CrowdPress is developing a crowdfunding platform for artists, photographers, and designers worldwide who want a hassle-free way to deliver printed rewards to their backers. A public Beta version of the site was launched in March. A full version is coming later this year.
“Current DIY crowdfunding platforms do not provide the support artists need once their projects have been successfully funded,” said Aaron Corson, founder and CEO of CrowdPress. “After backing more than 50 creative projects, I have experienced firsthand the challenges artists encounter after their projects were funded. With CrowdPress, I wanted to design a site that enabled talented artists to focus on doing what they love — create amazing art — without the hassles of working with printers, managing logistics, or dealing directly with customers.”
After a creative project has been funded, CrowdPress manages the printing, packaging, and shipping of the rewards to the project backers.
Artists, photographers, and designers from anywhere in the world are encouraged to submit their projects to the CrowdPress Beta. During the Beta phase, only poster projects are available. In the future, CrowdPress will expand to other printable rewards such as T-shirts, calendars, comic books, playing cards, phone/table cases, and 3D-printed items.
DESIGNERS. If most of the jobs you design for print have been output on offset presses or toner-based digital presses, you should be aware of a new class of digital printers: high-speed production inkjet printers.
Production inkjet presses offer some major advantages in projects such as premium direct mail or book publishing but use different technology than offset presses and digital color toner devices.
To help you get optimal results from projects printed on production inkjet presses, Canon Solutions America has published “The Designers Guide to Inkjet.” The “Designers Guide to Inkjet” includes guiding principles, best practices, real-world recommendations, and practical advice. Topics covered include:
inkjet media and inks
design software settings
file preparation
questions designers should ask their print providers
“The designer plays an integral role in making sure that a given print piece is optimized for production on high-speed inkjet equipment,” said Dave Johannes, vice president, Digital Print and Mailing Operations at IWCO Direct, a direct marketing agency in Chahassen, Minnesota. “With the publication of the ‘Designers’ Guide to Inkjet,” Canon Solutions America has given the designer community — and the printers they work with — an invaluable guide for choosing the right colors, images, sheets, and finishing techniques for today’s inkjet technology.”
“The Designers’ Guide to Inkjet will help create a more seamless workflow between an agency or in-house designer and a printer, increasing profitability for everyone involved,” said Francis A. McMahon, vice president, marketing, Production Print Solutions division of Canon Solutions America.
The guide itself was printed using robust Oce inkjet technologies available from Canon Solutions America and serves as a real-world sample of what can be accomplished when designers follow the guidelines in the book.
“We see inkjet as the future–plain and simple,” said M.J. Anderson, chief marketing officer, Trekk, Inc., a global multimedia marketing agency based in Rockford, Illinois. “This guide will play an enormous role in helping agencies and designers develop their expertise in inkjet and better serve their clients.”
The book was written by Elizabeth Gooding of Insight Forums and Mary Schilling of Schilling Inkjet Consulting with input from Dave Johannes of IWCO Direct and Jared Johnson, a designer with IWCO Direct.
IWCO Direct has been a leader in the adoption of digital inkjet technology. In August 2011, the company became the first company in the U.S. to install the Oce ColorStream 3500. The company currently has six Oce ColorStream 3900 digital inkjet presses.
As marketing becomes increasingly dependent on technology, creative and information technology (IT) teams are crossing paths more often.
Research from The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology underscores this trend: More than half (55 percent) of advertising and marketing executives interviewed said they are collaborating more closely with technology leaders within their company compared to three years ago. One-third (33 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) reported the same of their marketing counterparts.
But barriers to effective partnering persist. When asked to name the number-one challenge for creative and IT teams when collaborating, the top response among advertising and marketing executives and CIOs was communication. Project logistics and IT-related challenges also are significant barriers, according to both sets of respondents.
Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “Compared to three years ago, how closely are you collaborating with technology leaders within your company?” Their responses:
Much more closely: 30%
Somewhat more closely: 25%
The same amount: 39%
Somewhat less closely: 3%
Much less closely: 0%
Does not apply: 1%
Don’t know: 1%
CIOs were asked, “Compared to three years ago, how closely are you collaborating with creative/marketing leaders within your company?” Their responses:
Much more closely: 12%
Somewhat more closely: 21%
The same amount: 37%
Somewhat less closely: 3%
Much less closely: 2%
Does not apply: 23%
Don’t know: 1%
*Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding.
“Technology’s increased role in customer acquisition and other marketing-related functions is one factor prompting higher levels of collaboration between IT and creative departments,” said John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Poor communication between groups doesn’t just lead to discord and decreased productivity; it can also undermine a company’s ability to innovate.”
“The success of an organization’s digital strategy and initiatives is dependent on a strong partnership between creative and IT colleagues,” added Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “It’s imperative for business leaders to encourage teamwork and ongoing dialogue between the two groups, especially since there is so much crossover in key roles, such as user experience professionals, web designers and mobile application developers.”
The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology offer five tips to help creative and IT teams overcome common collaboration barriers:
Form cross-functional teams around a central goal. While resources may come from different departments, creating one work group to tackle a particular project, like a website redesign, can help improve collaboration and eliminate an “us versus them” mentality. Once established, make sure objectives are clearly defined and communicated at the onset.
Make time to meet — and use that time effectively. Creative and IT leaders reported that scheduling in-person meetings is difficult given heavy workloads. However, carving out an hour or two to discuss projects can save valuable time and prevent miscommunication down the road.
Check jargon at the door. Workplace and departmental lingo can help colleagues communicate ideas more quickly, but excessive use can cause people to lose interest and tune out if it’s unfamiliar to them. Throw in technical terminology and buzzwords like “IoT” and “growth hacking” and the dialogue will only go downhill. Explain concepts in terms the audience will understand and use concrete examples when doing so.
Encourage constructive criticism. Creative and IT executives said providing feedback to their counterparts is challenging because it’s often not well-received. Empathy can help pave the path toward more productive conversations throughout the duration of a project and at post-mortem meetings. Teams must also clarify the time and resources that go into an initiative: A seemingly simple task may include behind-the-scenes complexity.
Resolve conflicts quickly. When miscommunication leads to frustration, tempers can flare, especially when creative and IT personnel are under pressure. Addressing cross-team discord swiftly can go a long way toward maintaining momentum and building morale.
About the Research
The surveys were developed by The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology, and conducted by an independent research firm. They include responses from 400 U.S. advertising and marketing executives and more than 2,400 CIOs from U.S. companies with 100 or more employees in 24 metropolitan areas.
About The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology
Both The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology (rht.com) are divisions of Robert Half, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm and a recognized leader in professional staffing services.
In “The Future 100 Report: Trends and Change to Watch in 2015,” JWT analysts predicted that creatives would collaborate in designing “Experiential Public Spaces” that would use new multi-sensory experiences to augment nature and public spaces.
On company at the forefront of this trend is Chaotic Moon Studios, a creative technology studio in Austin, TX. They are partnering with the Austin branch of the global architecture and design firm Gensler to consider how technology could be used to create new types of parks.
Their first initiative will be an “Orchard” of 30 ft. interactive trees designed to enchant and delight visitors and bring new life to an urban environment.
Orchard will include 30 pneumatic structures standing three-stories tall. Each structure inflates to form the abstract shape of a tree. This form is anchored by a steel pole running up the center of the “trunk”.
“We intend to create a pop-up icon that will transform any place into a destination,” said Gensler’s John Houser. People who touch any tree will experience a harmonious kaleidoscope of light, sound, and color as the Orchard blossoms into an homage to technology and nature.
A prototype of the first tree was unveiled during the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin.
About Chaotic Moon
Chaotic Moon describes their studio as “a group of thinkers, builders, designers, developers, leaders, dreamers, and doers hell-bent on changing the world through better digital experiences.” Forrester Research mentioned Chaotic Moon as an example of the fact that “The lines between creative developer and technologist are not neatly drawn.”
The founders of Creative Moon agree that “traditional shops are a thing of the past.” According to CEO and co-founder Ben Lamm, Chaotic Moon is based in Austin because they believe in the city’s potential: “The fact that every leading name in tech has built an outpost here is a testament to that.”
About Gensler
Gensler is a global design firm that partners with clients to create more livable cities, smarter workplaces and more engaging leisure destinations. Last year, Gensler worked with 2,390 client in 114 countries. Gensler is headquartered in San Francisco and has office in 30 U.S. cities and 16 offices in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Their clients include 40 of the 50 top-ranked Fortune 500 companies, 8 of the top 10 retailers in the U.S., and 9 of Interbrand’s 10 best global brands.
To gauge how rapidly innovations can revolutionize entire industries and create new opportunities for millions, note that the first version of Photoshop was launched just 25 years ago this month. Who could have imagined how much creative power that program would unleash in designers, photographers, artists, and publishers?
Today, we see imaginative imagery and visual communications everywhere — in smartphone apps, on building-size wall murals, in interactive digital signage, and immersive multimedia displays.
According to a fascinating timeline and an interview published on the Adobe website and Photoshop blog, Adobe shipped its first version of Photoshop on February 19, 1990. The program originated in 1987, when Thomas Knoll developed a pixel-imaging program called Display. It was a simple program to showcase grayscale images on a black-and-white monitor. However, after collaborating with his brother, John Knoll, the two began adding features that made it possible to process digital image files. The program eventually caught the attention of industry influencers, and in 1989, Adobe decided to license it.
“Adobe thought we’d sell about 500 copies of Photoshop a month,” recalls Thomas Knoll, Adobe Fellow and Photoshop co-creator. “Not in my wildest dreams did we think creatives would embrace the product in the numbers and ways they have. It’s inspiring to see the beautiful images our customers create, the careers Photoshop has launched, and the new uses people all over the world find for Photoshop every day.” On YouTube, you can watch a video of Thomas Knoll giving one of his first demonstrations of Photoshop.
“For 25 years, Photoshop has inspired artists and designers to craft images of stunning beauty and reality-bending creativity,” said Shantanu Narayen, Adobe president and chief executive officer. “From desktop publishing, to fashion photography, movie production, website design, mobile app creation, and now 3D printing, Photoshop continues to redefine industries and creative possibilities. And today that Photoshop magic is available to millions of new users, thanks to Adobe Creative Cloud.”
Photoshop’s massive popularity can be attributed to its constantly evolving capabilities and pipeline of deep image science. This steady stream of innovations is now reaching customers faster than ever before. The Photoshop and Lightroom desktop and mobile apps are constantly updated as part of Adobe Creative Cloud.
Photoshop 1 was aimed at graphic arts and publishing
In an interview with Russell Brady posted on the Photoshop blog, Thomas Knoll points out that the first version of Photoshop was really ahead of its time: “Photoshop 1.0 and the first several versions weren’t really tools for photography – not only because there wasn’t appropriate hardware available in digital cameras, but more importantly, because there were no digital printers. The only real way to get photographic-quality output from Photoshop back then was to create four-color separations on film and take them to a printing press, where the first copy of your photograph might cost you $2,000…If you wanted to print a roll of 35 millimeter film, you’re talking $35,000 to $40,000. So, Photoshop 1 was primarily aimed at the publishing and graphic arts markets.”
After full-color inkjet printers were introduced, Photoshop users could scan the film, manipulate the images, and print them out. The explosive growth of digital photography in the 1990s further accelerated the widespread adoption of Photoshop.
Photoshop’s success has helped Adobe develop and deliver a wide range of products and services used by tens of millions of creative people worldwide. In addition to Photoshop, applications such as Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Dreamweaver and others have pushed creativity forward, no matter what the media. And today Adobe Creative Cloud services such as Behance and Creative Talent Search are helping a new generation of creatives find a global audience and market for their work .
Adobe is celebrating Photoshop’s milestone in a big way. For example, Adobe is showcasing 25 of the most creative visual artists under 25 who use Photoshop. To be considered, artists upload their projects and use the tag “Ps25Under25.” In the coming months, those selected will take over the Photoshop Instagram handle (@Photoshop) for two weeks and present their work for the world to see. Fredy Santiago, a 24-year old Mexican-American artist and illustrator based in Ventura, California is the first one chosen to display his incredible images.
Adobe has also launched its “Dream On” advertising campaign as a tribute to 25 years of amazing art created In Photoshop. The TV commercial includes incredible work from Photoshop artists and iconic images from major motion pictures that used Photoshop In the making, including Avatar, Gone Girl, How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Shrek.
InsideAR, the epicenter of the rapidly growing world of Augmented Reality, is coming to San Francisco for the first time May 20-21, 2015.
The event is hosted by Metaio, the worldwide leader in Augmented Reality software, research and technology. With over 10 years of experience in Augmented Reality and Computer Vision, Metaio serves over 130,000 developers with over 1,000 published apps. Metaio’s AR software reaches over 30 million consumers around the world.
Metaio products have been used to develop AR apps for everything from publishing, retailing, and marketing to industrial engineering,maintenance,and manufacturing.
Metaio defines Augmented Reality (AR) as a technology that blends digital content into our real world. AR seeks to integrate our increasingly digitalized lifestyle with our physical lives in a seamless, natural way.
InsideAR offers a comprehensive introduction to Augmented Reality by bringing together innovators and stakeholders to share technical insights and the latest and greatest AR applications.
Network with futurists, global leaders in AR, and other creatives who are paving the way for an Augmented Reality future Additional AR events will be held in Munich, Beijing, and Tokyo.
In San Francisco, InsideAR will be presented at The Village at 969 Market Street in the heart of San Francisco.
If you can’t attend the conference, the Metaio website features case studies and white papers about how augmented reality is being used in print, marketing, education, television, sales, and manufacturing.
DESIGNERS. The artful use of digital displays, interactive technology, and digital communications networks is creating compelling and information-rich spaces for inspiration, education, and networking in retail stores, airports, museums, malls, and entertainment venues.
Because designing these energy-infused spaces takes a unique set of skills and insight, the Society of Experiential Designers (SEGD) is presenting a day-long Customer Experience (CX) Workshop on Tuesday, March 10 as part of the Digital Signage Expo (DSE), March 10-13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Geared for designers, marketing and branding professionals, and technology providers, the workshop runs from 9 am to 5 pm and covers the basics of customer experience design.
SEGD is a global, multidisciplinary community of professionals who plan, design, and build experiences that connect people to place. SEGD’s 1700 members from 20 countries include graphic and information designers, fabricators, architects, exhibition designers, technology integrators, interaction designers, brand strategists, and others who have a hand in shaping content-rich experiential places.
The workshop at DSE will present an overview of the basics of customer experience (CX) design and technologies that can be used to create dynamic interaction, customization, and unique, attention-getting experiences.
The experts at SEGD contend it’s important for creators of customer experiences to understand what technology can and cannot deliver.
“The Customer Experience is where new technologies and design meet. When you design the new customer experience using design thinking to focus on the user, not the technology, that is when the magic happens,” said Clive Roux, CEO of SEGD. “We’re partnering with DSE to bring design, marketing, and technology together at this event to experience what is possible when design and technology work together.”
The five program modules will discuss the state of CX, how to create a seamless customer experience across multiple platforms, how to use digital displays for more engaging shopping experiences, and best practices for integrating display technology. Speakers will also discuss what is possible with new models of immersive media for public spaces.
The presentations will include insights from top CX innovators, including :
DSE is the world’s largest and longest-running conference and trade show exclusively dedicated to showcasing innovative digital communications and interactive technology solutions for customer- and employer-facing organizations. Launched in 2004, DSE was the first event dedicated to the digital signage market and has contributed to the growth of this fast-paced field.
“SEGD’s program is the perfect fit with Digital Signage Expo because our attendees are increasingly interested in integrating digital displays into their venues as part of the built environment,” said Richard Lebovitz, educational director for DSE. “SEGD understands the importance of this trend to architects and designers who are charged with incorporating digital communications into the physical spaces they are designing. The association’s educational program at DES provides a unique opportunity for the design and technology communities to share ideas, insights, and information.”
The DSE 2015 Exhibit Hall will be open March 11-12 and feature more than 200 exhibitors of technology and services including hardware, software, networking, delivery, and content. The extensive educational program features sessions such as
Future trends in digital signage
Effective integration of social and mobile technologies with digital signage
Digital signage on campus
Data visualization: Using real-time information for create intelligent, dynamic content
The power of video walls in retail
Leveraging visual communications across multiple platforms
