AT&T : Hands campaign

AT&T Wireless is pushing their new international roaming with a series of fantastic ads. I love the artistic quality brought to this ad with the hand painting as well as the photography. BBDO Atlanta/New York is the agency behind the idea.

Photographer of the entire series is Andric, who is represented by Tim Mitchell, you absolutely have to go and take a look at his portfolio (he's self taught by the way) where he combines shooting and digital retouching (he does all his own post-production).

I think the star of the ad is the body painter who painted all the hands for these concepts: Guido Daniele. An Italian artist, he started his "Handimals" in 2000 which has grown into international interest: with ads not only for AT&T but for El País and World Wildlife Fund.

To see the entire AT&T campaign: Hands, head over to Creativity online

Networking

So as a freelancer it's all about networking and getting your name out there - whether you're a photographer, an illustrator, an assistant, a rep, even a freelance art buyer. A friend of mine passed along a few words of wisdom: try and schedule as many face to face meetings as possible. Lunch/coffee/cocktail meetings or portfolio reviews are key.

You're doing everything right by emailing updates and mailing promos but face to face is the best way. People want to help and are interested in your work but emails are impersonal and can be easily forgotten or backlogged. Even though they have the best intentions, everyone gets busy. An in person meeting can be incredibly successful. As long as you're diligent about staying in touch with people in and out of your network, projects will start rolling in.

There is plenty of proof and suggestions that these meetings work. Leslie Burns-Dell'Acqua wrote an article in ASMP's 2007 Year End Bulletin that in person meetings can be a key to your success. "The best way is to be honest, open and real. It's okay if your work is not a good fit - there are other clients out there. Practice makes perfect."

In person meetings and networking give you a chance to show your portfolio and gives the art buyers and photo editors something tangible to your talent rather than the just your website. Read through discussions on A Photo Editor or Heather Morton's blogs. Again, the proof is there - and it works.

There is nothing like an in person meeting to get a sense of the person's character, drive and talent.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

This phrase refers to the idea that any story can be told in just one impactful picture. A picture can tell the reader in one glance what the gist of the words are. This is where photographers and creatives come in. The collaboration of ideas to lead the viewer to understand the purpose of the ad.

This visual message is an important communication medium in our society, especially to the individual who views it. To each person the image tells the story as how that person interprets it. But it still proves how important those visuals are, so keep raising the bar.

Swedish Fish ads

I couldn't help but laugh this morning when I came across these Swedish Fish ads by New York's JWT. So brilliantly executed, the "A friend you can eat" campaign is bright and colorful featuring your favorite snuggly animals. A bunny waffle, a kitty sandwich and a grilled teddy bear panini are among the executions (to see more head over to Ads of the World.) Under the cuddly animal the copy reads "Nej"... pronounced "neigh" in swedish, meaning "No". And under the swedish fish? "Ja" meaning "yes".... Clever!

The photographer is David Rowland, First Base Digital Imaging U.K. His site has a mix of different genres of photography but his advertising portfolio is the most eye-catching.

Artist Friday - Turbo Squid

I had heard about this site but had never investigated or used any imagery. Another art buyer mentioned it to me today so I thought I would take a closer look. Turbo Squid is not necessarily an artist but more of a stock house specializing in 3D models (as well as other things). You can search for the specific imagery you are looking for just like any other traditional stock imagery site. The 3D products offered are from different artists and developers and range from animals to cars to characters.

Terms and conditions are similar to those at other stock houses as well. The seller/artist of the content posted on Turbo Squid agrees that the content is their original work and contains no copyrighted material of any kind (including images and releases). However there is an indemnity clause you may want to check out before you purchase.

Aside from those technicalities the artwork is pretty cool and applicable, especially if your client doesn't have the funds available to do an original creation. Most of the artwork on the site pays pretty close attention to details and are meticulous in the design.

Even if you don't have a need for 3D artwork it's fun to peruse through.

American Apparel snafu

AdFreak reports American Apparel has used Woody Allen's image without permission, so he's now suing the cargo pants off them. Reuters is reporting the US company is using his image in print (including the billboard pictured above) and the internet. He has stated that the company never contacted him or compensated him for the use of his image.

Art Buying 101 - ALWAYS get a talent release. I'm pretty sure there was not an art buyer or business affairs person involved in this project. We have to be so meticulous about the imagery - sometimes to the creatives chagrin - but it's part of the job. There should always be written permission for the images - this includes anything from talent, property, name, or logos. Getting clearances covers the client and the agency.

I'm wondering if American Apparel contacted the photographer or the director for usage. The billboards were only posted in California and New York City - Woody Allen filed suit in a Manhattan Court.

Good resources

Most art buyers, art directors and creative people don't always pick great talent off the top of their heads, it requires research.
As much as some people say promos don't always work or I put them in a pile... I go through that pile or to the website and mark it. My research will take several hours. I go through my bookmarks, I make calls to have some new work sent, I especially go through Le Book, Workbook and Black book.

I love Le Book for researching photographers and illustrators. They are immersed in the creative community both in the US and internationally. They have even started a creative tour called Connections which invites the creative community to converge in one place and review photographer/illustrator portfolios... network with art buyers and creative directors.

Workbook is probably the most well known resource for industry professionals to go search for advertising and editorial assignment photographers/illustrators. In addition to searching for the right talent you can also purchase art for sale, organize a phonebook contact list and create a custom mailing list.

Blackbook is similar... a resource site to search out creative talent. On the site there is also a creative industry directory