DJS Art,Design and Writing!

8:07PM - The Concept Works!

Last night I sat down to read the most recent issue of Newsweek,
As I thumbed through the pages, something caught my eye.I flipped back through the pages.There it was a full page ad that resembled the inside page of a library book, where the return card stuck out of the pocket glued to the page.What is this?
I pull out the fake return card and on the opposite side was a
promotion for the new Buick Lucerne sedan.If you are a fan of creative advertising it was a pleasant surprise to finally see
a print ad that cut through the clutter of visual mediocrity
that fills magazines!
Here is an ad campaign that takes a simple idea, executes it to perfection in a mass market magazine and it works.I imagine if they took a reader survey it would get a recall rate off the charts.It's no easy task to create an ad campaign that is memorable due to the glut of media outlets available to advertisers today.Most ads today are short on concept and
high on visual impact that usually drowns out the message.
When you get the visual and message on the same page it's worth the huge advertising costs expended.I am always delighted by great advertising.Buick's agency did the job well and with class.
A simple idea done well always sells!Good work.

Current mood: pleased

3:05PM - Are Pixels Better Than Paint?

The Modern Museum of Art in New York has a new exhibit of the
animation work of Pixar Studios.Being old school, I like the old animation of "cartoons" from the 60's,50's and 40's.I think I like them better because as an artist,I like to work from light to dark when I paint.Just a habit but with that in mind,all
computer generated work seems to work from dark to light.
There always seems to be a dark gloom with most images though they could be in broad daylight.Probably a personal quirk.
I do enjoy the Pixar productions,"Toy Story","Finding Nemo"
and the "Incredibles".The computer has saved many an animator
from bursitis.Consider the thousands of renderings an artist had to do for a Disney movie like "Sleeping Beauty".Still shot by still shot.Yet,there is something about these films and I am speaking primarily about the images, not the stories, that is not as satisfying as old school animation.I think sometimes
it's the slickness of the imagery.Other times I think it is the lack of a distinctive drawing style with it's imperfections
that makes watching computer based animation less satisfying.
A computer can generate the same image faithfully everytime.
I miss the permutations you saw with a cartoon character as he
evolved throught the years.Take a look at the 40's Bugs Bunny and the 60's Bugs.There is humanity in evolving an image,
a character.
Once the character is defined in pixels, it seems dead because all the permutations have been worked out ahead of time and the end result is what it is.As animation matures,especially in video games,there seems to be an ever increasing sophistication
with the imagery.Take a look at the new "King Kong"game.
It is very much like the movie imagery.Video games seem to be headed in a good direction as far as imagery goes, they still seem filled with gloom but they fuse photo and animated imagery very well.For all it's crudeness,I find "SouthPark" very satisfying visually.The animation is very story driven, collage
like in execution but stimulating aesthetically.Maybe I just like bright colors?
I think Warner Bros. found the happy medium of story,character and setting with their cartoons from the fifties and sixties.The technology was not the star.The characters truly surpassed the production values.I believe the "Simpsons" are the last version of this type of animation and why they have had such a long run.
As our culture matures, the visual sophistication of each generation is growing.As time goes by we will have schools of
visual criticism as varied as there are of styles of music.
I look forward to that and hope animators start to work light to dark.

2:55PM - Will Billions Better The World?

Money is a means to better the world.I mused on a hot summer day, whether the billions Bill Gates' charity has to spend on the worlds needy and now Warren's, will actually make a difference? I pondered what would I do to change the world for the better if I had such funds? I bounced some of my world solutions off my brother while we waited on Sunday dinner.
I decided that the best use of the billions would be to build infrastructure in the neediest thirld world countries.
Roads,bridges,shools,hospitals,manufacturing,phone companies etc.

When all was said and done.My brother laughed and said you had to change the peoples minds first in those backwaters because in the end it would come down to who has the bigger gun. Greed and graft would make quick use of those billions.
His cynical view has plenty of truth to it.

I still believe that with the best management that Gates and Buffett have used to build powerful businesses they will find a way to use their assets wisely in this red/blue state
world.Throwing money at problems may not always work but to the individual who benefits from a trickle of such riches it can make the difference between poverty and a stable life devoid of fear and misery.Buffett and Gates know this
and thats why a gift of billions will bring them a lasting legacy in the world.

8:44PM - Marketing up date

I have reposted most ads and links for retail and blog sites things are going well.

11:21PM - Online Marketing for new year

I put ads on posteroo.com remember to put products on ebay and amazon.com

3:55PM - Making money on-line

I was pleasantly surprised I had made a little cash on zazzle and write-up.com
Someone bought a card and a few of my blog posts on write-up are being read a lot.
A good start for the new year!

8:21PM - Summers Over

I can feel the cool weather sneaking in behind the summer weather.I had an enjoyable summer.
My son graduated from college, I spent many a long weekend with my lady friend, bar hopping,
drinking, shopping, watching videos and barbecuing. I didn't get to my art work as I should have but all
in all it was fun! My mother had a kidney stone removed successfully and everyone seems to be doing well.
I have to get back to marketing my work online. I've really been lazy about freelancing.
Oh, well thats what seasonal changes are for.

9:41AM - Organize and Update Work

Organize sites and put sites on portfolio snap.com.Get marketing plan completed

10:45PM - Work on Marketing Plan

I have 3 stores on cafepress and products on Publish.co,Zazzle.com and Lulu.com.I have websites where I can get email addresses to market merchandise and I can sign up for an ebay account to auction and market my products. I need to develop a marketing plan for the rest of the year to generate sales for each site.
I also need to scan additional work on to sites for more product variety.

Update Techno Pirate logo, put in a round shape instead of square shape.Think about using thumbnail sketch and creating better art to use on products.

Last Friday I went to art exhibit for the Underground Railroad with Tiana. The work was okay but think about exhibiting paintings @ the Tavern when they have next call for artists work.

10:50AM - email marketing letters

See notes re:5 email marketing letters for online marketing campaign.

6:54PM - Marketing Ideas:online stores

I updated each store on cafepress today.(Technopirate,SmilingDivaShop,ArsGallery)
A possible marketing strategy for each site might include an email,postcard,sales letter campaign
focused on specific markets to begin with.Try these to see if sales result.

8:39PM - Event Marketing

Remember you can order products from online stores to market
and sell at summer events.