Art Licensing: Illustrator Johanna Basford's Success in Marketing Art Outside-the-box

Two years ago I posted "Art Licensing: Marketing Art Outside-the-box" where I discussed why an artist needs to market her/his art so that its stands out from the competition. In the article, I showcased United Kingdom illustrator Johanna Basford and how she marketed her art outside-the-box by bombarding Starbucks with her intricate and gorgeous black-and-white illustrations drawn on their paper cups. It worked so well that she was commissioned to create wallpaper for Starbuck's London Vigo Street store in time for the 2012 London Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Johanna has a very impressive and long list of clients including Crabtree & Evelyn, Absolute Vodka, Angostura Rum, Hallmark, Johnson & Johnson, H& M, Nike, Channel 4, Sony Music, and even Mercedes Benz Smart Car. She has continued her thinking outside-of-the box marketing and last year she created her own innovative way of selling her art on products with her Wonderbeasts project. Individuals made pledges via Kickstarter to get gifts (signed postcards, silk screen prints, etc.) with her Wonderbeasts illustrations (insects and creepy crawlies, birds and feathers, woodland creatures, reptiles, deep sea dwellers, safari animals) on them. The project culminated with the publication of Joanna's Wonderlands book of her Wonderbeasts illustrations and gave credit to those that made pledges. For more information about her successes and her Wonderbeasts project, read "Johanna Basford - Wonderbeasts".

Read Johanna's blog to find out what is going on in her studio, see more examples of her amazing work, her complete client list, etc.

Promoting Company Brands with Art
• Starbucks
According to Starbucks, people have been decorating their paper cups for years. But, because Johanna used social media to publish her outside-the-box marketing with her beautifully decorated cups it really caught the publics attention. Not only did it promote Johanna's art but it also promoted the Starbuck brand.

In April 2014, Starbucks decided to promote a white cup contest with the winning design to be printed as a limited edition of Starbucks reusable plastic cups. It generated over 4000 entries in three weeks. And in case you wonder, Johanna Basford did not win the contest. I do not know but she may not have even entered it. For information about the contest, read "Starbucks Invites you to Decorate Its Iconic White Cup". For information on the person who won the contest read, "Starbucks Announces the Winner of its White Cup Contest".

• Chipotle Mexican Grill
In 2014, Chipotle Mexican Grill started promoting and distinguishing its brand with their Cultivating Thought / Author Series initiative of prose written by well known authors and printed on their paper cups and bags. Black-and-white art created by different artists also embellishes the cups and bags. The marketing idea came from author Jonathan Safran Foer who pitched the idea to Chipotle's CEO Steve Ellis as a way to enhance the customers dining experience. More information about the initiative can be found by reading "Why Chipotle Wants You to Read Its Cups and Bags".

Note: Johanna Basford may not have gotten her art printed on Starbucks cups but she does have a design on Chipotle's cups and bags. She illustrated Nobel Prize winner author Toni Morrison's prose.


Conclusion
I love to read about successful artists especially when they use innovative ways to promote their art. In today's market to be successful artists need very unique art so that it stands out. Also it really helps if artists use outside-the-box marketing to create a buzz.  Johanna sure is creating a buzz! She does commission work and also sells directly to the consumer via the Internet.  And, selling her work is no easy task because black-and-white illustrations are a harder sell than if they were vibrantly colored even though her illustrations are outstanding!  Johanna has proved that being focused, working extremely long hours, and doing clever marketing can turned artistic and marketing talent into a successful business.

This article was updated 7/17/18.

Your comments are welcome. Click on the comments section (below) to write your comment. Note: Some people have a problem in leaving a comment. The most successful method is to comment as Name/URL (your name and website or blog with a "complete" URL address).

Editorial by Jeff Grinspan: Is Art Licensing DEAD?

by Jeff Grinspan
Grinspan & Co.
website: www.artmoid.com
e-mail: grinspan@artmoid.com

To any well-trained or educated business executive viewing the art licensing model from the outside, there would be only one conclusion. There is no art licensing business. It’s D.O.A. And, if you don’t buy that, you’d surely have to admit it’s on life support…

Here are the obvious symptoms...
• No Growth … :(
The economy is limping along, there are fewer retailers than ever before, fewer manufacturers AND a blatant commodity oversupply. Bring in the paddles! CLEAR!!

Oh and by the way, in a tight economy, retailers get very conservative. And consumers look for the tried-and-true comfort art, as they say.

• What’s a guarantee??????
The historical formula for robust, profitable art licensing used to be something like this- Advance ($) + guarantee ($$) + royalty ($$$) - advance ($) = ‘a nice living’. Today, licensees are paying the lowest advances possible (some not paying any at all), the word ‘guarantee’ has been pretty much eradicated from licensing vernacular and with added pressures from retails intent on keeping their margins high, licensees keep pushing for lower and lower royalties. Is anyone making any money???

• The Internet is here to stay…
Say you are a successful manufacturer who uses licensed art. It wasn’t too long ago you had to attend trade shows or have someone send you a portfolio for review. Today? ‘Googlize’ roosters or coastal or snowmen and you’ll have 1,000 + images at your monitor with the click of a mouse. How is any artist to compete with the selection and ease of finding new art theses days???

Grim you say. Heretic! Pessimist! Naysayer! Not really. There is no doubt licensing your art in 2012 and beyond is more challenging than ever before. But, despite all the questionable vital signs, weak pulse, pasty look and irregular ‘artbeats’ . . .

maybe it’s not as bleak as I’ve made it out to be.
• Learn art licensing CPR! (Creativity Produces Results)
Okay so let’s address the death knells one by one. Yes, the economy is still weak. Yes, the hit we took in 2008 resulted in a retailer fall out and manufacturer shake up. But the result was it forced those remaining to be more efficient and to commit to their survival. The need to entice wary and cost conscious consumers to purchase goods became critically important. How do you do that? If you are a retailer, you have to carry merchandise that is fresh and appealing. Only new designs and creative thinking on the part of artists delivers that kind of result. Retailers will always need new art on product. And manufacturers are the ones to supply new product. So be creative, prolific and attune to today’s trends. More so now than ever before.

• Show me the money…
Okay, it’s unavoidable. The model has evolved and yes, guarantees are scarce. But historically if you were not a brand name designer you really could not get significant guarantees. Advances, while putting dollars in your pocket UP FRONT are deducted from your future royalty payments, so guess what? Your initial royalty checks sans advance are gonna be ‘bigger’ - same total dollars but you get it later than sooner (all things being equal). And while there is no empirical data to support the mathematics of fewer retailers but same number of customers (hey, we all still gotta shop somewhere right?) = great royalties, some things do change. But here is where ‘the will to live’ has to kick in. Expand your search to new categories of product for retailers that ARE successful despite the economy- specialty stores like Crate and Barrel or The Container Store, online e-tailers like Ballard Designs or Home Decorators, and specialty retail markets like surf shops or pets. What you may end up giving up in lower royalty percentages may be offset by higher volume of product in a broader base of customers for licensees.

• If you can’t beat ’em, join 'em.
The Internet should be a marketing tool for you. Yes, your prospects are going to search for new art. So drop the lament and make absolutely certain your SEO is tweaked to capture as much interest as possible. Be relevant! Make sure your website is well populated with art that shows your strengths, your style and your willingness to be in the game!

Okay, so art licensing is not dead. We’re not even in the emergency room. There’s no epidemic or plague. We just need to take some time to re-examine our overall health, regain our strength, build our endurance and assess our ‘art licensing nutrition TM’. There’s plenty of opportunity still out there alive and kickin’!

Your comments are welcome. Please click on the comments section (below) to write your comment.

Art Licensing: Marketing Art Outside-the-box

Artists have heard and probably use the staid-and-true methods of marketing their art to gain visibility such as displaying their art on their website, exhibiting at tradeshows, sending out press releases, advertising in trade publications, having a blog and other social media such as Facebook, twitter. The problem is that although these are important and works an artist needs to market also so that her/his art stand out from the competition. The reason is manufacturers are bombarded with submissions from thousands of artists with outstanding art and an artist can get lost in the crowd unless she/he can somehow make an impression.

An astonishing example on making an impression and marketing outside-the-box is illustrated by Johanna Basford. She is a United Kingdom illustrator that creates intricate hand drawn ink illustrations. She set her sights on having her Christmas illustrations placed on UK Starbucks paper cups. She decided to market outside-the-box by bombarding Starbucks with Starbuck cups decorated with her art on it. Her story is an amazing journey of a dream, VERY hard work, persistence, and not giving up. And Johanna prevailed. After 18 months she got a deal! BUT it was not to create art for cups (yet) but to create wall paper for Starbuck's London Vigo Street store in time for the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Read Johanna's story on her blog "Starbucks 16 April 2012" and view pictures of her impressive presentation and art that she sent to Starbuck. She also inspired her blog readers so much that they got involved in her mission. Besides using Tweeter and Facebook to give a thumbs-up, they wrote letters to Starbucks headquarters and left customized Christmas Cups on UK Starbucks tables. Now THAT is marketing "outside-the-box" !!!

Observation: Notice the designs, art styles, and color or lack of in the art shown in the above links. These are very different than designs found on most products in the US. Artists that have a similar art style and color pallet, might consider approaching UK manufacturers with their art.

Read the following articles for suggestions on marketing outside-the-box:

• "Interesting Example of Out-of-the Box Marketing Ideas"

• "50 Out of the Box Marketing Ideas for Small Business"

• "18 Tips To Bring Visitors To Your Artist Website"

• "Marketing Outside-the-box"

Thank you artist and friend Ellie Fidler for sending me the links to the blog posts about Johanna Basford and Jessica Hogarth. You gave me the inspiration to write this article :)

This article was updated 7/17/18.
 
Comments are welcomed. Enter them in the below comment section.

Blog Hop 12 Artist Studios

Get inspiration by visiting 12 artist blogs for a meet and greet. Artist Aaron Christensen is hosting a "blog hop" tour of artists Barbara Johansen-Newman, Beth Logan, Brenda Pinnick, J. Wrecker-Frisch, Karen Embry, Paula Joerling, Phyllis Dobbs, Samantha Walker, Sharon Himes, Shelly Comiskey, Sue Zipkin and of course Aaron featuring their studios and art. Each artist has a list of artists on the blog hop and a forward and backward button to link to the next artist on the list. Start the tour at "Hi Resolution - A New Year's Studio Meet and Greet."

I drooled over the studios! But whether you use only a corner in the family room, work in the basement, on the kitchen table, or your studio is in a closet as was Mary Engelbreit's first one, it is the creativity that counts when licensing art. Where you create does not matter :)

Trends Found at Fall 2011 High Point Market

The High Point Market is located in the city of High Point, North Carolina and is considered by many to be the world's largest trade show for the furnishings industry. It is held during the Spring and Fall (October 22-27, 2011) in 180 buildings (10 million square feet of space) with more than 2000 exhibitors of furniture, rugs, lamps, textiles, wall décor, decorative accessories and other related products.

Because the show is so large it is impossible to see everything in the six days that it is open so most buyers and designers concentrate on only a few areas. I have not been to this market but I think that attending it can be exhausting and easy to get sensory over load because of the amount of product categories. Some of the categories listed on High Point's website are:

• furniture and fixtures for ALL rooms
• decorative accessories - floral, tabletop, candles, sculpture, clocks, and more
• textiles - draperies, pillows, throws, fabric, and more
• wall décor - mirrors, pictures, frames, wall paper and much more

Most of the manufacturers that exhibit at High Point does not license art so why should artists interested in licensing their work look at these products? The reason is that they are displaying trends in home furnishings and those trends will affect what art is wanted by the consumers on products for the home and may move into the gift and other industries.

For instance, when you read the articles and watch the videos that are listed in this blog post, you will see that black, browns and beige are starting to be replaced with brighter colors in furniture upholstery. Designs are being influenced by cultures from other countries for furniture styles, rugs, and textiles. And the eclectic look in the home is becoming very popular as mentioned by Christiane Lemieux of Dwell Studios (see article and video below) and also seen on many HGTV design shows. All these trends MAY eventually impact the colors and designs wanted by consumers no matter what kind of product. Artists that want to stay on trend should follow what is happening in furnishings as well as in other industries.

Articles and Videos
The Fall 2011 High Point Market ended today and there are already many articles and videos showcasing new products and discussing trends. More are sure to follow so make sure that you search the internet for them. Below are links to a few interesting ones.

• Article by home stager Joan Inglis on why designers should read articles about High Point Markets "High Point Fall Market heralds home decorating trends for 2011." Note: It is too early for Joan Inglis article on 2012 trends so this article is a little out of date.

• Article by Becky Harris "10 Highlights from High Point 2011"

• Designer Libby Langdon for Braxton Culler discusses inspiration, color and creating designs for the home.

• Michael Connors for Scott Thomas discusses furniture inspiration from around the world.

• Christiane Lemieux of Dwell Studios "Talks New Products, Styles, and Concepts" and the eclectic look in trends.

• Ronna Griest of New Massoud Collection discusses new collections, new colors and inspiration.

• Jennifer McConnel of Pearson Furniture discusses colors, menswear inspired fabrics, and styles.

• Accent rug introductions and discussion about inspiration from around the world with videos by Loloi, Rizzy Home and Mariachi Imports.

• Home accent product introductions at the Fall High Point Market with videos by Currey & Company, Pasha Home Fashions, Uttermost and Ibolili.

Comments are welcomed. Enter them in the comment section (below).

Art Licensing Tip: Branding the Art & Artist by Marketing with Videos

Many branding experts believe that it is just as important for customers to get to know the person behind the brand (i.e. artist) as it is to recognize the product (i.e. art). That is why photos of artists like Thomas Kinkade, Mary Engelbreit, Marjolein Bastin, and many others appear on marketing materials and sometimes on products such as greeting cards. An excellent way to market and thus brand not only the art but the artist is by creating videos and placing them onto the popular online video site youtube.com.

Videos can be slide shows, a presentation of art, a demonstration by the artist, an interview of the artist, or a combination of all. For instance, view the video "The Magic of Flowers in Watercolour - With Janet Whittle" showcasing her as she paints, a slide show of the "Art of Donald Vann," and a painting demonstration on "Heavy Impasto Palette Knife Acrylic Painting Demo" by artist Gary Garrett.

Creating videos is simple. Many digital cameras, laptop computers, and cell phones are capable of making videos so that purchasing a video camera is no longer necessary. And, easy to use software such a iMovie, that comes with the Apple operating system, can be used to edit and spiffy-up the video with background music, voice overs, and title pages. The videos listed in the previous paragraph have probably been enhanced in iMovie or similar software.

Another way to gain brand recognition is to be interviewed by TV and e-show hosts as was metal sculpture artist Karen Rossi. View a series of 10 videos "Karen Rossi on Full Bloom Part 1" to see the entire broadcast. Or be showcased in presentations by manufacturers as was artist Paul Brent by "Tile Factory on Christmas in July Program with Paul Brent." Or even have art showcased on QVC as did artist Brenda Pinnick. Other examples of artists using videos to continually gain recognition of themselves and their art is a "Tour of Susan Winget's Art Studio" and "KETC / Living St. Louis / Mary Englebreit." Also, check out Tara Reeds "What's Your Art Licensing Story?" project, to see over 25 videos on how different artists started licensing their art and also to find out how to be included in the project.

Editorial: Not only are videos an excellent way to brand an artist but also a way to leave lasting memories of them. View a TV segment video on "30 minutes Bay Area" of the artist "Laurel Burch Story" who suffered from degenerative brittle bone disease and died in 2007. Also view an interview of artist Cheri Blum (died in 2003) by retailer Pier 1 Imports. Both of these artists were extremely successful in licensing their work and still being licensed. Perhaps in the video "The Legacy of Laurel Burch" expresses best that an artist needs to have a drive to continually create, should live life to the fullest, and never give up.

If you have any comments about this article, please write them in the below comment section.

Art Licensing Tip: Turning Rejection into Success

A MUST read is Kate Harper's five part article "Dealing With Rejection: Tips for Card Designers" that uses examples for card designers but is directly applicable to the entire art licensing industry. Below are my comments on some of the tips Kate mentions in the articles. These apply to the entire art licensing industry.

1. Approach the right Manufacturer. It is usually a waste of time to submit designs to manufacturers that do not use your type of art style and/or images. Of course, there are always exceptions and manufacturers may decide to branch out.

2. Get feedback when rejected. This is very important so that you learn what type of art and images that the manufacturer wants. Knowing this information is HUGE because you can use it to create art that they DO want.

Get feedback from more than one manufacturer in the same industry. Just because one manufacturer is not interested in your work does not mean that another won't be. But if you get rejected by several, it is time to either adjust your art or move on to submitting your art to another industry.

3. Be willing to change your art. Licensing is a business. If you are unwilling to alter your art to manufacturers specifications than licensing may not be the right business for you. Manufacturers know their customers and what sells. Be prepared to change a color, crop or add to the design, and remove or add a motif.

If you have any comments about this article, please voice them in the below comment section.

Inspiration from Artists

I find that learning how other artists get started in creating/licensing their art and the journey in achieving their goals are very inspiring. All have different backgrounds, schooling and training. The journeys are often long and the routes different. But one thing in common that they do have is they do not give up when the going gets tough.

Both Kate Harper and Jen Goode have posted great artist interviews on their blogs. Read about what inspires various artists, what they like most, what is the easiest/hardest part in licensing their art, and their advice to other artists. You will see that you are not alone in your quest to license art.

Creating Boards for Inspiration

Creating inspirational boards can be great fun to build as well as a wonderful tool for all kinds of inspiration. They can be for brainstorming new art ideas, staying on track in creating a unified look to art for branding purposes, or even for reminding yourself that you too can be successful in art licensing. The walls in my studio are covered with art and the shelves are lined with not only books but products showcasing other artists work. The example shown is a bulletin board with greeting cards and products that I have collected of different artists art. Each product tells a story of the artist that I've met or wish to meet and the journey she/he has taken along the path to licensing the art.

I didn't realize that other artists also use inspiration boards until a friend gave me the link to an article called Mood Board 101: Branding and Image Development. Read Talyab Raja article on how he uses boards for all kinds of design inspiration.

You are not Alone - The Trials and Tribulations of Other Artists

What better way not to feel alone and to inspire you is by reading about how other artists got started in licensing, their trials, their tribulations and eventually their success. Artist Kate Harper has posted several artist's stories on her blog. These stories might make you sad, or laugh, or make you say to yourself that I've been there but they show that you aren't the only one struggling to license your art. You too can have success!

Artist BJ Lantz Talks About Licensing

Interview with Licensing Artist Sara Henry

Artist Profile - Sean Kane: Fun Designs from Bikes to Teapots

Breaking into the Greeting Card Writing Market by Kate Harper

Art Inspiration is Closer Than You Think

When you are stuck and need some inspiration for your next painting, check out the items in your home. Don't just think of a bowl as something to put your cereal in, or that is the plate I got from Crate and Barrel, or that mug is a design licensed by Mary Englebreit. Look at the texture on items in your home, the way light shines through the glass, what great reflections are on a pot, or the brilliant color combinations in a piece of fabric. Maybe that is all it will take to get your creative juices flowing again. Check out Kate Harper's article on "Need Card Design Ideas?" (http://kateharperblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/need-card-design-ideas.html) to see what she found in a 10 minute walk through her home. I betcha you also have some great inspirational items hanging around that you didn't know you had!

Art Inspiration & More - CornerStone Sonoma

My husband and I recently visited my Aunt and Uncle in Sonoma (California) and while there we did some sightseeing. We checked out a place called CornerStone Sonoma because the AAA TourBook said that it had about 20 gardens and some stores. We got a BIG surprise because we didn't just see typical gardens with flowers but themed areas without plants that are truly inspirational (some for art ideas, some that are thought provoking, and some that make statements). The shops have unique merchandize with many one of a kind and no mass produced items. Of course, most of the merchandize was not in our price range. Check out my three minute slideshow video "Art inspiration at Cornerstone Sonoma." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlqVt4AKPEQ&feature=channel

Yellowstone, Tetons & Beyond

My husband Bill and I had an amazing vacation last May/ early June to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. Even though the weather didn't always cooperate (some rain and snow), there weren't too many visitors in the parks and we saw animals galore. The only traffic jams were caused by the bisons as they slowly lumbered down the center of the roads. The geysers and springs were both beautiful but smelly. And oh my, there was plenty of inspiration for creating future art. Thanks to a new camera I was able to take close-up pics of many of the animals that were in distant meadows and because it was digital I could take as many as I wanted (over 1300 pics). Back home I experimented with Mac's iMovie software and made a short three minute slideshow video with music and sound effects of our trip called "Art Inspiration - Yellowstone, the Tetons & Beyond." Check it out on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUjkOu_YKYk

Art Inspiration

Inspiration for art is all around us. I get inspiration from the flowers in my garden, on vacations, in the clothes that people wear, while watching TV, and especially window shopping. When I get an idea for art I write it down or take a picture of it. I try to always carry my camera with me so that I can capture images to add to my reference library. Alas, it seems that the perfect image appears when I don't have my camera. Sigh!