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Your Marketing Plan

Instructors: Lisa L. Cyr and Von  Glitschka YOUR MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENT Before you can begin to put together a marketing plan for your work, you need to fully identify the unique vision that you bring to the world, articulating what makes you different from the competition. A brand analysis is integral to establishing a clear picture of your work and determining its positioning in the marketplace. It will also guide me in assisting you in putting together the appropriate body of work and connecting it with the appropriate target market. Since it is always wise to channel your time and money resources wisely, it is best to focus on one key target market at a time. If you have not yet established or identified an existing brand, it is best to start the process. The best way to begin is to take an honest look at not only your working process and approach, experience, capabilities, client relations and market preferences but also your core beliefs and values, creative interests and asp
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Final Presentations

Here is the order and sequence of topics to include in your final presentation on Friday. You will need to have attended all lectures to assist you. GENERAL: 1. Introduce yourself and your unique voice and vision as an illustrator, conveying your brand in a clear and concise way. 2. What is your big career goal? What are you working towards? 3. Discuss the market(s) that you plan to work in and why. FOR THIRD YEAR STUDENTS ONLY: PROJECT SPECIFIC: 1. Show and talk about the specific promotional initiative you created for class. If it is a print initiative, show all the components, including packaging, labels, etc. If it is a website, include all the pages. 2. Discuss the target market(s) for the promotional initiative you created for class. 3. Discuss how you will launch the initiative, including timing and frequency (if applicable). 4. If your initiative is print-based, how will you use other promotion-based media to further promote your messaging? Be
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About Me Pages

Write your About Me text. Keep it focused, use the right descriptive words and read it aloud to see if it flows. Use you branding worksheet and mind maps to assist you. Your About Me text, once finalized and approved, will be used on your website. To accompany your text, take a head shot of yourself or illustrate a self-portrait for promotional and public relation purposes. Here are samples of ABOUT ME PAGES from former students: Kelsey Phillips http://www.cleverandbright.com/about/ Kvita Horbaliuk https://www.kvitahorbaliuk.com/about-1/ Leslie M. Ward http://www.lesliemward.com/about-hayden/ Monique Maloney http://www.moniquemaloney.com/about-2/ Meg Auchenbach http://www.megauchenbach.com/about/ Ann Lemon http://cargocollective.com/annlemon/ann-lemon Vince Bonavoglia http://vincebon.weebly.com/about.html Brenda Bodily http://bbteachart.wixsite.com/bodilyillustrate/about Mark Wilson http://mww366.wixsite.com/designsbywilson/about
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Websites of Interest

Altpick Infected by Art CTN FolioPlanet THEiSPOT  ZAKS American Illustration * American Photography Big Ceramics Store Directory of Illustration Picturebook The Workbook Society of Illustrators, NYC Greeting Card Assn. Graphic Artist’s Guild American Institute of Graphic Arts Children’s Book Writers/Illustrators Spectrum Fantastic Art Canadian GraphicDesign Assoc. Society ofPublication Designers AmericanMarketing Assn. Children’s Book Council GRANTS & FELLOWSHIPS:  Artist Residencies, Fellowships & Foundations National Endowment for the Arts The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc. SCBWI Grants for Artists Art Opportunities ART & TEACHING JOBS: College Art Association  Associations in the Arts
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Visual Documentary/Video Presentation

Using Imovie  , Movavi Movie Maker or other video software, you can create a documentary style clip, video portfolio, a step-by-step demonstartion of your work and a combination there of.  Adding music, which should be royalty free or self-generated, along with animated graphics will enhance the viewing experience.  There are a few things that you should consider when developing your video: 1. INTENT: What do you intend your video to do for you?  Will you be promoting a particular project or body of work, selling prints or other merchandise, introducing a new book project, promoting an upcoming lecture or workshop, etc? Have a focus for the video along with a landing page link for the audience to follow through with.  2. DESIGN: Design your video to specifically address your intention and target a particular audience. Don't make your video an all encompassing catch-all for everything and everyone. Be specific and and your returns on your investment will be grea
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The Evolution of Visual Storytelling

As we forge into the twenty-first century, publishers and content creators face a new generation of readers where interactive and new media platforms are at the forefront. Advancements in technology and the widespread use of the Internet through smartphones and handheld devices have spawned a plethora of web-based and interactive storytelling enhancements that are being gradually introduced into the book culture. With the advent of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality, quick response (QR) codes that link to video, audio, gaming and web-based enhancements, 3-D stereoscopic and lenticular printing and e-books with hyperlinks, robust opportunities are abound, engaging both young and seasoned readers alike. Although still in its infancy, this emerging trend in visual storytelling is growing with more advanced, user-friendly capabilities as the technology becomes more mainstream. To read more, check out my article in Communication Arts called Rock, Paper, Pixels :  The Evolution
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Podcasting!

Check out the podcasts that I did with my teaching partners at New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA ) children's author Paul Durham and graphic novelist Cory Levine I am so proud of the students who volunteered to talk about their work, process and goals! Now they get to share their dreams and aspirations with the world!  From the host of Telling Lies to Children Podcast Paul Durham "This is a special two-part series recorded live, on-campus, at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. NHIA is currently the only college in the country offering BFA degrees that require all students to complete three semesters of professional practices, business marketing, and entrepreneurship studies for the arts. I teach professional practices at NHIA and recently combined forces with my faculty colleagues, Lisa Cyr and Cory Levine , to give our first year students an opportunity to practice talking about their work. Volunteers were invited to participate in a podcast interview in front of
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Navigating the Labyrinth

For illustrators, the road ahead presents many challenges. A persistently uncertain economic climate has changed the playing field, forever altering the competitive landscape and significantly diminishing the traditional role of the freelance illustrator. To penetrate the instability in the marketplace and remain viable for the long term, illustrators must take a more active, forward-thinking, leadership role. They need to become more entrepreneurial, looking outside traditional venues to discover alternative markets for their work to move, grow and flourish. Read more here from my Communication Arts Illustration Annual article Navigating the Labyrint h .
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Interview with Christina Galbiati

Q: Can you talk about your brand and how you incorporated that vision into your promotional materials? A: My design aesthetic is simple, clean and contemporary, while my illustration and artwork is detailed, tactile, layered and full of energy. Having promotional materials that showcase my artwork without competing with the design of the piece was instrumental to conveying my brand effectively.   Q: What advice can you give other illustrator/designers when it comes to developing successful self-promotional materials? A: Promotional materials should be dynamic while still representing your aesthetic vision. Consider your medium, audience and what work you are trying to attain. Design something that not only allows your work to sing, but also showcases how your abilities can benefit their business.    Q: Do you work in a sketchbook to develop your ideas? Please detail your conceptual approach to design. A:  Absolutely! Organic free-flowing sketches are instrumenta
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Interactive Storytelling

When it comes to engaging an audience, interactive and new media initiatives are at the forefront. Because of advances in technology and the Internet, we are seeing a plethora of digital entertainment vehicles introduced into the culture. The opportunities seem endless. “More than any other genre of entertainment, gaming advancements are happening at an absolutely mind-boggling rate and the need to stay on top of technology is critical,” details Daniel Dociu, concept artist and chief art director for NCsoft North America. “When the next generation of gaming hardware comes out, the potential of the machines is high and developers need to question how they can best use or take advantage of the com­put­ing power. A lot of the time, it means more man­power and bigger budgets to create; an approach where more is more.” To read more go to my article in Communication Arts on Interactive Storytelling.
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