Schupp Company Blog

What Type of Artist Are You?

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

A new art print from Caudwell Tanner of DangerPress.com makes it easy to discern the level of artistic talent all you artsy peeps have. Finally, we have clarity!

Tags: Art, graphic design, trends
Posted in Art, Culture | No Comments »

Lady GaGa: Polaroid’s new Creative Director

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

The 5 grammy nominee, Pop star Lady GaGa becomes Polaroid’s new Creative Director. How bizarre is this. What does this 23 year old singer actually know about technology? So far, she apparently has designed a set of “heartbeat” headphones that evoke more fashion than technology for the company. The basis of the partnership is to help Polaroid to appeal to younger demographic. Good luck.

Watch the video press release here:

Lady Gaga – New Polaroid Creative Director

Tags: interactive, marketing, news, products, trends
Posted in Advertising, Art, Culture, Style | No Comments »

Art in Advertising

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

A recent article in Entrepreneur Magazine (Mixing Art With Commerce, January 2010) talks about how a growing number of small businesses are turning to screen-printed posters, exploiting the medium’s potent marriage of advertising and art to reach a customer demographic impervious to conventional marketing approaches.

Now in our business, posters and displays are used all the time in the on- and off-premise to help merchandise an account. And no offense to any art directors, but these well designed, glossy, price promoters don’t exactly resonate as something of value. We used to joke that we were in the business of creating beautiful landfill. However, a piece designed with the intention of being art first, brand second and promoter third might be able to flip the equation and keep our brands out of the trash heap.

Limited-edition, hand crafted works could be the answer for small brands looking to compete with their macro-competition. It’s nothing new. Fashion designers and car companies have entered stylistic marriages to promote a vision for the future of driving (Jeff Banks Creates Custom Kia Soul for UK Giveaway).  Fine artists and spirits brands have come together to inspire new drinking occasions (Bombay Sapphire Designer Glass Contest).

It just makes sense that a brand or business would embrace the equity of attainable art (most limited-edition concert posters and prints range from $20 – $50 a piece … which is why I have a huge collection of screen print and giclée art). More so, I like what it doesn’t have to say, communicating the company’s commitment to old-school virtues like authenticity and handcraftsmanship in a world where homogenization and mass production are the status quo.

If you’re unfamiliar with the screen print poster subculture, check out OMG Posters. This blog does an amazing job of keeping up with the latest releases from artists and print shops across the country, both music and non-music related. It’s also introduced me to a slew of new bands (brands), which I guess is one of the ideas behind having a poster created in the first place.

Tags: Advertising, marketing, people, popular, trends
Posted in Advertising, Art, Culture, Style | 1 Comment »

New Zealand Book Council Going West

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Very nice work produced by Colenso BBDO and animated by Andersen M Studios on this short film for The New Zealand Book Council making Maurice Gee’s novel Going West come to life. The objective was to develop a piece of film that would inspire more New Zealanders to read more books.

Posted in Advertising, Art, Culture | No Comments »

Skateboard Graphics Retrospective

Friday, August 14th, 2009

I’ll never forget the day I bought my first “real” skateboard. Standing across the counter at a local skate shop staring at the wall-to-wall spread of colorful wooden planks. Which board would replace my worn out Variflex? My requirements for my new skateboard purchase were pretty simple…it had to look kick ass. At the time, skateboard graphics were just starting to leave the conservative world and manufactures were beginning to realize that technological innovations in skate deck design were not as viable of a marketing ploy as the graphic on the underside. Kids didn’t really care if a board had a concave surface or a steeper tail. Young skaters needed a way to identify with their personal hero’s, or at least immortalize them in any way possible. Personality was punk and punk was attitude. As a pro skater, the place to personify that attitude was with the graphics on the underside of your own pro model.

$35 and 5 minutes later, my first “real“ skateboard became a Schmitt Stix, John Lucero X2 or “Behind the Bars” model. At the time, Lucero was not a world-renowned rider, but the X2 was his first pro model released under the new up and coming Schmitt Stix label. Besides a few snap shots in Thrasher Magazine and the occasional print ad, even though he was already a legend amongst his peers, I barely knew who John Lucero was.

What appealed to my 13 year old mid-western mind was the cool factor of the illustrated graphic on the bottom of his skateboard. The twisted demented jester graphic pried at my hell bent desire to break out of my suburban confines and unleash the fury of my youth upon the world…or at least the neighborhood.

Fast forward to present day…

These days, skateboards are all basically the same shape and size. They closely resemble the early freestyle type deck and it’s no wonder why. The actual tricks have elevated to a level of sophistication that have surpassed segregation from the original methods of style and performance: freestyle, street and vert.

Skate deck artwork has taken a turn as well. Today still, Like Lucero, riders themselves translate their own personality into signature graphics. But, the board as a canvas has come full circle. Art board companies have spawned and the amount of new school vs. old school collector decks have multiplied with the advent of commissioned artwork by world famous artists, fashionable skate deck only designers and the ability to turn the skateboard itself into a political statement.

New Skateboard Graphics written by J. Namdev Hardisty and published by Mark Batty Publisher is a diverse catalog spanning just over a decade and containing over 400 full color illustrations across 145 pages. With a reflective foreword by Michael Leon, rider interviews and an unbiased peek across numerous brands, anyone who has been a fan of skate culture artwork will enjoy the rich visual stimulation this book delivers.

Skateboarding may not be the only industry to have made a complete transition through artistic influence, but reviewing its history through mediums like this book is something I enjoy, and who knows, maybe some day a few of the decks I’ve designed will make it into volume 2.

Tags: marketing, products, sports, trends
Posted in Art, Culture, Miscellaneous, Recreaction, Style | 3 Comments »

The Economist: Thinking Space

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Where do Economist readers go to think? Unique spaces featured in this interesting interactive piece recently launched by the Economist. The website showcases spaces where their readers go to think, create and connect ideas. From fashion designer Andrea Llosa to Spotify founder Daniel Ek. Nice work by AMV BBDO and Hi-Res.

Tags: Advertising, interactive, marketing, photography
Posted in Advertising, Art, Culture, Style | 1 Comment »

Another American Icon Bites the Dust…

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

I’ve been a bit sad recently…  You see, a part of my past has been rendered obsolete.  On June 22, after 74 years of vibrant life, Kodak announced that it will cease production of KODACHROME color film.  Sales of KODACHROME have dwindled to less than one-percent of Kodak’s total film sales (which are eroding rapidly overall due to the digital revolution) – and as we all know, it’s all about the Benjamins.

What is so special about KODACHROME, you ask?  Isn’t it just some film for the camera?  Here’s the thing about KODACHROME.  Not only is it a great Paul Simon tune, it has captured many iconic scenes over the years from family snapshots to Presidential addresses.  Plus, it holds its dazzling quality.  Wikipedia says “…When stored in darkness, KODACHROME’s long-term stability under ordinary conditions is superior to other types of color film; images on KODACHROME slides over fifty years old retain accurate color and density. It has been calculated that the least stable color, yellow, would suffer a 20% loss of dye in 185 years”. Too bad they didn’t have KODACHROME to shoot the Cubs last World Series victory!

Since its introduction in 1935, KODACHROME has been produced in several still-camera and movie formats, and was used by many professional color photographers, especially for images captured for publication in magazines.  You may recognize photo to the right taken using KODACHROME for National Geographic in 1984.  Kodak has put up a gallery of famous shots captured on KODACHROME, you can see it here.

One thing I have always admired about KODACHROME is the very complicated development process, which requires extensive chemistry training, as well as bulky machinery which is very difficult to operate.  The task is so arduous that Kodak no longer processes KODACHROME film itself. Dwayne’s Photo, an independent shop in Parsons, Kansas, is the only remaining KODACHROME processor in the world.  I think it’s a cool parallel that the process to see that work on KODACHROME is just as deliberate as taking many of the shots themselves.

Don’t get me wrong, digital photography is here to stay, and I have been on board since day one, craving the instant pleasure (or displeasure!) from my photos.  In younger days, I had to “bracket” my shots to make sure I had at least one with proper exposure (at least I hope I did!) Now, all you have to do is take a quick look, and say, “that one’s good, but I’ll shoot 10 more just to be certain”.

So…  Why am I sad?  My late uncle (and dear friend) taught me how to use a 35mm SLR when I was seven years old and to this day I can hear his voice in my head as I compose a shot.  He used KODACHROME frequently and raved about its color-reproduction and sharpness.  I personally never have used the film, but a tinge of sadness hit me when I heard the news, like when an old friend passes on.

Tags: photography
Posted in Art, Culture, Recreaction | No Comments »