Creative Professionals

Find Info about Drone Photography at Adorama Drone Experience

Drone photography and videography are being used in dozens of fields, including commercial and residential real-estate photography, insurance assessments, land use surveys, event photography, marketing, and construction-site monitoring. Creative niche applications are being explored every day.

The Adorama Drone Experience is a digital hub of inspiration and information for photographers and videographers who want to take their drone photography to the next level. The website includes jaw-dropping aerial content, gear guides, tips and techniques from experts, and the latest on flight rules and regulations. The content was developed by Adorama, one of the world’s largest photography, video, audio, imaging and electronics retailers.

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“Drone photography and videography is a rapidly evolving trend that isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon,” states Lev Peker, chief marketing officer, Adorama. “Unlike other aspects of digital imaging, there are far more complications, rules and know-how to safely and successfully use drone gear.”

For four decades, Adorama has been a leading authority in the field of digital imaging, Peker adds: “We are deeply rooted in the community and have extensive partnerships with artists and manufacturers.”

The Adorama Drone Experience is an immersive environment designed to make you feel as if you are seeing the world through the eyes of the drone. In addition to stunning footage, the hub offers drone gear buying guides for all levels, product reviews, videos, and tutorials to help you successfully navigate each stage of evaluating, purchasing and using drones.

Drone Photography Experts Share Insights

One Adorama Drone Experience contributor is Nils Granholm who has worked with remotely piloted vehicles since 1986. Granhom’s diverse aerial imaging work includes Hollywood productions, commercial entities like Volkswagen, and agencies such as the US Department of Homeland Security.

Drone photography enthusiasts can get a taste of what to expect from Nils on AdoramaTV and the Adorama Learning Center by reading his latest article on new drone purchases  and video on drones, “FAA and You.”

Designer, educator and photographer Dirk Dallas, who has taken the aerial photography and cinematography world by storm, will also be among the A-list contributors to the Adorama Drone Experience.

“After making images for 10 years at eye level, I needed a new challenge,” says Dallas. “Capturing photos and video from the air with a drone has fulfilled that need because it allows me to see the world in a completely unique way.”

A fan favorite from Adorama’s “Through The Lens” series, Dirk’s knowledge and creativity can be seen in recent AdoramaTV videos and Adorama Learning Center articles.

Survey of Art Buying Preferences Reveals Generational Differences

A 2016 survey of “American Attitudes toward Art” found that age is a major factor in art discovery and art buying practices and preferences. Compared to their Baby Boomer elders, Millennials are much more likely to discover new art through social media. In terms of art buying, Millennials are also more likely to purchase art through an online marketplace or website.

The survey of nearly 5,000 U.S. adults was commissioned by Invaluable, a leading online marketplace for fine art, antiques, and collectibles.

Survey findings show that social media channels such as Instagram and Pinterest were the preferred art discovery tools of Millennials. Nearly half (44.3 percent) of young Millennials (ages 18-24) and 33.8 percent of older Millennials (ages 25-34) indicate that they discover new art through social media. This compares to 29.5 percent of older Baby Boomers (age 65+) who prefer a more traditional discovery path of finding new art through museums.

Overall, 37 percent of U.S. consumers said they would buy art online. More than half of Millennial respondents (59.9 percent for ages 18-24 and 51.6 percent for ages 24-34) said they would purchase art online. This is much higher than the 19 percent of older Baby Boomers (age 65+) who said they would purchase art online.

In fact, roughly one in four Millennials age 18 to 24 prefer to purchase art through an online marketplace or website.

“There has never been a more critical time for our industry to prepare and execute digital strategies that engage, inspire, and capture the next generation of art buyers — Millennials,” said Rob Weisberg, Invaluable CEO.

While findings reveal that Millennials aren’t purchasing art as frequently as Baby Boomers, the survey shows Millennials see long-term value in purchasing art. Roughly 42 percent of young Millennials and 37.2 percent of older Millennials surveyed believe that buying art is a good investment, compared to roughly 32 percent of Baby Boomers.

“These findings not only reveal the importance of connecting and assimilating new generations and first-time buyers into the art ecosystem, it also spotlights a tremendous growth opportunity in reaching new segments of buyers,” said Weiseberg. “As digital-first preferences continue driving more interest from Millennial buyers, we know that technology will play a critical role in engaging and connecting this generation to the art world.”

Other findings

Art Appreciation: Almost one-half (48%) of all respondents said they like or appreciate art. About 55% of the respondents over the age of 65  reported an appreciation of art.

Visiting Cultural Institutions: Consumers continue to visit museums and galleries, with 38.6 percent visiting once a year and 14 percent visiting monthly. About 15 percent admitted they don’t visit museums and galleries.

Purchasing Art: Overall, 37 percent of respondents said they would consider buying art online. Survey respondents are mostly likely to buy art at an art fair (26.2 percent), gallery (19.2 percent),  flea market (16.2 percent), other sites (15.9 percent), and online marketplace or website (15.2 percent). Only 7.3 percent said they buy art at an in-person auction.

Visit www.invaluable.com for more information about the “American Attitudes Toward Art” survey.

 

Acanvas Expands In-Home Art Discovery with Hi-Res Display Platform

ARTISTS. Art discovery options are expanding with the launch of the Acanvas art-streaming app and self-charging art-display platform. Acanvas is making it possible for art lovers to display a steady stream of classic or contemporary art from Fine Art America.  Acanvas developed the art discovery platform to making learning about new artists as easy and as accessible as streaming music.

“With Acanvas, interior design and technology come together to bring millions of works of art to empty walls everywhere,” said Dan Lee, CEO and co-founder of Acanvas. “Our self-charging battery system makes our display as easy to hang as any traditionally framed print or painting.”

The display platform consists of a Wi-Fi connected, 23-inch, high-definition display from LG Electronics USA. The onboard, battery system features a motorized, retractable cord that connects to a portable charging dock. The slim, easy-to-mount display can be customized with matte frames that match the owner’s décor.

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From the Acanvas app on an iOS or Android mobile device, users can select “Art Stations” curated by Fine Art America and stream a continuous flow of art to the display. From the app, users can control how long each piece is displayed before it is replaced by another one.

While viewing art in a Pandora-like “art station” such as seascapes, bold primaries, and dynamic abstracts, users can learn more about different genres of art and discover new artists.

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Users can also browse for specific art to add to their personal libraries within the Acanvas app. Or, users can hang and showcase personal photos from anywhere, either within the home or remotely. The first units are expected to ship during the fourth quarter of 2016. Pre-orders are currently being accepted.

About Acanvas

Acanvas is an emerging start-up based in Santa Clara, California. The independent company began as a research project within the LG Silicon Valley Lab (SVL). The Acanvas platform is supported by a partnership with Fine Art America.

“Acanvas allows us to further our mission of connecting people to the art and artists they love,” said Sean Broihier, CEO of Fine Art America.

Fine Art America, which was established in 2006, has become one of the world’s largest online art marketplaces. Hundreds of thousands of artists and photographers have uploaded millions of images to the Fine Art America website and thousands of new members and images are added each week.

Master Surface Design Skills at Philadelphia University

Surface design is a fast-growing career niche because the definition of “printing” today extends well beyond ink on paper. Today, digital printing and finishing equipment can be used to custom decorate the surfaces of all sorts of 2D and 3D products, including displays, packaging, textiles, glass, ceramics, garments, signs, objects, and wallcoverings. Plus, 2D documents, photographs, and artwork can be digitally embellished with coatings that add surface textures.

The accelerating adoption of “fabrication printing” equipment within industries, commercial printing firms, and surface design studios will create new career paths in interior design, apparel design, experiential graphic design, and related fields.

To meet the growing demand for surface designers and creative technologists who understand what’s possible with fabrication printing technologies, Philadelphia University has created an M.S. in Surface Imaging degree. The M.S. in Surface Imaging program at Philadelphia University is now accepting new degree candidates for 2017-2018. This one-year program will start May 16 2017. Successful students graduate the following summer, 2017.

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The Surface Imaging program at Philadelphia University uses a variety of state-of-the-art digital printing technologies at the Center for Excellence in Surface Imaging. By applying your existing skills in painting, drawing, photography and printmaking skills, you will learn how to create new types of products through “fabrication printing” technologies including additive material deposition and laser engraving.

To learn more about the program, you can visit the Center for Excellence in Surface Imaging and see the types of projects that students have completed in previous year.

Curriculum

The curriculum includes courses in surface imaging design, printing technology, and material and polymer science. Coursework also focuses on entrepreneurship and business plan creation so you can integrate design, applied engineering, and business skills as a “TechCreative” in the fast-changing printing business.

As a student in the Surfacing Imaging program, you will gain professional  experience through  research-based projects with industry partners. These projects stress critical thinking and problem-solving skills through teamwork and collaboration. You will also gain extensive experience working on interdisciplinary projects using advanced technology and design solutions.

Students also will have access to the Center for Excellence in Surface Imaging, which has been supported by international imaging industries, including printer manufacturers, ink formulators and software developers.

The deadline for applications is February 1, 2017. For more information, visit www.philau.edu/mssurfaceimaging and download the program information sheet.

 

 

Fast Large-Format 3D Printer Produces Displays, Props, Objects up to 6 ft. Tall

A super-fast, large format 3D printer is set to transform the creation of high-level marketing, advertising, and themed-environment projects. The Massivit 1800 large format 3D printer can produce high-quality 3D pieces up to 6 ft. high at build speed of up to 1 ft. per hour.  It is being promoted to large-format graphics providers that specialize in creating eye-catching signs and displays.

Adding ‘the next dimension’ to visual communications, the Massivit 1800 is expected to change how creative directors, product designers, and marketers think about what’s possible with 3D models, displays, and brand promotion.

The Massivit 1800

The Massivit 1800 system is the fastest large format 3D printer on the market. It was developed by people who have dedicated their careers to delivering large-format digital printing equipment. As a group, the founders and managers have well over 100 years of experience in large-format digital printing and over 50 years of experience in 3D printing. They come from a variety of disciplines (management, engineering, printing, chemistry, and software) and have a substantial track record in R&D for companies such as Objet, HP Scitex, Idanit, and Scitex Vision.

At the heart of the Massivit 1800 system is a proprietary Gel Dispensing Printing (GDP) technology that enables instant solidification and high-speed printing. The gel is sensitive to UV light and solidifies into a hard polymer when it exposed to the LED UV light unit onboard the printer. The material is non-flammable and has a structural strength similar to the ABS materials commonly used in 3D printing.

Many objects designed for temporary promotional and decorative displays, movie sets, and themed environments don’t need to totally solid. Thus, they can be printed as only a “shell.” The Massivit 1800 printer saves production time and materials by printing non-vertical walls and ceilings without a solid or elaborate support structure.

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“For print providers, the Massivit 1800 dramatically enhances the ability to create eye-catching visual communications that better engage target audiences,” said Avner Israeli, CEO, Massivit 3D.  Recent studies suggest that 3D advertising has five times the stopping power and four times the staying power of 2D advertising.

“Our products will enable marketing/brand managers to maximize the impact of their campaigns with a never-before-seen ‘wow factor.'” said Israeli.

Carisma Operates First Massivit 1800 in U.S.

The first Massivit 1800 in the United States is currently in operation at Carisma, a large-format printing company based in Brooklyn, New York.

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Carisma helps companies execute one-of-a-kind advertising campaigns, many of which are on double-decker buses across America. Carisma plans to put the Massivit 1800 to work for some of these campaigns.

“As always, I was looking for the next big thing — a technology edge — that can help me bring something different to my customers,” said Moshe Gil, Carisma owner and CEO. To help customers create memorable and noticeable advertising, “We were the first to put LED screens on buses for advertising, and we are one of the first who printed lenticular lenses and placed them on buses. Now will be the first to have 3D-printed elements on buses.”

“We are happy to see how a print-service provider such as Carisma is putting the Massivit 1800 to work in the advertising world,” said Israeli. “As their name suggests, the team at Crarisma has a lot of charisma, and is driving the industry to great heights. 3-dimensional advertisments on buses are going to be a big hit.”

This retail display for a watch was created on a Massivit 1800 in Israel by ES Digital.
This retail display for a watch was created on a Massivit 1800 by ES Digital in Israel (www.esdigital.co.il/en).

 

Creative Group Survey Reveals Hiring Trends through End of 2016

In a recent hiring trends survey by The Creative Group staffing firm, 13 percent of advertising and marketing executives said they plan to expand their teams in the second half of 2016. This is up from 11 percent in the first half of the year.

The majority (59 percent) of respondents said they expect to maintain staffing levels and hire primarily to fill  vacated positions in the next six months.

In addition, 20 percent of the advertising executives and 10 percent of the marketing executives anticipate increasing the number of freelance staff during the remainder of the year.

“Many companies are adding to their bench of marketing talent, particularly within the digital space,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “Employers seek professionals who can help build their businesses’ online presence, support year-end campaigns, and strategize for the future.”

Creative Specialties in Demand

When executives were asked in which areas they plan to add staff in the second half of 2016, they reported a variety of specialties. Topping the list (at 18 percent each) were content marketing, brand/product management, digital marketing, and web design/production.

When advertising and marketing executives were asked, “In which of the following areas do you expect to hire in the second half of 2016?” Their responses were:

  • Content marketing: 18%
  • Brand/product management: 18%
  • Digital marketing: 18%
  • Web design/production: 18%
  • Marketing research: 17%
  • Creative/art direction: 17%
  • Print design/production: 17%
  • Customer experience: 17%
  • Social media: 16%
  • Media services: 15%
  • Public relations: 14%
  • Copywriting: 14%
  • Account services: 13%
  • Interactive media: 10%
  • Mobile design/development: 10%

(Multiple responses were permitted; Top responses shown.)

Recruiting Challenges

Forty-one percent of advertising and marketing executives said it is difficult to find skilled creative professionals today. Hiring managers at small advertising agencies (20-49 employees) and large advertising agencies (100+ employees) expect the greatest difficulty, with 50 percent of respondents in each group reporting that it is somewhat or very challenging to find the talent they seek.

When asked which types of roles were most difficult to fill, the top responses were web design/production, customer experience, and brand/product management.

About the Research

The national study was developed by The Creative Group and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on 400 telephone interviews — with 200 marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 100 advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.

About The Creative Group

The Creative Group (TCG) specializes in connecting interactive, design, marketing, advertising, and public relations talent with the best companies on a project, contract-to-hire, and full-time basis.

TCG Infographic

 

Artists, Investors, and Innovators Launch Upstart Co-Lab

A group of artists, investors, philanthropic funders, and social innovators have launched Upstart Co-Lab. The collaborative arts organization is designed to:

Increase opportunities for artists as innovators by encouraging greater recognition of artists’ accomplishments in the private, social and public sectors;

Catalyze more capital for creativity by making creativity investable through public equity, debt and venture capital investment products;

Enable sustainable creative lives by equipping artists with crucial skills for executing their ideas, and linking eligible artists to existing social services and subsidies.

Upstart is funded by Ford Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Surdna Foundation with in-kind support from the F.B. Heron Foundation. Upstart is a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

“Artists are the original social entrepreneurs. They make our society stronger because of who they are, how they approach the world, and the risks they are willing to take,” said founding partner Laura Callanan, the former senior deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “But because other social changemakers don’t realize what artists are doing, artist-innovators often have to go it alone. By creating this national collaboration between artists, impact investors, sustainable companies and other partners, we can fix this.”

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Upstart Co-Lab will be based in New York but is national in scope. Upstart Co-Lab has conducted hundreds of conversations with arts and innovation leaders to inform a portfolio of projects and develop the partnerships that will advance them.

Upstart will work in three ways:

Adapting successful models for the arts and creativity. By repurposing models from impact investing, community development and social entrepreneurship, Upstart will  catalyze  fresh  opportunities  for artists. By emulating the Social Capitalist Awards that popularized the concept of the social entrepreneur, Upstart will recognize artists and designers who have launched innovative companies such as Kickstarter, AirBnB and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Upstart will also recognize artists working on issues such as environmental conservation, criminal justice system reform, and effective government.

Integrating the arts into existing systems and standards. Today there are no options for the mission-related investor committed to the arts and creativity. Upstart will launch a Creative Economy Index Fund of U.S. public companies across the creative industries, enabling targeted investment in creativity for the first time. This product will integrate values of sustainability by focusing on companies that lower the cost for the design, fabrication and distribution of creative work, or that enable individuals to be creators, not just consumers.

Developing new initiatives designed to respond to gaps and market failures. Artists face some unique challenges. For example, to address the persistently low rate at which arts graduates actually make their living by working in the arts, ArtPath will rethink the resources and skills artists need at every stage of their career life cycles – to launch new projects, start commercial enterprises, and better manage their careers.

“The creative economy is all around us, but the problem is we don’t recognize it,” said Veris Wealth Partners Partner Anders Faijersson Ferguson. “Because we don’t understand how big a difference artists and innovators make in our local and global economy, their role is somewhat invisible. By helping their contributions be better understood and valued, more investment capital will be made available. And the catalytic role artists play in achieving impact and bringing positive economic change will increase.”

Strategic Partners

To implement these initiatives, Upstart Co-Lab is engaging with arts organizations, social innovators, impact investors, universities and others. To date, Upstart’s strategic partners include Arizona State University, Artspace, B Lab, Bennington College, Calvert Foundation, Foundation Center, Global Development Incubator, Maryland Institute College of Arts, McKinsey & Company, Oberlin College, Veris Wealth Partners, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

A portfolio of five projects is under development and will be implemented by the end of 2016. More information about the organization can be found at http://www.upstartco-lab.org.