Ad Club... seriously?

I love this idea... I love the visual that came in my email... I did not love the price of the tickets. Tickets are listed as $200... each.

AdClub of Boston has a brilliant idea to bring agencies and former/current employees together for a big networking event. But, AdClub, come on. The ad industry has been hit hard and for those people still employed at said ad agencies they probably won't even go, it's the people who have been laid off that want to network.

I hope it has open bar....

©2009 Boston Ad Club, Sprague/Nelson, Getty Images

Blender Closing The Doors

Unfortunately another magazine is biting the dust. Blender Magazine officially closed up last week with it's last publication. The magazine's parent company will continue to run Maxim.
Blender will be operating solely on the internet and keeping the brand name alive.
see the AdAge article here.

So I'm wondering with all the magazines and newspapers folding, are we witnessing the beginning of the death of print?

I personally say no but I'm curious to hear other thoughts.

Advance Checks

Check out this discussion on the liveBooks photo blog about the whole advance checks situation and Omnicom.

Specifically read the comments left by all the reps, photographers and even a few art buyers.

Moving Beyond Economic Fear

An interesting article (here) in The Boston Business Journal very much worth reading because it can be looked at from both a personal perspective as well as an institutional one.

Avoid the "fear" and build a sense of strength and confidence in your business.

What Art Buyers Might Look For

In many of the portfolio reviews and calls I've been having with photographers one of the big questions being asked is What does an art buyer look for?

There is no exact science to what each of us is looking for. It greatly depends on the client and the project and trying to match the best talent with the client's brand and messaging.

To be completely and utterly honest you have to have great imagery. With all the competition out there, if your work is considered run of the mill or does not stand out from the pack (so to say) it won't get called in. I know this may sound harsh but it's the reality just like if an ad agency goes after a client and their brand book does not have stand out items or campaigns, the client passes on to the next "competitor".

I'm always interested in seeing something visually arresting... whether it's a lighting technique, an angle, the talent chosen, off the cuff set ups, etc. If what you're presenting is flat or looks (pardon the expression) "too pedestrian", there's a good chance you're work may get passed over.

To be blunt, presenting a local corporate portrait or a portrait from an annual report is not going to get you the next ad campaign for Dolce & Gabbana. Art Buyers are super picky when it comes to imagery, especially the imagery we're recommending to art directors, creative directors, and clients.

Challenge yourself and experiment with personal projects. Get to know art buyers and some of the clients they work on, if you start to develop a rapport with that person, they may be more likely to give you a chance (whether it's a pro-bono or smaller project) to get in the door. Most of all continue to develop your work.

additional note:
I also wanted to add this little bit that I thought of this afternoon. Make it real and make it your own (your images should speak to who you are as an artist). And by real I don't mean lifestyle or "slice of life" situations, I mean real as in the feel of the image.
Just like with some bad reality TV shows, the audience can tell when someone is fake or coming across too contrived. If your imagery is too propped or too staged it doesn't feel real and can drive people away. Art buyers will go to the stock sites if they want that feel. No offense but the typical image of the growl face with hands in the hair has been done so much that it turns me away from a portfolio.

Ad Data In Magazines

Saw this in the New York Times and thought it'd be worth sharing - see it here. An interesting comparison of magazine ad pages from 2005 and 2008. Some have significant cut backs while others have significant increases. Click on the magazine to see how many advertising pages and the percentage. Most of the magazines featured are mainstream titles.

©2009 New York Times

Creative Database

Krop.com is a site I've visited to peruse through job postings before. I haven't been to the site in awhile or either hadn't been paying attention to hard. Essentially Krop is a job board for creative professionals however in 2008 they also lauched a creative database to build resumes and portfolios.

It's free (for the basic account) and no advertisements show up. I'm in the process of putting mine together on there but have also found some photographers (Michael Muller with Stockland Martel) and other artists through here.

check it out at krop.com/creativedatabase

Thanks to Frank Rapp for sending.

On Vacation

Apologies for the posting delay but I'm taking a little break for some island sun. I'll have more posts up in a couple of weeks when I'm back (physically and mentally).

In the meantime here's some things to look forward to:
Info and feedback on the artist meetings/portfolio reviews (from my perspective as well as some of the artists)
The one year Blogiversary of Art Producer's Perspective
Creative Opinions
Comparison of illustrator and photographer promos (per a reader's request)

I'm also welcoming any questions or topics you would like to discuss or bring up (email me or reply to a post).
One of the main reasons for this blog is to create open communication in the creative community.

See you soon!

New Illustrator

I received a promo this morning from a new illustrator on the market and thought her work was worth mentioning here.

It's a nice combo of pencil and watercolor and has a beautiful fashion quality.
Take a look: jessicacarberry.com