists, Musicians and The Internet." The report states that artists and musicians "have embraced the Internet as a tool that helps them create, promote, and sell their work." The report goes on to say "Artists and musicians on all points of the spectrum from superstars to starving singers have embraced the internet as a tool to improve how they make, market, and sell their creative works. They use the internet to gain inspiration, build community with fans and fellow artists, and pursue new commercial activity." Of those participating in the Pew report, 23% of all online artists and 41% of Paid Online Artists say the internet has helped them in their creative pursuits and careers.

It is my hope, that this post in some way encourages the art community to take better advantage of the Internet for marketing and promotion. It just seems to make perfect common sense to me. Additionally there are great resources for inspiration, creativity, learning, outreach and community. While I deeply understand that artists really just want to do what they are most compelled to do, create art, to simply dismiss the power of the Internet and its benefits to the arts would be a grave mistake.

At this time, Jim Spadaccini is requesting museum feedback on a survey he is conducting at Ideum. The folks at Ideum are in the process of writing their first National Science Foundation grant proposal to fund Open Exhibits, a project that will allow them to develop, test, and disseminate three open source software templates that will allow museum professionals’ to assemble electronic exhibits for the museum floor. If you are a museum professional, please take a few minutes to complete the survey — and please help spread the word about it. It will take about 20 minutes and Ideum will share the results with everyone who participates. They will also keep you updated about the status of Open Exhibits.

Useful Links:
Museums and The Web - The international conference for culture and heritage online
Musematic
MuseumBlogs.org

Adobe Online Events

Being involved in the day to day routines of running our business, we often forget how many valuable resources there are online that can help us out, network us, or educate us. Some of these are so obvious that we take them for granted.

This month I purchased a new MAC and updated my software so I'm on the receiving end of numerous Adobe and Apple newsletters. Having most likely unsubscribed to these in years past (I was just too darn busy to read newsletters, right?) I realize what a mistake that was.

2008, as readers here might remember, I declared as the year to expand my business and my skill sets. So I've been reading the newsletters and here is one resource I've found really helpful:

Adobe Online Seminars: OnDemand. You'll find valuable audio/visual seminars on all the Adobe products and information on how to best use them. The seminars are also topic oriented and will provide visual step by step instruction on topics such as CSS, HTML, Spry, Flash, Developing mobile content, Photoshop etc. Samples of seminars are: Photoshop CS3 and Dreamweaver to Design Websites, Flash 101 for Video Professionals, Independent Filmmaking, Sustainability and Printing, Quark to InDesign, Adobe Bridge for Print Professionals, InDesign In Depth, Color Management, and literally hundreds of others. The Design Center also offers an RSS on seminar events. eSeminars are also provided live and offer the ability to interact with the instructor. I've taken a few of these tutorials/seminars and they are excellent. Each one took about an hour. I sat at my desk, viewed the seminar on my computer screen and was still available to pause the thing if an important call came in. Best of all, I feel that every day I view a seminar I'm working toward my goals of developing my skill sets.

Dragonfly Blu Design, Lisamikulski.com and ArtLOOK Redesigned & Refined

Hi All. It seems that whenever things get busy here at DFB the posts on ArtLOOK slow to a near halt. I'm sorry about that. Spring is the busiest time of year for not only the art business but for design as well. Despite the onslaught of work here at the studio, it was a priority to update and redesign my own design house.

Please meet the new Dragonfly Blu. DFB has a brand new ID and look. It is a bit more edgy and bold but also decidedly feminine and clean. New portfolios contain updates to recent work, photography, and the new Client and Designer Bill of Rights. Feedbacks from my recent email campaign has been great so thank you all for those comments and kind thoughts.

I've done some organizational work here at ArtLOOK as well. You will see that the blog has been divided into 3 columns. Recent posts and categories appear at the top of the page for easy reference. Websites, blogs and resources have been combined simply into Design Resources and Art Resources. Only the best resources appear here. Outdated or unmaintained sites and blogs will not appear in this list.

Lisamikulski.com has also been redefined. Expanded art management and marketing services for Artists and Galleries include:

• Identify and develop outreach goals


• Serve as contact for business and media relations


• Work as liaison to galleries, suppliers, buyers, and collectors


• Marketing and advertising in print and online


• Portfolio creation in print and online


• Inventory Development


• Marketing and PR materials creation - graphic and web design


• Email campaigns and direct mail


• Development of mailing lists


• Development of press releases and feature articles


• Copywriting


• Exhibition support, Event planning and PR

Beatbox

Ok... This is the silliest thing I've seen in a long time!  It had me laughing so hard I woke the kids up.

http://www.beatbox.tele2.se/

Found via Design Observer

Keeping My Artistic Clients Happy - Part of the Art Management Job

Part of my responsibilities as an Art Manager is to ensure that my artistic clients are able to do what they do best... create art. So when one of my best clients calls me to say he's overwhelmed by incoming emails and can't focus on studio work... it's a problem.  It's my problem.

Here are some of the actions I'll put in place to ease the onslaught on this artists inbox:

1.  I inform the client that I will only send him 1 email per week.  On a Friday. That email will summarize the weeks activities until the time the client and I meet face to face for a brain storming session.  The once a week emails will also serve as an agenda for any upcoming meeting.  I tell the client that should he receive an email from me on say...Tuesday, it is because I absolutely need a response to an issue.

2.  I set up an alternative email address to filter all non specific emails coming in from our marketing efforts.  This will eliminate spam, newsletters, and misc crap from his personal email inbox.  As his webmaster I will review all these emails and alert him to only those which are relevant.

3.  We set up special categories to filter and sort his inbox for art suppliers, membership organizations, buyers and personal.  In this way, as his incoming email is downloaded to his local computer it is sorted and categorized and put in the appropriate folder.  He is able to distinguish by an alert which emails are priority and which emails can wait a day (or two) for a reply.

4.  I advise the client to check email only once a day... preferably either before he starts his studio time in the morning or after his studio work is done at the end of the day.  This may sound obvious but even the best of us can fall into the trap of checking email several times a day. 

Defining Graphic Design

I'm a bit puzzled. I've been reading A LOT in the last few weeks and of course I'm a big fan of graphic design publications, Taschen being one of my most favorite.  While reading Graphic Design for the 21st Century and Contemporary Graphic Design, I noticed that many of the Designer's commentaries were all in attempt to define "What is Graphic Design?"  There were, in fact, so many designers defining their idea of graphic design that I began to wonder if Taschen had specified this question in its request for materials in putting the publication together. I was a little disappointed because in buying these beautiful books I really wanted to read something more substantial from these designers. Ok... The work displayed is fantastic and inspirational but after all, I'm a graphic designer and I already know what it is I do for a living and what the mission and intent of graphic design is and why it is that I love graphic design.  Charlotte and Peter Fiell do an excellent job in their introductions to both books but I really wanted to know more from the designers themselves.  For instance: How did you solve a particular challenge?  What are your thoughts on designing for a global audience? I guess I wanted a Debbie Milman interview!

Eric Kajaluoto wrote recently about style.  His opening sentence reads "Design is such a multi-layered practice that it’s often difficult to define. That being said, I believe that the word “design” is increasingly confused with “style”. For example, to most “I like the way it’s designed” means that they like the way that something looks."

Veerle Pieters recently ran a "What is Graphic Design" poster contest.  Her readers submitted some really great design work and Veerle did a marvelous job in sorting thru all those entries and setting up Flickr for submission.

Now, however, I have to ask... WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH ALL THE DEFINING?  Do we not have a clue what it is we are doing and therefore need to clarify it for ourselves?  Perhaps our attempts at definition is to educate our clients or potential clients?  Perhaps we are attempting to inform the general public?  I don't know...

I am a graphic designer and I read mostly art and design magazines, blogs and publications.  I read these things to get inspired, informed, to learn, to grow, and to become a better designer.  I know this type of question comes up pretty frequently in art circles as well, "what is art?" and the old debate about "art for art sake" etc.   But I don't think for instance construction workers, architects, concert pianists, musicians etc... regularly define their jobs or their career roles.  What makes art and design different? What say you?

Smiley Happy Goodness in a bottle... I'll take some of that!

I woke up this morning in a "kick the cat" type of mood.  Sure could have used some happiness in a bottle, but hey... I didn't know they actually sold the stuff.  Sure enough, it seems they do.  Check this out.

It would appear that our happy little :) now has it's own line of beauty care. Smiley has been made into a line of aromatherapy "anti stress perfumes."  The Happy Therapy Center, refers to it's product as "a psycho-tonic" (psycho tonic??...boy these guys are gonna get rich!) resulting from advanced scientific research. Text on the site goes on to say:

"To conclude this new mission, smiley developed an active scent, able to give their smile back to the most stubborn... morose spirits breathe in deeply!  This contagious good mood is on its way to conquer the world. No one knows who will be able to stop smiley in its exhilarating crusade! A smile for everyone."

"smiley contains monoaminated alkaloids having a pharmacodynamic action called phenylethylamine and theobromine.  (huh? Whatever, if it makes me happy, I'll take it... and several more bottles for my friends, please!)  Phenylethylamine is to passion what endorphin is to love.  It sets off a feeling of joy, excitement and euphoria.  (Cool...sign me up.)  Theobromine blocks the receivers of adrenalin and thus decreases the effects of stress by a comfortable feeling of wellbeing. These two cardiotonics associated together dope vitality and sets up the moral.  It's that simple!"  (of course it is... why didn't someone think of this before?)

There is smiley eau de toilette, eau de parfum, deodorant, therapeutic bath, rubbing body friction, and body gel all designed to "activate happiness."  Wow... I feel better already just writing about this stuff! :)

See the entire smiley brand collection at SmileyCollection.net
Buy your own bottle of happiness at Happy Therapy.
Smiles here provided by Josh Spear

A Bit of Finnish Art and Design History

I sometimes believe the spirit of Finland repeatedly knocks upon my door.  I don't mind the knocking, so much, because on a personal level I believe I could grow to love Finland (not having been there yet) and goodness knows I certainly love it's people and seem to have an affinity for attracting Finns in my life.  Nevertheless it always rather surprises me at how often, and in such unexpected ways, Finland comes to visit me. 

Some weeks ago while undergoing construction at my house, I found a knife with the inscription of Tapio Wirkkala on the blade. I knew the name was a Finnish name and I liked the simplicity of the knife design. I really didn't think much about it... other than "how strange to find a Finnish knife at my house."  I put the knife upon my bookshelf and pretty much forgot about it.

Today I received via email my installment of MetropolisMag.  Huh... an article about Eero Saarinen catches my eye in an article entitled Predicting the Future, a new exhibition at the Cranbrook Art Museum.  The museum is hailing Saarinen as "an architect way ahead of his time."  Knowing a bit about Finnish culture and art history, I know Saarinen was the architect responsible for the St. Louis Gateway Arch.  Indeed, a beautiful curvaceous structure, despite whatever Vince Scully has to say. I found the article to be quite interesting and decided to click some links and learn more about the Finnish born architect.

Saarinen's father, Eliel, was also an architect and went to Cranbrook to design the art academy, school and museum.  Eero was 15 and the family accompanied Eliel to the job site.  Later Eero graduated from Yale University.  It would appear (and here's the stuff I love about art history... somehow everything seems to fit together) that while at Cranbrook, Eero met up with Charles Eames and together they developed the very famous Eames Lounge Chair.  Huh... what do ya know?  It just seems these Finns are all over the place!

I decide to do more research on Saarinen and now I'm kinda interested in the relationship with Eames as well.  I discover that Eames is the guy responsible for this very cool film I saw 15 years ago, called Powers of Ten. (If you haven't seen it, you must!)  I had no idea that the Eames chair guy was the same guy responsible for this movie.

Ok...enough about Eames I want to know more about the Finn.  I discover on www.eerosaarinen.net that "Shaping the Future" is a TOUR beginning in Helsinki, continuing on to Cranbrook and other destinations and ending right here in New Haven in 2010 the centennial of Saarinen's birth.  Saarinen, I learn was also responsible for The General Motors Technical Center (1948-56), and the TWA Terminal (1956-1962) at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.  I think one of the quotes I like from Saarinen is from Jayne Markel's article at Metropolis. Talking about the film (yes yes..a documentary has been made), Markel includes a quote from Saarinen, “Tech­nology has given us the ability to do almost anything we want. Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies, and Le Cor­busier have given us the ABCs. It is up to us to develop the language of Modern architecture.”  WOW... it all sounds so Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead, doesn't it?

Wikipedia has a section on Finnish Designers. Crazy!  And here is where I learn about Tapio Wirkkala... remember, my knife?  The knife is called a Puukko.  It's a specific carving knife, designed by Tapio, a major figure of post war design.  Wirkkala's range was pretty vast as he designed not only knifes but the Finnish Markka banknotes introduced in 1955, stoneware, jewelry, sculpture and glassware.  Guess who designed the Finlandia Vodka bottle from 1970-2000?  Yup... Tapio, my knife guy.  And that knife... the designer used a traditional Finnish carving blade to do much of his design work and later developed his own variation, the Wirkkala Puukko, which was built by Hackman Cutlery and marketed in the US in the early 70's by Brookstone.

Well ok...that's enough on Finnish Art History for tonight.  I'm off to bed to read The Kalevela and get some sleep.

Andy Rutledge scores a big TEN (10) when Falling Down

Wow! WOW!  I just finished reading an inspirational article entitled, Falling Down, by Andy Rutledge over at Design View.  Comparing design conundrums with the ability to fall down gracefully at his dojo, Rutledge provides some eloquent advice and insight as to how designers can maintain professionalism during the bad times.  Well done Andy!

"If you’re a designer, you know that perfect designs do not always spontaneously flow from your pen. You know that truly creative solutions that effectively serve the client’s and users’ needs do not always present themselves when you want them to. In short, it is simply not enough to be highly competent under the best of circumstances, when you’re filled with inspiration and all the gears are turning. What matters most—and most often—is how competent you are when things are not going well."

Feed readers make me a bit sad

I use Bloglines for my feedreader.  It does it's job very well, allows me to consolidate all my favorite feeds in one place and it's certainly convenient and keeps me updated.  But somehow I really hate using it and when I come upon a well designed blog that I love, I always feel a twinge of sadness at having to add it to my feed reader.  Feeds are ugly. 

I think one of the great appeals of reading a blog is also the design work that accompanies the content.  I suppose this is because I'm a designer and I really appreciate the personality associated with the design work of someones blog or website.  I get pleasure in viewing the "stuff" not just the words displayed on a reader.  Yes yes... I know I can access the actual blog from the reader but somehow I just don't manage to that as often as I'd like.

I thought I'd journey out of my feedreader to visit some favorite blogs... not just because of their written content but because some blogs should be experienced.

Another Shade of Gray
Cult Design
Color + Design by Colorlovers
Debbie Millman
Design Observer
Designer's Who Blog
GraphicPush
Josh Spear
Nordic Design Blog
Veerle's Blog