Graphic Design Forum Blogs

Designism 4.0: Is Sustainability Sustainable?

2009-11-19T21:00:24Z

At Art Directors Club's Designism 4.0 event last night, the word "sustainable" was heavy on the breath of all four panelists. "Sustainable" has entered common usage as a catch-all designation for eco-friendly lifestyles, but it took on extra meaning... The subject of the discussion, according to ADC's press release, was "the responsibilities and experiences of creatives and designers to drive social, political and ecological change through their work." But moderator Helen Walters made it clear from the start that she wanted to explore an even more direct mode of design activism, one in which the "work" and the "change" become interchangeable.

By our current cultural standards, the strangeness of this notion is pretty extreme. Any designer already has to accomplish the near-paradoxical task of making art pay. Now, apparently, designers have been challenged to make altruism pay. All, I guess, through the miracles of creativity.

Sound cynical? Maybe I've taken on the tone of legendary designer and Designism 4.0 panelist Paula Scher, who objected several times to the "value judgment" Walters seemed to make between Scher's pro bono work (such as her famous Public Theater posters) and the newfangled "charity-pays-the-bills" model. "What's wrong with normal clients?" she asked Walters at one point.

Scher said that she often asks her less wealthy clients not to pay her because she has more control over the design and "spends less time in meetings" when she takes on the role of benefactor. In 2000, she designed the initial logo for New York City's High Line project without accepting a fee. During the above-ground park's recent construction, she was paid to create the signage, and didn't have much fun doing it.

William Drentell of Winterhouse Studio (and the popular blog Design Observer) had a different take on the issue. "Pro bono work is like tithing in the Catholic Church," he said. "That's not what the model should be. Designers need to get out of passive mode and start initiating the conversation."

Speaking about the Aspen Design Summit, a symposium on design activism from which he just returned, Drenttel said that there were few designers present who had not done fieldwork in Africa. "It's not enough to raise the money, you have to become sort of an expert," he explained. Later, he urged designers in the audience to ask themselves the question, "What would happen if we didn't do it the way we used to do it?"

The career of Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes (of the "one-for-one" policy that grants one pair of shoes to someone in need for every pair sold), lends legitimacy to the "change-agent-as-entrepeneur" model. The short promotional doc that kicked off his Designism talk had plenty of high-def images of Mycoskie among smiling kids in developing nations, as well as more than enough material to satisfy a Third World foot fetishist. Not a designer himself, Mycoskie revealed that his design department represents nearly 20% of his entire staff. "We are a design-led company," he said. "Design spreads the story and motivates people to act."

Design may play an important role in spreading the story of the TOMS Shoes brand, but not to be discounted, as Mycoskie admitted, is the impact of the Los Angeles Times profile that appeared very soon after the first 250 TOMS pairs were produced. More than 2,000 pairs were purchased online the day the Times piece came out. The TOMS success story would seem to underscore the importance of influential connections, a time-tested sustainable resource for any entrepeneur.

TOMS and ADC have collaborated on the "Walk the Walk" online auction, which allows bidders to compete on eBay for pairs of TOMS Shoes that have been reimagined by design superstars such as Louise Fili, Jessica Helfand, and Scott Stowell. Sample pairs were on view at Designism 4.0. Christoph Niemann's pair is adorned with painted-on bare feet, and Stowell's is almost completely covered in handwritten small talk ("I totally agree with you on that," and similar phrases). My favorite, though, is Ellen Lupton's, on which festive, curling lines provide a pleasant, accentuating contrast to the stark black letters "L" and "R," for "left" and "right."

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A Few Thoughts on Fluid & Static Media

2009-11-17T18:32:01Z

SPARKLING OR STILL?When I was young and in lust with a seriously interesting structural designer, I sent a butler dressed in white gloves, tie and tails to his office for his birthday each year. The butler arrived with a standing ice... Yes, it's lovely to touch a magnificent sheet of paper and not have to wait for downloads or link destinations, but static media cannot provide the depth and interaction of a fluid vehicle. True, you can run to the head with a magazine that does not require power or a network connection to deliver information. Your magazine won't provide live links to source material or offer links to more in-depth information available relating to the subject of interest either. Much like the arrival of television in a market dominated by radio, one will not replace the other; they will quietly co-exist. The importance of print will simply diminish.

Remember, though, the fluidity of electronic media can be detrimental in the wrong hands; it has no sense of place and nothing remains permanent which is very bad when a challenge emerges. Governments as well as commercial enterprise may change wording to suit their needs if misused language misconstrues offerings beyond original intent. This is okay for ease of correction, but it is not okay if you have expectations at delivery. A quick change here and there might make you question reality. Did I read that or dream that? Fluidity also isn't a good thing when the facts delivered are rules determining liability. If a contest develops, you have no proof unless you have a screen shot. Unlike orals, a written test provides static evidence that can safely be revisited without discreet, under-the-table revision. I wish I knew then what I know now.

With the shift in dominance comes a shift in power. The modality (Kindle, Mac, PC, Blackberry, printed book, newspaper) is simply a delivery method for material created by somebody just like you and me. Traditional print limited dispersal because a select few designated who was allowed to author. Online, authorship is open to everybody with access to a keyboard and it's up to the audience to decide what's rubbish. The drawback is, not everybody in the audience is capable of discernment; they believe everything they read or read only what they believe.

Print publications like Gourmet Magazine that have been around for years are disappearing because its market has moved online, mining a multitude of sources for the same information; information presented in a deeper, more fluid form and without the cost of a subscription. What does this mean to our industry? It means designers and artists will have more work and fewer restrictions in their access to the public; it means the big power shift will continue to affect the market and our ability to tap into it. We can finally determine our own depth or brevity, and whether we fall flat on our faces in private or public. Old-timey controls that worked in print no longer apply. The power groups who sit in their ivory towers determining who's hot and who's not are losing their audiences, forced to rely on things like vanity contests (with high dollar entry fees) to support both their dwindling incomes and creative content. As their ad revenues dwindle, their power to purchase content fades and their value in the marketplace is lost. Funny thing, not all of them have noticed the shift. Like typesetters in the late eighties, they cling to old attitudes that no longer apply in the "now" media that offers flexibility and fluidity.

"Now media" is new freedom for content producers and creatives everywhere, sort of a last frontier to produce without someone else controlling exposure or determining success. It isn't about who can afford to publish anymore; that big, irritating loss of control over content producers and profitable ad revenues; it's been taken away from the print bibles and we have real freedom now. Let's sit back and see what develops--more frontiers to explore and probably more adventures in wildly alien landscapes. Rock on.

Want a few more tidbits of advice from a seasoned designer? My second edition is ready and waiting for you at bookstores and Amazon; it's been updated and the resource guide has been completely revamped. Whether you are employed or freelancing, Start and Run a Creative Services Business will help you avoid the pitfalls of being a trusting creative in a dog-eat-dog world. I've shared mistakes and wild adventures both as an employee and freelance designer to help you avoid some of the pitfalls. I truly want you to succeed. My book prepares you for unscrupulous characters disguised as customers, vendors and professional peers and shows you how to protect yourself. You can read excerpts here and view my online portfolio, plus download my first promotional piece, Melon at the Plaza, NYC. Good luck and make great art!

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The Evolution of Paper

2009-10-27T09:51:11Z

Until recently, to be a graphic designer was to engage in an endless love affair with paper. How many hours were spent flipping through swatch books in a kind of tracelike state, waiting for the click that signalled "this... It's doubtful that at any point in the design process you gave a thought to the environmental impact of the paper you'd specified. Even less what the environmental and social practices of the paper company were. What a concept. But those days are over, with both designers and their clients now hyper-sensitive to such issues. Sure, we still have a soft spot for paper. But for many, designing for digital media has become, if not the dominant aspect of their portfolio, one that has seen growth in an era when demand for print-based work has stagnated. And when it does come time to design for print, designers are increasingly sensitive not just about the impact of the paper they choose but about the environmental policies and social engagement of the paper companies themselves.

Pulp and paper production has historically been among the most resource-intensive and polluting of all manufacturing industries. The bad news is that half the world's forests have already been cleared or burned and the vast majority of what remains has been seriously degraded. When you consider that almost half of the industrial wood harvest is used to make paper, the role of paper companies in the stewardship of this dwindling resource is of vital importance. The production of paper also consumes a staggering amount of water and energy, generates large quantities of waste and has been responsible for significant air and water pollution. But don't get depressed just yet. The good news is that for some years now the industry has been working to turn the boat around and in some cases has made surprising progress.

Here at Graphics.com we receive a steady flow of (email) press releases from the paper industry and try to keep our eye on all the major suppliers, given the important role paper still plays in the design process. Below are some of the recent announcements that caught our attention.

Appleton Coated
Appleton Coated is known for its Utopia brand of coated papers, among them the Forest Stewardship Council-certified U1X:Green and U2:XG, both manufactured with extra post-consumer recovered fiber (20% and 30% respectively) and electricity generated via renewable energy. The firm's site now has a Utopia Green Zone area, which provides quite a bit of general information about the environmental impacts of paper and printing, as well as making a case for the benefits of its Utopia line, notably with a handful of customer stories.

Paper companies have to not only convince designers that thir products are "green" but help them sell their clients on paper remaining a viable marketing alternative to online. To this end, Appleton Coated recented created the Print With Purpose publication, "designed to provide insight and inspiration to decision-makers involved in choosing print, and to all who play a role in its creation and execution." It was probably well received by the printing industry, which is struggling to remain essential as a medium to drive purchasing decisions, increasingly being relegated to the secondary role of simply getting people's attention and subsequently sending them online. The publication, a spread of which is shown above, can be requested by calling 1-800-663-1813.

It's a venerable tradition for paper suppliers to provide design awards for creative work using their products. In this vein, Appleton Coated recently announced the winners of its 2009 U B the Judge contest, which were printed all, or in part, on Utopia or Curious Collection papers. The winners were chosen based on "excellence in concept, design and execution," which is all very nice. But it's notable that the next round of the contest will be known as U360, with its goal being to "meet the changing marketplace head on and celebrate the vital role print plays in driving marketing results." It's tough out there.

Sappi Fine Paper
Ideas that Matter is an annual grant program that's now in its tenth year which, as Sappi puts it, "supports and transforms the creative ideas of designers into a powerful force for social good." No small task, but to date the program has awarded more than $9 million in grants to designers who perform pro bono work for nonprofit organizations, in the domain of social and environmental issues. The 16 grant recipients of the 10th iteration were recently announced. Winners ranged from tiny shops to titans like Pentagram, with project organizations spanning everything from the International Planned Parenthood Federation to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. It's worth visiting the site to check out the details of past projects.

Domtar
Domtar makes the claim that its EarthChoice line of paper is "the largest family of environmentally responsible papers ever assembled." That may well be case, given that the firm recently announced that it had sold its one millionth ton of FSC-certified paper. A sense of the size of the paper market is reflected in the fact that Domtar alone operates more than 40 FSC-certified sites, including 11 paper mills, three market pulp mills and 14 offsite converting operations. Mind boggling.

Neenah Paper
Neenah has been moving itself in an environmentally-friendly direction for some time now, via FSC-certified paper and the purchase of large amounts of "green" power. Its efforts were recently acknowledged with a 2009 national Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Neenah Green area of its site provides some good material, notably a customizable presentation that designers can show clients to demonstrate the virtues of using recycled papers. But what really caught my attention was a release citing a new initiative in which Neenah has partnered with two non-profit environmental groups in an effort to preserve the rainforest of Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. Although the 1,500 acres in question is rather small, it remains a worthwhile gesture, which hopefully can be expanded.

YUPO
Of course, you could reduce the impact of paper by simply no longer using it. One alternative is YUPO, which describes itself as the world's largest manufacturer of synthetic papers. Yes, these are oil based, but the firm claims its products provide significant "eco-benefits" when compared to paper. While you may never have heard it, YUPO has been around for decades and supplies a range of products used in the packaging industry as well as by mainstream designers. As it happens, YUPO recently sang the virtues of its products for use in packaging, since they're waterproof, resist stains and chemicals, and are durable, tear and scratch resistant.

The Future
Is our long love affair with paper in peril? Can we continue to rely on tree-based producrs, given that annual global paper consumption continues to rise? Is conservation the answer or should we be moving to alternatives, such as those provided by YUPO? Will the rise of digital publishing and marketing solve the problem? Or are we all simply doomed? Beats me.

Chris Dickman
Founding Editor, Graphics.com

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JOBS: Hiring & Firing in Design

2009-10-18T18:15:44Z

Part 1: Getting Hired & Staying HiredYour views of the world of work will change as you get older. Wisdom comes with age, but all that means is some of the mystery and puzzlement over the course of your career...]]> FIVE COMMON SENSE PRINCIPLES FOR GETTING HIRED

1. Be neat. If you appear disheveled when applying for the job, is it because you are 1) poorly organized, 2) not really enthused about the job, or 3) not worried about making a good impression? Your potential employer won't ask; they'll just write you off. All three of those things are important skills in keeping the job once you get it.

2. Be on time. If you are late to the interview, is it an indication of 1) not planning ahead and allowing enough time, 2) a bad case of too busy to pay attention to the time, or 3) applying personal relationship rules to business relationships by being fashionably late? Again, it's up to the interviewer's impression and prejudices, but they will choose one. And again, all of those things are deterrents to success in this field particularly when it comes to deadlines.

3. Be respectful. Even if your interviewer has a wart the size of Mount Everest on the end of his nose, he deserves your rapt attention. If you are completely laid back and slow to react during your interview, does it mean you are 1) not impressed with the opportunity at hand, 2) uncertain of how to answer questions, or 3) still enjoying the buzz from last night's party? Since your interviewer doesn't know for sure, perk up and show a bit of enthusiasm or accept whatever preconception they assign to your comportment. Pay attention, be cooperative, and don't be overly pushy; this is not American Idol.

4. Be honest. If you get the job and fail, is it because 1) you don't know how to do the work, 2) you lied about your qualifications, or 3) this isn't really your dream job and you aren't inspired? Every employer with a job avail wishes you wouldn't waste their time or yours by applying if you are not qualified. Don't use time and opportunity to satisfy third party demands like your Dad who paid your way through college. Apply only if you are genuinely interested in any given career opportunity.

5. Be prepared. If your presentation is poorly executed, is it because 1) you abhor public speaking and freeze up, 2) you're just bad at presentations, or 3) you haven't had time to organize and update your portfolio? Your portfolio and how you present it is a good indicator of how you will perform as an employee. Most creatives must show and explain their work; and know how to produce it. It's part of the job, so practice until you do it well.

Don't let your appearance interfere with your capability. As an employer, if you show up with lots of bizarre body piercings, extreme goth dress (or is that S&M? Never mind.), five inch finger nails, angular bangs that constantly poke you in the eye, or offensive body odor, you won't get the job. You won't get the job either if you wear too much fragrance. The precedent you set at the interview is the one employers expect you to deliver on a daily basis. These personal details distract both you and your coworkers from the work at hand. The art assistant or production assistant job is an apprenticeship that will teach you important things you didn't learn in school, including how to increase your keyboard speed and deal with the public. If you were fortunate to have instructors who ventured outside of academia, then you know some of those things; but trust me, you don't know them all.

Those of us who might hire you will be working harder than you and won't have time to babysit if you get the job. If you repeatedly cannot come in because you must care for your alcoholic husband, sick child, or pet raccoon, eventually we will be hard pressed to finish our work and yours; so we expect you to be reliable or expect you to be fired. The work world is not the kind embrace of your family or school. We expect you to carry your share of the work load and do it without whining or coddling.

We also expect you to follow through on assignments with a minimum of interruptions. Before you run to us with a ton of questions, try to figure things out for yourself. We appreciate people who work independently, use their brains, pay attention when assignments are made, and take notes. Ask your coworkers for help if you must , but don't bother the boss. Principals carry more of the work load than you because they are more experienced. Don't make them waste precious time holding your hand. When you become a distraction from our work, either because you need constant help or are disruptive to the work environment, expect to be fired. When it costs us more in time and effort to keep you on board than the money we pay you, expect to be fired. Remember there are thousands of well qualified graduates out there jockeying for your apprenticeship, hundreds of thousands if it is a paid apprenticeship.

When we lose a big client due to no fault of our own, or when the economy collapses, the most valuable workers will survive layoffs. In the arts, it's not a pecking order as in other businesses because the last one hired may be the biggest contributor either through work load or creative output. The creatives who hone their skills and out work their peers in sheer sweat will always survive the layoffs. You will enjoy your career as a designer more if you understand the laws of survival.

If you are fired, make sure it's for a good reason and not because the biggest client's son just graduated from college and needs a job. Your emotional brain needs the relief and future employers need to know that you are not a slacker. You can always improve your skills, but can't change insurmountable workplace politics, so don't fret about it. Every time I've been fired, it's always worked out for the best. And I've been fired more times than a potter's kiln; read about THAT here. Good luck.

PORTFOLIO: Part Two

2009-10-07T20:00:00Z

Think Like a LawyerMy previous post on "Portfolio What's Yours is Not Theirs" has generated more comments than any other post. In an effort to clarify the issues involved, and rise to meet some challenges offered by readers, the questions... Can he sue me or stop me if I post the images that I shot? I was the photographer, but I had designers and stylists working with me and we all made the image as a team. Please, if possible, site your source for which ever way you answer. I have to also stress he is extremely litigious and slightly irrational.

ANSWER:

Since you did not sign a work for hire agreement (specifically labeled as such) and even if you did, frankly, you have a right to show proof of work experience. The rules for photography and art vary, but one thing your previous employer did was violate the law by withholding your last paycheck ransom--visit the Department of Labor online. You have cause for action right there, and should file a complaint. When they get done with him, I doubt if he'll have the spirit left to go after you.

Here's the perfect site for you; it has all the answers and after you join, they have a war chest to cover legal costs. How perfect is that?

This guy sounds like a nutter, so tread carefully, but remember he doesn't own you. Showing your previous work is something he can't prevent you from doing, just like an artist, since the court views past work the same as a resume and proof of experience. After the employment experts and corporate attorneys finish hashing their way through a court of law at someone's expense, I think they will all discover that you are "educating" prospective employers and potential clients by showing them your previous experience and professional ability. A resume alone just doesn't cut it in the arts.

The case I'm familiar with (filed sometime in 1979-80) is one I lived through; a company representative in Houston for a major photographic concern signed a non-compete agreement with her employer, but then took a job with a competitor just down the street. She prevailed, even though she was showing samples she had previously used to make sales (and how much input does an account executive have in slides and photography? Not much.). This is the same case where the judge ruled art & photography work, no matter what the circumstance, should be viewed the same as a resume and proof of experience. That's your key to freedom right there.

Regarding credit where credit is due: Credit all participants just like they do when a piece is entered in a design contest, just put your name first or gray out the other participants. Your intent is not to steal someone else's thunder, but to trumpet their skills as well as your own.

QUESTION:

But what if you are starting your own graphic design business? You cannot display work you did for an employer as your new company's artwork, right?

ANSWER:

Your previous employer doesn't own you. I believe (and again, I am not an attorney) that showing your previous work is something he can't prevent you from doing if you're in a creative field since the court views past work the same as a resume and proof of experience. Regarding your question about work being done for a previous employer: What happens when a piece is submitted to a design contest? All the participants are credited. You should do the same on your website.

Agency:
Client:
Copy:
Concept:
Art Direction:
Illustration:
Talent:

QUESTION:

I read your link to title VI Visual Arts Act and it clearly states at 602(B) that "works for hire" are not considered Visual Art under protection of the act. Likewise the second link reaffirms that "works for hire" aren't covered. In truth, your "drink ad" isn't fine art; it isn't protected under the acts you gave as links. Accordingly, the owners of the ad can complete a DMCA complaint and have it pulled from your ISP with little effort and no warning.

The only reasonable choice for an artist is to invest time on portfolio specific work, as unsolicited fine art, in order to publish it on a website. Or get the protection of a signed authorization from the client who paid for the work to include it in your portfolio.

Unlike you, I will state that I am not a lawyer, but I am an artist who has had a Flikr account deleted from a DMCA complaint. My client was a manufacturer for national retailers, so their legal department was looking for things to do to justify their jobs.

ANSWER:

You are right--under the definitions of copyright, something used for advertising is not considered visual art, but think about the contradiction if the work is viewed by the courts the same as a resume and proof of experience for a designer; the same courts who will uphold copyright law. I'm sorry to hear that you lost that battle; you shouldn't have. That precedent by the courts that past work (whether advertising in nature or fine art) is viewed the same as a resume--proof of ability and experience changes the rules. With that consideration, the DMCA filed against you should have been null and void provided you were using your previous work to find new work. I've said many times in this blog that I am not an attorney, but when it comes down to it, Copyright law will never trump Constitutional law when it comes to a person's right to work in the USA, especially when it's a case of "weights and measures." By that I mean, the corporation won't suffer much from you showing a work for hire piece in your portfolio, not nearly as much as you will if you are prevented from showing it for the narrow "pursuit of liberty" purposes of finding work.

Think like a lawyer for a moment; Are you violating the copyright law by showing work you created to the public, whether it's advertising or not? Copyright is intended to protect creators, not the people who hired them. Trademark is designed to protect commercial use of the intellectual property or symbol. But even after something is trademarked, it can still be viewed by the public without violating copyright. Isn't a portfolio showing a public viewing? In a bookstore, are you not publicly viewing a copyrighted work? What it comes down to is fair use; you are using past work to educate a potential employer or client about your abilities and experience. Some attorney will convince a corporate concern that he can argue otherwise, though, because that's how attorneys make a living.

I can't agree with you at all that work in a portfolio should be prepared specifically for that purpose. A designer must work with a client, a deadline, a budget and must follow through with production when working in print. And some of the same experience is required for web work. None of these job requirements are reflected in a prepared portfolio under your definition or a resume, for that matter.

QUESTION:

Excellent conversation. Thank you for making this available.

I recently received a job offer (from a growing consultancy, that wants to provide design services) that has a noncompete in it. My initial thought was, why not see if I can work it into a nonsolicit instead? But after reading this blog and posts, I get the impression that neither are really relevant, and are attempts by employers to "cover all possibilities" with no real benefit to the employee except a paycheck and the security of a job, but even then, what is that nowadays?

The noncompete doesn't allow me to pursue the employer's clients after termination (which I don't have a problem with that, as I know how hard it is to get your own clients), and also doesn't permit me to conduct ANY design freelance while with the employer that would compete with the employer; essentially all forms of graphic design. I need to bring in all opportunities that I have or that would come my way, whether past, present, or future to the company. However, I figure what I do on my time is my time, and if for some reason I were laid off/fired (which is common nowadays), having my own clients would help soften that blow.

In addition, I know that you can't run your own business without having clients. I don't know if I will ever do that myself, but I have always enjoyed a little freelance here and there. It's unsettling to be given such an unnecessary limitation and payment cap.

So, what response would you give to designers who are faced with this, especially in the context, where very likely, a designer won't receive a full-time job if the noncompete isn't signed? Maybe it really depends on a person's situation. The more desperate they are (especially in a trying economy like this one) the more this becomes a harder decision to make. And then you throw in wife, kids, bills, etc. and you have to

ask, is this a hill I'm willing to die on?

What would you do?

ANSWER:

When I see a situation like this, it indicates the employer believes the whole world is based on "every man for himself". That's just not true. People who work in a friendly, respectful atmosphere are more productive and less defensive, but not all cutthroats have learned this. In a way, they've shown you their cards; their "contract" is completely in their favor and I would suggest every decision they make will do the same. Does their contract say you may be fired with no notice? Or that there may be staff layoffs due to economic instability? Or perhaps that benefits will be cut without notice or replacement coverage after you've been with the company for 5 years? No, because they simply feel no obligation to offer that consideration because it shortchanges you, not them.

Who's looking out for you? I learned the hard way to advocate for myself because employers are mostly self-serving. So should you.

You are right about your free time being your own; you would be a fool to bring in business without receiving some "consideration". What consideration are they giving you for signing away your rights? I would ask "What's the consideration?" in a friendly way and see what they say. If they say a previous employee walked away with all their clients once and they use the agreement for protection, that's understandable. If it's an agreement used to control other professions (not design specific) then I think they are ignorant of what it takes to be a designer. More likely, the question about consideration will signal that you are informed of your rights under the law; a precedent has been set by the Washington State Supreme Court that consideration (something of value) must be realized by the person signing away their rights or the agreement is null and void.

Sign the agreement simply to get the job intending to abide by it if things work out. If you want to be a partner eventually, bring in lots of clients. If you don't see a future with the place after working there for a while and they aren't reciprocating with raises and other benefits, start finding your own clients just as a back up, and you will need a backup. Take care of yourself because these folks won't.

By the way, why are you showing your portfolio to people? Again, the bottom line is that you are showing your portfolio, whether virtual or actual, to educate your client or potential employer on your experience and abilities; clearly something that logically falls under fair use, because nobody is going to give you a job without proof of experience.

My second edition is ready and waiting for you at bookstores and Amazon; it's been updated and the resource guide has been completely revamped. Whether you are employed or freelancing, Start and Run a Creative Services Business will help you avoid the pitfalls of being a trusting creative in a dog-eat-dog world. I've shared all my mistakes and wild adventures both as an employee and as a freelance designer to help you avoid some of the pitfalls. My book prepares you for unscrupulous characters disguised as customers, vendors and professional peers and shows you how to protect yourself. You can read excerpts here and view my online portfolio, plus download my first promotional piece, Melon at the Plaza, NYC. Good luck and make great art!

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Be Careful What You Wish For

2009-10-06T11:24:46Z

When complete strangers ask you to lend your voice to their cause, history has shown that it's wise to reflect before taking up the banner. Because sometimes outwardly worthy causes can mask an unsuspected agenda. I guess I've been... Ah, the protection of copyright, who amongst us can argue with that? Being able to reap the fruits of one's toil has an almost biblical ring to it, wouldn't you say? While it's getting harder to find the one honest man of Diogenes who hasn't engaged in some form of copyright violation or another, it's generally agreed, at least for the moment, that not appropriating other people's stuff is an element of what passes for civilized behavior (note that I will not take this opportunity to include a reference to the juggernaut known as Google "I Am Not Evil!" Books).

Despite this, the moral compass of some of our compatriots is deemed to be sufficiently out of kilter that new laws are desperately needed to protect the fabric of our society from the ravages of intellectual property violation (note that I will also not take this opportunity to include a reference to the über juggernauts in the pharmaceutical and "crop science" industries). It was probably Thomas Edison who first perfected the approach we now take for granted as the very heart of modern capitalism: create something complicated, slap legal protection on it, generate demand for it, and ensure that as many people as possible pay for it over and over.

Consider the opening paragraph of the email I received: "The Copyright Alliance and its grassroots network of creators today announced circulation among creators nationwide of a letter to President Obama and Vice President Biden, asking the Administration to pursue policies supportive of the rights of artists." Not being aware of any such "grassroots network of creators" I checked out the organization's site. Who would you expect to see on the board of such a non-profit organization? How about such grassroots groups as the Motion Picture Association of America, NBC Universal, Time Warner and Viacom? The roster of executive members includes such names as Disney, Microsoft, Universal Music Group and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The only outfit having anything whatever to do with the design profession is the Graphics Artists Guild, which says of itself that "for 40 years, we've worked with Washington to ensure that the law supports your efforts, rather than undermines them." Okay, I guess I forgive the GAG. From what, you ask?

Here in France, where large corporations pretty well get what they want (I'm sure that doesn't happen where you live), legislation has been recently passed that gives the government unprecedented, and many feel dangerous, powers. Under pressure from the usual suspects in the entertainment industry, the French government managed to enact legistration that outwardly sang the song of protecting the rights and revenues of French performers and creators. But the general consensus is that it will do little more than erode the freedoms of those using the Net and create a precedent for more of the same.

Under the new legislation, Internet providers must cooperate with entertainment industry giants to track down those suspected of copyright violations. To help out, government agents will act as intermediaries to establish that little Johnny has indeed downloaded the entire works of Metallica. Warnings will then be sent to the perpetrator, who has been identified via his... IP address. After email and registered letter warnings, boom, a judge rules that the Internet access of the IP address is to be cut off and the perp is declared guilty. So what's wrong with that?

First, the presumption of innocence is thrown out the window. Little Johnny will have to show up and plead his case after having been convicted. So one ill, copyright violation, has been replaced by another, a betrayal of a fundamental legal right. Second, you've probably already figured out that tracking activity via an IP address is fraught with peril and will lead to many false identifications. Beyond that, anyone really into illegal content can simply employ a Virtual Private Network and proceed with impunity. It's clear that this new law will have little, if any, real effect on the illegal downloading of content. But the new governmental body put in place to track and sanction Internet users at the behest of global coporations will remain.

What relevance has the new French law to the "grassroots" work of The Copyright Alliance? Decide for yourself. In a presentation last month to the FCC, the group declared that "Government promotion of broadband deployment must encourage meaningful distinctions between lawful and unlawful traffic." I'll leave it to you to reflect on the subtext of what "meaningful distinctions" might imply in this context.

The Marquis de Sade once pointed out that "Those who define are the masters." Graphic designers and creatives, no matter what their field of endeavor, would do well to ponder the words of the Marquis before lending their voice to any cause that seeks to convince them that it has their best interests at heart.

Chris Dickman
Founding Editor, Graphics.com

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Read the Typographic Fine Print

2009-09-23T12:55:06Z

I'm sure you meticulously scroll through the entire End User Licence Agreement (EULA) before installing new software. Ditto when downloading stock images purchased online. No? Frankly, I'm shocked. Well, in that case there's little chance that you're familiar with... I was reminded of this recently by a post in The FontFeed, FontShop's regular coverage of type news, which relates both to its own offerings and the greater world beyond. In New End User Licence Agreement For FontFont, Yves Peters reminds readers that FontFont earlier this year amended its standard license to include a number of uses that before required purchasing special licences or licence extensions. It's worth quoting Peter's succinct overview of the new license: "The most relevant change is that FontFont now allows embedding in any non-editable document, application, and even device—be it for "commercial" or "non-commercial" use—, as long as the font is embedded as a subset in a secure format, so that only viewing and printing but not editing is possible." By "device" is meant "PDFs, Flash, sIFR, Microsoft Office 2007 documents (each with their appropriate security settings), computer games, software, hardware, mobile phones, airplane entertainment systems, electronic wayfinding systems, ATMs, game consoles; as long as the text is non-editable and the fonts are embedded as a subset in a secure format."

Most of us aren't involved in creating airplane entertainment systems (?) but closer to home is PDF, Flash and sIFR. The latter, which I've covered here before, is a somewhat kludgy yet viable way to display text on a web page in any font by using Flash. The bad news is that other current approaches to using fonts, such as font linking and cufón, which converts font paths to VML paths stored in JSON and then renders the fonts using a JavaScript rendering engine, are still not supported by the license. Cufón, while not a long-term solution, seems to be gaining some traction amongst web designers and is worth checking out. Currently only the EULA for Adobe fonts permits cufón embedding, with fonts from foundries such as Berthold, Fontsmith, Hoefler & Frere-Jones, ITC, Linotype and (incorrectly?) FontFont requiring separate licenses, according to the cufón site.

My suggestion would be to become familar with the licenses for the fonts in your library. If these are older fonts, you should check with the foundry to see if newer licenses, often providing more flexiblity, apply to what you have on hand. A good place to get your head around the legalese of font licenses is Peters' post, since he provides a useful annotation of the FontFont EULA. Don't miss the comments at the end, which express the frustration of designers who are becoming increasingly impatient with the inability of the type industry to provide a way for their products to be legally used on web sites. Let's hope 2010 is the year this longstanding barrier to great design on the web is finally eradicated, and the fiddly workarounds can be relegated to the dark realm of single-pixel gifs.

Chris Dickman
Founding Editor, Graphics.com

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iStockphoto: Your Next Insurance Company?

2009-09-16T13:20:57Z

We humans are frightened by a lot of things but for most of us the scariest thing of all is contemplating the future. Not a future in which all is happiness and bliss but one in which something horrible... Through sickness, death, financial setbacks or natural disaster, if you can imagine a tragic event, then there's probably an insurance policy available to cover the consequences. Some of these events are universal, while others are cultural, like hole in one insurance. That's right. It seems that in Japan getting a hole in one is taken as such a sign of good luck that the golfer is expected to share the good fortune with friends and family via lavish gifts, to the extent that this can result in a five-figure outlay. Why be surprised that hole in one insurance was created to ensure that Japanese golfers could once again pursue the holy grail of the perfect shot in tranquility.

This summer, two former Getty Images executives launched the strangely-named Vivozoom stock photo site, differentiating it from its myriad competitors with the claim that it was "the only microstock site that guarantees that its images are legally safe to use." Any reputable microstock site is picky about what images it accepts and also ensures that all legal releases are in place for images requiring one. But Vivistock went further, claiming that "Our extensive market research has demonstrated that there is a real concern that by using un-warranted images you or your client may receive a legitimate claim from a photographer or model claiming that you did not have the right to use that image. What would be the implications of this for your business? Why take that chance, when you do not need to?" Why indeed? The site even cited the EULA from iStockphoto as an example of how far out on a limb you'd be by employing their images. If users did get slapped with a bona fide claim Vivozoom vowed that it would defend them, provided the site was notified of the claim and was allowed to handle the defense, thereby assuming responsibility for damages and costs up to $25,000. Not too shabby.

But perhaps poking the sleeping bear with a stick was a bad idea. It would seem Vivistock got iStockphoto's attention, since the microstock powerhouse has announced that it is now "formally" protecting its customers from copyright, moral right, trademark and other intellectual property and rights of privacy disputes up to $250,000. Take that, Vivizoom! In fact, the iStock Legal Guarantee only provides that if a customer receives a claim, iStockphoto will cover the customer's legal costs and direct damages to a combined total of $10,000. The quarter of a million only kicks in if customers "looking for additional peace of mind" pony up an extra 100 credits for the enhanced protection. Since that's over $100, purchasing real "peace of mind" comes at a price more in line with the images on mother ship Gettyimages.com. In a nutshell, iStockphoto is now a provider of lawsuit insurance, a more profitable field than simply offering cut-rate imagery.

Expect to see a wider adoption of this as those selling inexpensive imagery struggle to compete with the flood of "scary" free imagery being released under a Creative Commons license. As Kelly Thompson, Chief Operating Officer of iStockphoto points out, "There are certainly millions of images available on the Web, but most are not cleared for commercial usage. Creative Commons images can be perfect for some projects, but there are little to no formal inspections on those files, so iStock offers a much safer and suitable alternative when using multimedia."

Boo!

Chris Dickman
Founding Editor, Graphics.com

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All Things Typographic: 7

2009-09-14T13:45:24Z

That's right, ATT is back with its take on what's new in the world of fonts, font applications, notable font usage and general fontiness. This time out I'll focus on recent font releases from Fountain, Gestalten, Kapitza, Linotype and... Heroine
Swedish-based foundry Fountain is known both for its custom type work as well as its growing catalog of fonts, available for purchase online. The latest offering is Heroine, designed by Göran Söderström. This was inspired by the circa 1905 Windsor typeface, which apparently is often used for the titles of Woody Allen movies. Available in nine weights, four of which are shown below, the design was brought up to date and given flexibilty via the addition of swashes and alternate characters, easily accessible thanks to the OpenType format. The font will be released September 15 for purchase on the Fountain site, but you can catch a sneak preview thanks to the odd little video above.

Bonesana
I've covered the typographic offerings of Gestalten here before, which is probably best known for its idiosyncratic books devoted to art and design. Although Gestalten doesn't release many fonts, they're typically interesting enough to warrant attention. Matthieu Cortat's Bonesana is not only the most extensive font family to be released thorough Gestalten, it's also (finally!) the first one to include OpenType features. We're told that it was initially created for a new edition of the 18th-century title On Crimes and Punishment, by the Italian philosopher Cesare Bonesana, and as a result echoes such attributes as "utilitarianism, clarity and reason." The font can be purchased in single weights or as a collection on the Gestalten site, which also provides a detailed interview with Cortat.

Allotment
British design partnership Kapitza has been making a name for itself, thanks in part to a steady flow of new picture fonts. The latest release is Allotment, which again consists of hand-drawn illustrations that provide clean outlines with the minimum number of vector points (making modification much easier). The inspiration for this set came from the partners being allocated an area for a vegetable garden in the London Docklands area. Provided as an OpenType font containing 56 characters, Allotment can be purchased on the Kapitza site.

Neue Swift
Did you know that Swift is one of the most popular 20th-century serif typefaces? Well, don't feel bad, neither did I. Created in the 80s by Gerard Unger for use in newspapers, he updated this series of fonts in 1995 under the name of Swift 2.0. Now Linotype has worked with him to move Swift to OpenType format, describing Neue Swift not as a redesign but as a "significant upgrade." Swift 3.0, in effect. Not only has the character set been expanded, adding dozens of glyphs per font, but small caps and oldstyle figures can now be easily addressed, thanks to the wonders of OpenType. Neue Swift is available for purchase on the Linotype site.

MISO
And in closing, a modest freebie. Mårten Nettelbladt's MISO is positioned as "a heavy duty typeface for the construction industry." It's available for free download in three weights: Light, Regular and Bold, in TrueType and OpenType formats.

Chris Dickman
Founding Editor, Graphics.com

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Presentation Zen: The Video

2009-09-07T07:44:34Z

I've never given a PowerPoint presentation in my life but I've sat through more than a few of them, with varying degrees of interest. And that's no surprise, since with millions of presentations being delivered every day, at any... Does it have to be this way? As far back as 2001, marketing whiz Seth Godin lamented the state of presentations with his popular ebook, Really Bad PowerPoint. A few years later no less an expert on the visual display of information than Edward Tufte launched a stinging attack on current practices with his essay on "slideware," The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within. As Tufte put it, "Alas, slideware often reduces the analytical quality of presentations. In particular, the popular PowerPoint templates (ready-made designs) usually weaken verbal and spatial reasoning, and almost always corrupt statistical analysis. What is the problem with PowerPoint? And how can we improve our presentations?"

Certainly there is a minor industry out there ready to help those creating presentations, starting with Tufte, who includes PowerPoint use in his one-day Presenting Data and Information seminars. If you're really keen you can attend the annual four-day PowerPoint Live Conference, or simply work your way through the many books and videos devoted to presentations in general and PowerPoint in particular. You may remember an extract from Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen (New Riders) that we published on Graphics.com last year. Reynolds is based in Japan and describes himself as a "longtime student of the Zen arts." This manifested itself originally in his Presentation Zen web site, and subsequently in the book, as an emphasis on presentations embodying restraint, simplicity and naturalness. Given the hopelessness of most presentations, this approach is a welcome one.

So when Presentation Zen: The Video was released recently, I was curious to see how Reynolds would make use of the medium to add depth to the content in the book. As one might expect, Reynolds is a competent presenter and the video is professionally done. But in the course of the 50-minute CD, the material strictly adheres to the sequence of the book and the content itself, down to the visuals and examples. Just in case we forget the connection, Reynolds periodically holds the book while he's presenting. So if you've read the book, the video really won't add anything. And missing is one of the most useful chapters, which provides examples of presentations embodying the key principles of restraint, simplicity and naturalness.

The holy grail of all book authors and publishers is bulk sales. And authors of business books, including Reynolds, typically have related design or consulting practices. So I can see this as being something designed to gain entry in corporations, with the hope of it leading to enough interest in the content to trigger multiple book purchases or leads for Reynolds' services. The same thing can be said of Marty Neumeier's INNOVATION WORKSHOP video, which I covered here earlier. Not that there's anything wrong with this approach to creating videos that serve as an introduction to the main event. But it's an exaggeration to say in the case of Reynolds that the video "expands on his ideas" from the book. Instead, think of it as a well-constructed and pleasantly-presented overview.

Presentation Zen: The Video can be purchased on the Peachpit Press site in streaming form for $25.19 or as a DVD for $26.99.

Chris Dickman
Founding Editor, Graphics.com

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The Joy of Domain Parking: Part 2

2009-08-30T15:02:41Z

Earlier this summer I began a look at the alternatives available to those of us who have domains on our hands but neither the desire nor the resources to build them out to full-blown sites. Beyond simply using the domain... I was clear at the outset that nothing I was going to encounter would turn my motley collection of domain names into a cash gusher. It was more a case of seeing how much time and energy would be required to simply generate some kind of cash flow, however modest. In fact, my goal was to find out what it would take to break even on my domain registration costs. That works out to about 1 dollar a month, per domain, in revenue. Not overly ambitious, I think you'll agree.

As I reported in June, my first stop was with Google's AdSense for Domains program, which since then has been displaying a simple page with related ads on a dozen of my domains, such as Auberges-Bistros.com. Have I made the princely sum of one buck a domain per month? No. In fact, the amount is statistically closer to zero. Admittedly, not all of my domains are magnets for type-in traffic, but they're not all duds, either. So I'd say don't get your hopes up if you're pondering Google AdSense for Domains as the path to monetizing your domain name investment.

If you don't want to let your registrar try to squeeze a few pennies out of your domains, Google has been ruled out and developing a full-fledged site from scratch isn't an option, what's left? Welcome to the world of "instant" site generation, where tools provided by a variety of developers can quickly crank out sites for your domains. These are designed to be search-engine friendly, require no further intervention and, most importantly of all, generate income. Of course, here you're paying for software, as well as a monthly hosting fee, so your revenue will have to be that much higher to make this approach profitable.

I began by experimenting with Instant Site Machine (ISM). To get started with this, you first upload the provided files to your server and then log onto the admin back end, where you edit parameters and optionally input content. Clicking on OK then pushes your changes live—it's as simple as that. Think of it as a bares-bones content management system with an emphasis on creating monetizable pages. ISM's approach provides a pretty good balance between providing enough defaults to create simple sites fast, and options to generate a richer, more-targeted visitor experience.

To try this out I used my royalty-free-stock.com domain, which you can see here. What you're looking at was generated by ISM, without any coding on my part, using one of the supplied templates. Some of the templates are a bit rough but you can customize them using parameters in the admin area (part of which is shown below), directly modify their style sheets or even use your own template.

Near the top of the home page you've got your classic Google ads, as well as in the right column and on the bottom of the page. Just entering your Google AdSense ID in the admin area is enough to make these ads live, with areas in the admin also provided for your AdSense Channel, AdSense Search ID and even Google Analytics ID. The world is larger than Google, however, and you can also enter Amazon, eBay and ClickBank IDs, and have these ads display immediately. Of course, you can also display your own banners and ads.

But just displaying ads won't do you much good if you can't provide them with related content, which ISM allows you to do in both static and dynamic form. You can add HTML or JavaScript on both the home page and in the right column, for example. And you have the option of automatically generating pages based on a list of keywords you provide, which you can see in the Related Searches box in the right column. Above that, there's currently just one item under Navigation—Royalty Free Stock Footage. I used the Custom Page feature to create this page using some text but more interesting is that the ads and the news items now have a focus on footage. The news items here and throughout the site are derived from RSS feeds and are an essential element in adding relevant, dynamic content. You can start by choosing from some of the mainstream feeds, as show below, and add targeted feeds related to the site's topic.

I could go on, but this captures the essense of Instant Site Machine. I found it delivered on its claim of providing a fast way to generate sites that combine static and dynamic content, with a goal of providing a framework for related ad content. It could also serve as a good introduction for those not familiar with integrating RSS into an ad-driven site. Will such "instant" sites generate money? It seems to me that they have the potential to do so. I'll fiddle around with Royalty-Free-Stock.com and report back in a future installment, when I examine additional ways to monetize your domain names.

You can download a trial version of Instant Site Machine, or purchase it for $180, which allows you to use it to generate an unlimited number of sites.

Chris Dickman
Founding editor, Graphics.com

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Critic Armond White's New Book Keep Moving Chronicles MJ's Career

2009-08-25T18:46:07Z

Two-time New York Film Critics Circle chairman Armond White is about to release his first collection of criticism in nearly 15 years: Keep Moving: The Michael Jackson Chronicles. The 118-page book brings together 21 pieces that have appeared over... Keep Moving is a product of independent publishing collective Resistance Works, WDC. Its concept is one unlikely to be supported by a major publishing house: As the promo material states, "Armond White uncovers the deep meaning in Michael Jackson's art -- especially the songs and music videos created and associated with the Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, and Blood on the Dance Floor albums." Jackson's slept-on '90s period is his most fascinating and challenging. Devastation and hope rubbed shoulders on the dance floor; his music-video montage mingled defiance and brotherhood ("Earth Song," "They Don't Care About Us").

Copy editor John Demetry had this to say:

From the Introduction ("Moving Forward") to the final chapter ("Twenty-First Century Renaissance"), the following four narratives move through Armond White's Keep Moving: The Michael Jackson Chronicles:

1) Armond White tracks MICHAEL JACKSON'S ARTISTIC EVOLUTION (as he takes command of his megastar status), specifically his articulation of anger, from the fascinatingly misjudged iconography of Bad ("Understanding Michael Jackson") to the dance coda of Black or White ("The Gloved One Is Not a Chump") to the vocal articulation in "Scream" ("Screaming To Be Heard, Book I & II") to his exhortations to "keep moving!" on the Blood On The Dance Floor remix project ("Hear, My Dears").

2) These essays provide insight into THE OEDIPAL DYNAMICS AND FAMILIAL COMPETITIVENESS THAT COMPELLED MJ to transform pop culture, as fleshed out in articles about sister Janet ("Janet, The Last Black Jackson"), brother Jermaine ("Sibling Song"), and patriarch Joseph ("Father Figure").

3) The book charts ARMOND WHITE'S DEVELOPMENT AS A CRITIC as revealed through his changing responses to MJ's own maturation as artist; as White rises to each of MJ's challenges ("Montell and Michael Exploit/Explore Happy-Negro Fallacy"), he refines his analyses ("Jackson and Jam-Lewis Hope Louder in New Remix"), increases his esteem ("Lists & Prizes in the Arts for 1995"), and modifies his emphases ("Song of the Day: Man in the Mirror") in response to the needs of the culture ("Remembering 'Ben'") and the emergence of a lynch-mob media ("In MJ's Shadow").

4) A POETICS OF MUSIC VIDEOS -- a singular critical-theoretical approach to an art form -- results from the collected works by the man (AW) who invented music video criticism about the man (MJ) who pushed the boundaries of the medium to encompass: ethnic history ("'How Deep Is Your Afrocentricity?'"), private sexuality and sexy solidarity ("Michael Takes a Bow for Jam"), capitalism's triumph ("Jackson's TV ad Makes Rhetorical History"), and the metaphysics of the pop star ("Earth Song Moves Music Video Mountains"); an interview ("Jackson Pop: Music Video Artists and Hollywood Influence") and an essay ("Videos Change the Style of 'Black Film'") help make this collection as definitive a statement of critic, artist, and art form as Andre Bazin's anthology on Jean Renoir.

This experiment in self-publishing is, I think, necessary because mainstream media (i.e., dumbed-down) discourse is the source of so much of the misunderstanding about MJ. Relentless, prejudiced scrutiny of his personal life has always taken precedence over clear-eyed examination of this pop artist's amazing body of work. As Jackson's music and videos grew more and more sophisticated, no mainstream voice emerged to guide us through the complexity. So deep was the confusion that at the turn of the millennium, we were still asking, to quote an Iraqi character from the movie Three Kings, "What is the problem with Michael Jackson?"

If you're able to get to Lincoln Center this Sunday, August 30, you'll want to attend "Keep Moving: Michael Jackson's Video Art," a lecture by Armond White that will feature a selection of MJ videos (on the big screen) and White's clarifying commentary. This event will be your first chance to get a copy of Keep Moving and have it signed.

Newcomers to White's work should check out "In MJ's Shadow," which assesses MJ's meaning and legacy. If you want more information on Keep Moving, or to place an order, e-mail resistanceworkswdc@yahoo.com.

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PANTONE Wants You to Chip In

2009-08-22T14:08:11Z

The economic crunch, combined with a growing aversion to the excesses of our disposable culture, is generating a very real aversion to upgrading just about anything. Take a look around. Odds are that you can spot something within sight... Take something as essential as Adobe's Creative Suite 4 and the apps of which it's constituted, notably Photoshop. Has there ever been a release that Adobe had to work so hard to convince us to purchase? The Creative Suite ads are everywhere (including the Graphics.com Network), all touting not groovy new features but the efficiencies that upgrading will bring to your workflow. Yes, I upgraded, but not until the very last days of the Spring price break. I hung onto my dusty copy of CS2 that long.

But if Adobe has to knock itself out to convince die-hard users to upgrade, how hard must it now be for others selling products and services to the graphics and design community? I was struck by this recently when coming across Chip In, PANTONE's latest initiative to have us replace our trusty guides and chip sets. I say latest, because PANTONE has always faced the problem of how to generate additional revenue from printers and designers beyond a one-time purchase of their color specification products.

PANTONE insists that the guides should be replaced periodically, since the color of their paper will yellow over time, thus "changing the appearance of colors printed on them." In the years when I owned and operated a small offset printing firm, I simply kept my guide in a drawer when not in use, thus prolonging its lifespan, oh... indefinitely? What does PANTONE think designers do, take their guides to the beach? Besides, the science of paper making has come a long way. If a guide really does yellow enough in a few years of exposure to light to make color specification inaccurate, isn't the better response simply to use a better stock?

You may remember that PANTONE did in fact switch to a brighter guide stock back in 2003, when it created separate versions for coated and uncoated papers. According to PANTONE, six years later many of their customers remain unaware of this, which is a rather startling admission. It then introduced an entirely new system of color matching, dubbed Goe. Hands up everyone using that. What, still clinging to the old system?

If so, the verdict of PANTONE is unequivocal: "If you are still using old products, the colors you specify will not be accurately matched." But how old is old? PANTONE says that guides should be replaced "regularly" but that's not much help. This page is supposed to provide a "check if your guide expired icon" but I couldn't locate it.

Time will tell if this latest initiative to convince customers to replace their guides will motivate them to pull out their wallets or instead get cheeky and leave them on the dashboard of a car in full sunlight. However, hats off for a major effort, which includes rebates, "responsible recycling" of your old guide, and even a donation to a philanthropic arts organization for every guide traded in. The Chip In campaign is a good example of how hard companies are working to get their customers to upgrade. Just don't talk to me about CS5.

Chris Dickman
Founding editor, Graphics.com

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If Your Picture Were in the Dictionary

2009-08-13T14:17:29Z

Remember looking through old encyclopedias or other reference books at the pictures and drawings that were contained? There were so many wonderful images to look at - and they were all very inspiring for young artists. Chronicle Books has come... This work features more than 1,500 images that origianlly were in the pages of 19th-century Webster's dictionaries. The book itself is a clunky weight of a book and looks like it would appear on the shelf of an 1800s library. The author, John M. Carrera, found a tattered 1898 Webster's International Dictionary in his grandmother's stone farmhouse and was amazed by the contents. There was a stunning array of odd and wonderful animals and machines printed by categories. Carrera found that the original engravings still existed and had been given to Yale. Carrera is a printer, bookbinder, and artist that was then secured permission to meticulously clean and restore the engravings. The result is a treat.

Pictorial Webster's is a record of all the wonderful natural discoveries and innovations of the time of the Industrial Revolution. It's great to see what children of two or three generations ago were looking at and what type of world existed.

As an exclusive offer, Chronicle Books is giving away one fine press edition (edition C of 26 lettered A-Z/value $4,500!). Any person or institution around the country is eligible to enter (except Chronicle employees). Chronicle launched the give away at the American Library Association Conference a few weeks ago and will announce the winners in mid-Nov.

Here is a link to enter (you should enter) and for more info:

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,gifts/products_id,8162/

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You've Been Hacked! Now What?

2009-08-13T12:17:51Z

Your day began by learning that one or more hackers had compromised your site's servers, gaining access to customer account information and possibly credit card details. The trust customers place in you, essential for your survival, is at stake.... Earlier this week I received an email from Campaign Monitor, which provides a range of services for those creating and managing email campaigns. This sounds a bit banal, but their focus is on designers who manage such campaigns for their clients (looking for a new revenue stream?). That, plus the excellent tips related to HTML email newsletter creation, has kept me on their list, after having used their browser testing service for the Graphics.com newsletter at one point.

The email began in a forthright manner that was to be hallmark of how Campaign Monitor chose to manage a serious intrusion on their servers, which led to compromised client mailing list data that the hackers then used for spamming purposes:

"This is unfortunate news to have to give you, but unfortunately Campaign Monitor has been attacked by one or more hackers, and some accounts have been compromised. This has been a deliberate, planned and complex intrusion and we are still in the process of handling the hacks and the impact.

For accounts we know were accessed, we have sent a separate email.

For the full details please see our blog post here.

We are working extremely hard to fully resolve this issue and I want to apologize for what is a critical failure in our service to you and your clients.

Again, please see the blog for details and updates as we know more. The blog is also the best place for questions so we can answer them more effectively for everyone."

So they began by contacting all their customers, not just those who they knew were affected, and then pointed everyone to a
blog/FAQ. To retain customer confidence, they announced that they had put together a team of "external security experts, database experts and hosting providers" and further managed customer reactions via their Twitter-based support team. And then followed up with another blog post. Rather than burying the issue, these posts are featured on the home page of the site.

The upshot? Despite the potentially significant impact of this on customers and their clients, respose was initially almost completely supportive, with high praise for their "transparence." This has warn thinner, with recent comments taking them to take for a perceived lack of attention to security issues. But on the whole, Campaign Monitor seems to be avoiding what could have been a catastrophic meltdown, with every indication of emerging from this ordeal in a stronger position than before.

Would you be able to say the same, if the hackers had come calling on your site?

Chris Dickman
Founding editor, Graphics.com

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