Promotional Gift by Photographer Michael Winokur

Promotional Giving
Giving can be a great way of promoting oneself. Whether it’s a special event (like moving into a new office) or an anniversary (like 10 years in business) or a holiday, each of these moments presents a reason to get in touch, reconnect and get noticed. Targeting a few select clients (depending on budget) with a creative and personal gift will leave a lasting impression and ensure that you’re remembered next time a project comes up. Creative appreciation and thoughtfulness can go a long way towards re-establishing relationships and/or creating new connections with clients and other business associates. So, next time, don’t just send a postcard, see if you can go a step above with an inexpensive DIY promotional gift. Speaking of which, check out the following promotional gift by Michael Winokur.

Promotional gift by photographer Michael Winokur
“I love my clients, most are friends and all are creative collaborators. Each year I pick something that I can brand and give to them. This year I chose the Sharan SQ35 pinhole camera which happens to be sold by my friend Doug’s company Noted. The Sharan camera is a cardboard kit with a pinhole lens that makes square images on 35mm film. Since the kits take about an hour to build I figured none of my clients would build them – so I assembled all 25 cameras, packaged them with film and decorated them with custom “Winokur Photography” stickers. In previous years I’ve given “private label” wine. Since this year’s gift was so much more labor intensive than the wine I had to keep the list quite tight. The cameras went to my current clients and some very special dream clients. ” – Michael Winokur

http://www.winokurphotography.com/

More about this project can be found on Michael Winokur’s blog. Special thanks to Neil Binkley at Wonderful Machine for first sharing this project with me.

Portfolio of Photographer Bill Lusk

Bill Lusk has been a passionate and edgy image-maker of the everyday and familiar for 15 years. His award-winning photography pushes the limits of environmental portraiture by engaging the viewer in a beautiful and wry look at otherwise mundane, overlooked moments. His sculpted lighting and mastery of digital technique heighten the viewer’s experience. Bill’s New York-based business keeps him traveling for clients like Toyota, State Farm Insurance, Principal Group Financial and Coca-Cola shooting ads, annual reports, and corporate as well as stock photography.

Making the Portfolio
Bill had the following to say about the making of his portfolio. “When Scott (Mullenberg) and I began working on my book, we noticed that the horizontal, somewhat panoramic ratio of many of my images should be a focus. We opted for this fairly large, square format with the intention of showing the work as spreads. I had seen some books that Scott made with two materials on the cover. I asked him about doing the same for me except that I wanted the materials to come together with a horizontal seam in a formal proportion. Scott hadn’t made such a cover before but agreed to give it a go. Within in a few days he had knocked together a stunning prototype; just what I was looking for. I have always had a big interest in architecture so as we began discussing the outside of the book I was immediately drawn to materials that suggested sculpture and substance. We settled on sturdy, black and aluminum looking leathers with good texture. And Scott embossed my long-line logo so that it works seamlessly with my branding.”

“I feel that I have a portfolio that does a really good job presenting who I am and the type of work one should expect to see inside the book. Props to Scott Mullenberg for being easy to work with and executing the design flawlessly.”

http://www.billlusk.com/

*Click images for larger view

Email Glitch – If you haven’t heard back from me. Please email again.

**Notice: Some of your emails have not been getting through to me. Please try again at the following address.

If you have recently submitted work or tried to contact me and have not heard back from me please email me again at this new address – danielle@noplasticsleeves.com. I have recently discovered an email glitch with the previous setup and some of the emails have not been getting through. I respond personally to every submission and contact email, so if you haven’t heard back from me, chances are I just didn’t get your email. Please try again. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Thanks, Danielle Currier

“No Plastic Sleeves” Book Available

No Plastic Sleeves: The Complete Portfolio Guide for Photographers and Designers is finally available and shipping! If you’re interested in ordering a copy online, it’s available here through Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com (as well as all other major bookstores).

About the Book
When you look at your portfolio, ask yourself:

- Do I stand out from the crowd?
- Do I communicate an effective concept and message?
- Do I demonstrate impeccable skill and craft?

Your work and the manner in which you present it is a critical part of securing potential employment opportunities and clients. Our unique approach addresses all facets of the portfolio process. Each step has been carefully planned, organized and simplified in order to maximize the potential of your portfolio book, website and supporting materials.

Key concepts, principles and techniques are brought to life through a vast collection of real-world examples, diagrams, step-by-step visual aids, a comprehensive list of resources as well as key perspectives from a select group of industry professionals.

This text will guide you through the complete process of conceptualizing, designing and developing all the interconnected aspects of your total portfolio package:

• Objectively evaluate and edit your work
• Develop a distinguishing self-brand concept
• Understand and apply effective design strategies
• Create a custom-made portfolio book
• Translate and extend your ideas into an online portfolio
• Plus develop integrated self-promotional materials and marketing strategies

Check out the Table of Content and Introduction (pdf).

2nd Winner of Free Copy of Book….

And the winner is – Congratulations to Ken Hamlett of Atlanta. You’ve just won a free copy of our book, No Plastic Sleeves: The Complete Portfolio Guide for Photographers and Designers.

First winner of “No Plastic Sleeves” book is…

And the winner is – Congratulations to Susanna Raab of Washington, D.C. You just won a free copy of our book, No Plastic Sleeves: The Complete Portfolio Guide for Photographers and Designers.

Stay tuned tomorrow when I’ll announce another winner!

Site of the Week: Peter Schafrick Photography

Peter Schafrick
http://www.peterschafrick.com/

Peter Schafrick is a commercial photographer with studios in New York, Toronto and Chicago. He specializes in shooting products with an emphasis on liquids. He has won several international awards. His website was designed by Organic Grid. It’s an excellent example of a portfolio site design. The interface is intuitive, seamless and unobtrusive. The images are large and clearly the focus of the site design. There’s also some nice integration of “behind the scenes” video. The site was recently featured on the DesignCharts Weekly Top 40.

*Click images for larger view

An Integrated Portfolio Package: Photographer, Terry Vine

Check out these well-designed and thoughtfully integrated portfolio pieces from photographer Terry Vine – including portfolio books, promotional books, cases and website. http://terryvine.com/

Terry had this to say about the work -
“The portfolios were designed by Amanda Love of Love Leaf Press in Chicago. She worked hand in hand with my rep, Patti Schumann, to come up with a unique presentation and a way to tie together the varying segments of my work. We wanted to include my personal fine art images along with the commercial images and have it all work together. She came up with the idea of three separate books presented together in a slipcase. We titled these books Life, Luxury and Leisure which tie in with galleries of the same names on the new website. The new website was designed by Marketa Hand of Wired Hand Design.

Separately we did a new promotional piece, Seven Assignments, that feature the work of the seven “Project” galleries on the new website. The new promotion piece was created by Chris Hill and Bobby Van Lenten of Hill Design (http://www.hillonline.com/) and was printed by Blanchette Press. And And finally we did a series of ePromos that were sent out, each one featuring work from these same galleries that link back to the website.”

Book Construction: Printed Slip Cover

Book Construction Series
This is the first in a series of video tutorials on book construction. The demonstrations are conducted by book artist and binder, Amanda Nelsen. I shot the video during a recent workshop for a group of my students. Additional videos will become available as I edit and convert segments for the web. All video tutorials can be found here on the video tutorials page.

Amanda Nelsen
Amanda’s work has been shown in numerous exhibits, most recently including: “A Dedication to Craft” at the Concord Museum, Concord MA; “Bound for Success” a Designer Bookbinders Int’l Competition exhibited in Oxford, Boston, San Francisco and New York; The Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant Recipients in New York, NY; “20th Anniversary Celebration” at the Springfield Materials Reclaimation Center, Springfield, MA; “June.” Cambridge Community Television, Cambridge, MA; “Dirty Dozen 12 Artists and a Ton of Trash” at the Boston Children’s Museum, Boston, MA. Amanda is also the recipient of a 2010 Artist-in-Residence at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Her website can be found at http://www.amandanelsen.com/.

About this Tutorial
This video tutorial demonstrates the construction of a printed slip cover – no glue or adhesive used. Works great as a cover for an accordion or back-to-back book. The cover literally slips on and off – working well for books that need to be easily updatable and customized for specific audiences.

Book Contruction with Amanda Nelsen Part 1 from Danielle Currier on Vimeo.

Portfolio of Photographer Normand Robert

Normand Robert is an award-winning, international photographer. For the making of his portfolio, Normand worked with Scott Mullenberg of Mullenberg Designs.

http://www.normandrobert.com/

*Click images for larger view

Interview with Art Buyer, Heather Morton

Heather Morton is a Toronto-based freelance art buyer and photography consultant. She was a photo producer for 10 years and worked with some of Canada’s largest ad agencies. Her blog at http://www.heathermorton.ca/blog/, has lots of great content on it, including her popular “Ask an Art Buyer” series.

Q&A:
I recently had a chance to ask Heather a few questions about art buying and her thoughts on portfolios.

For students and those who may be new to the field, what is an art buyer?

Art Buying refers to the act of securing still imagery for Commercial use. In a nutshell, I help advertising agencies and design firms find the right photographer or illustrator for their concept and manage the process of producing that image.

The Art Buyer fulfills two important but different functions. On one hand, it is a creative role- collaborating with the Creative Team to source the right creative supplier takes a keen interpretive eye combined with a comprehensive knowledge of current photography and illustration trends and styles. In a completely different way, an Art Buyer is also a Project Manager. It is my responsibility to negotiate a fair price for the photograph or illustration and ensure that the budget is adhered to throughout the process. As well, proper rights and clearances needed to be secured and managed. The Art Buyer also manages all areas of photography production from the agency side. This means establishing a workback, trafficking approvals of all production elements (location, talent etc.) between photographer and Art Director, running a pre-pro meeting, and troubleshooting any concerns that may arise at the shoot or during production.

I know there is some healthy debate out there on this issue of “going sleeveless”. What do you think is at the core of this debate and what are your thoughts on it?

I think photographers are keen on the ease of use that plastic sleeves offer- if the book needs to be updated or tailored to a client’s specific requests, its as easy as pulling one image out and inserting another. Although I’m not completely up to speed on portfolio page suppliers, I think that there are other options that give the photographers the same flexibility. I’ve seen books that use matte paper, with adhesive hinges that can go in and out of a book shell- in my mind, this is just as easy for the photographer and much better for the viewer.

Another big topic out there revolves around the issue of online portfolios verses portfolio books. What are your thoughts on this and the importance of both or one verses the other? What kind of portfolio do you think is crucial for someone who’s a student or new to the field?

I think it’s important for shooters to have both a physical book and an on-line presence. Although books aren’t as crucial as they used to be to show your work, it’s still important to be able to show your own edit of your book- ideally beautifully designed, printed and presented. The two outlets can complement each other- the book should be very selective whereas the website can showcase a lot more of your work, can spin off to microsites or to blogs, can include archive and personal project sections.

In terms of someone starting out, I think there are options that are inexpensive and easy- it’s not about blowing the bank or making a huge investment in a multi-faceted brand identity right out of the gate. But it is important to have both streams going at once.

As an art buyer, you see so many portfolios on a regular basis, both in print and digital form. What do you think distinguishes the very best?

For the site: simplicity of design and use. I can’t overemphasize the importance of this. Ideally your design would be unique but very simple. Occasionally I go to sites that are too clever- it takes me a minute to find the thumbnails, things are always scrolling- this can be immensely frustrating and time-consuming, especially when I’m casting around through dozens of sites looking for something to match my layout.

Print wise, I think the most important thing is that your images look good- nice paper, no obscuring glare bouncing off the plastic sleeves. Also, I am a firm believer that you should show what you WANT to shoot not what you CAN shoot. I love to be hooked by inspirational, passionate, unique images. Also, I like a page or two of thumbnails in the back of the book to show how others have used your style. The main part of the book should be saved for your best, aspirational work- 15 to 20 images is a nice number.

And finally, I think one of the biggest questions right now is – for photographers struggling to make ends meet, what advice do you have for finding work out there?

I think it’s a really tough time to be a photographer- there is a ton of competition and the camera technology and media outlets for your work is changing so fast. The most successful photographers will be able to develop a unique and well-applicable style that they are also able to mold and bend as demand change. But, this must be coupled with a collaborative, hard-working attitude. I think that the personal connection will also be increasingly important in the future which is where blogs, twitter, FB etc. can be fantastic tools over the long term.

In the short term, I don’t think most agencies are sure what to make of much of the new technology. Photographers who can offer solutions and new products to their clients, who help them understand how the technology can help them deliver a convergent message, will be able to establish important partnerships. I think this notion of creative collaboration will make up the most exciting opportunities for photographers.

Questions or Comments? What do you think?
Click here to comment.

Enter Drawing to Win Free Copy of Our Book

Follow No Plastic Sleeves on Twitter and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a free copy of our book, No Plastic Sleeves: The Complete Portfolio Guide for Photographers and Designers. The book is do out the end of March and the drawing will happen Monday, March 1, 2010. The winners will be announced on the site and through Twitter. Those of you already following us will be automatically entered. If you don’t Twitter, enter the drawing by emailing us at freebook@noplasticsleeves.com.

Award-winning “Best of Show” Portfolio by Danielle Kroll

Q&A: Interview

This HOW Promotion Design “Best of Show” portfolio by Danielle Lee Kroll captivates with a unique, distinctive look. The piece, created while a student at the Tyler School of Art, is impeccably made and captures both Danielle’s design and printmaking flair. Recently, I had the opportunity to ask Danielle a few questions about the project.

Where you a student when you created this piece? Was it created in response to a course assignment?

Yes, I created this piece for my Portfolio class senior year of college. I attended Tyler School of Art, which is part of Temple University in Philadelphia. The assignment was to create a self-promotion that represents your body of work.

How did you arrive at the idea or concept for your piece?

I tried to think about what specifically defines my style. I realized that I use a lot of patterns in my work, so a swatch booklet that emphasizes that seemed like a successful concept. There are five projects featured in the promo. Each of them have their own section that includes an image of the project and the patterns I used in it.

Read more »

Business Card Impressions: Christian Garibaldi

Wow! Check out these new business cards recently submitted to No Plastic Sleeves by photographer Christian Garibaldi. They’re sure to impress.
http://www.garibaldiphoto.com/

About the Cards
Christian had this to say – “I would like to extend my thanks to Denise Vannucci of Yellow Advertising & Design for helping me get my idea for the card into a eps file format, and also Alex Daley of Dolce Press for doing the printing and putting up with me while we nailed down the proofs. It was well worth the wait and this is a card that I am proud to hand to someone.

The design premise was to be something that was clean, tight, simple and carried through with the color and feel of my site. I also wanted a card that when I hand it to someone, is substantial and tactile and makes them hesitant to just stuff in their pocket or throw away. I wanted to design a card that would be remembered and exude a sense of thoughtful and subtle design. I used a blind de-bossing with no ink for the front so that the depth of the impression into the paper and the shadow it creates is what you read. The crisp impression and the texture of the cotton also encourages you to run your fingers over the surface to experience its depth. As you flip the card over to see the information on the rear, the vibrant orange edge coloring (Which matches the orange navigation icons on the site) will catch your eye and add some color to the card, as well as draw attention to the thickness of the stock, which is 220 lbs cotton Lettra in flourecent white. The rear of the card uses a matching Gotham font like the front and is printed with silver ink using letterpress. Overall, it is a clean and minimal card that goes beyond just a simple swatch of information, it invites more of your senses and will encourage you to hold it in your hands and savor it. If I could have had them flavored like a Breyers® Creamsicle so that you could lick them, I would have.” – http://www.garibaldiphoto.com/blog/

Interview with Expert Bookbinder, Scott Mullenberg

Scott Mullenberg is the owner of Mullenberg Designs and Portfolio Design Studio. He is an expert book builder who specializes in custom portfolio structures, receiving high praise from the numerous photographers who have worked with him to create their custom portfolio books and cases.“The beauty of having a custom portfolio created is you have the opportunity to choose materials that reflect you and your work.”

About:
Mullenberg Design is a hand bookbinding studio specializing in custom portfolio fabrications for the visual artist. “The goal at Mullenberg Designs is to exceed your expectations for design and craftsmanship, and to provide you with the highest level of personal service.” In addition, the Portfolio Design Studio, an arm of Mullenberg Designs, offers the “D.T.K., Dressed To Kill” line of portfolios and slipcases in 5 sizes and 8 fabric styles with optional name/logo debossing on both the portfolio and slipcase.

Interview
I recently had the opportunity to ask Scott a few questions about his process and thoughts on portfolios.

Scott, please tell us a little bit about you and your business? How did you get into this type of work?

I completed a bookbinding apprenticeship with William Streeter in Northampton, Massachusetts in the early’90’s and returned to Portland, Maine to open up shop with friend and colleague, Susan Holland. The bulk of our work at that time was restoring leather and cloth-bound books, along with a spattering of what I would call new work; a portfolio here and there, working with book artists to assist in actualizing their vision from content to fabrication, photo albums for wedding photographers. When Susan moved to Washington a few years later I opened up shop under the moniker, Mullenberg Designs. The direction of my work began to change at this time, as I became less interested in restoring books and more interested in working one-on-one with a variety of different book artists, visual designers and photographers. Something clicked! Now, in 2010, the majority of my clients are photographers who are looking for a custom portfolio structure to house their work for presentation. It’s a collaborative process that I find dynamic and stimulating and I’m continually grateful to be able to work with such talented, driven entrepreneurs.

As the title of our book indicates, my co-author and I believe a unique portfolio book represents a photographer or designer far better than a generic portfolio case. Since you’re in the business of making these books, what do you think the benefits are to a hand crafted custom book?
Read more »

Enter Drawing to Win Free Copy of Our Book

Follow No Plastic Sleeves on Twitter and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a free copy of our book, No Plastic Sleeves: The Complete Portfolio Guide for Photographers and Designers. The book is do out the end of March and the drawing will happen Monday, March 1, 2010. The winners will be announced on the site and through Twitter. Those of you already following us will be automatically entered. If you don’t Twitter, enter the drawing by emailing us at freebook@noplasticsleeves.com.

Allison V. Smith, Promotional Zine

Photographer Allison V. Smith has just created another one of her promotional zines, with hand lettering done by Will Bryant.

About the Zine
“Just in time for 2010 , Zine 4, Can You Hear Me Now?. All photos shot with my iPhone over the past year. Over 60 over-saturated & processed through iPhone apps photos fill this zine. I can’t wait to hear what you all think! ” – Allison V Smith

Go to Superficial Snapshots for more information about Allison’s zines, including how to purchase the latest edition.

Comments?What do you think?
Click here to comment.

Frank Fellow Award Self-Promotional Brand System

Frank Baseman is an AIGA Fellow and Principal of Baseman Design Associates. He is also an Associate Professor and Interim Director of the Graphic Design Communication program at Philadelphia University (www.philau.edu/designandmedia).

About the Project
“Upon receiving the AIGA Fellow Award from the Philadelphia chapter of AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Professional Association for Design) I produced a Self-Promotional Brand System that I could send to Clients and Prospects to commemorate this momentous occasion. The Brand System included a Brochure, Poster and Notecard, and played with the alliteration of the two “F”s in Fellow and Frank. For the Brochure Cover and Poster I made a collage of “F”s from old Victorian typefaces, as well as from Circus and Sign cuts, and produced a 20-page plus Cover, saddle-stitch Brochure that highlighted thirteen projects produced by Baseman Design Associates through the years. To economize, the outer wrapper of the Brochure was printed at the same time–on the same sheet–as the Poster. Read more »

NO PLASTIC SLEEVES site named a HOW Design “Top Ten Site”

Noplasticsleeves.com named one of HOW Magazine’s “Top Ten Sites for Designers” this month.
http://www.howdesign.com/top10sitesfordesigners/

Check out the other sites listed, including the MoMA’s interactive exhibit celebrating the work of Gabriel Orozco. I also enjoyed the portfolio site for Christopher Tobias.

Photographer Bob Stevens’ “Look Book” Brochure

This promotional book for photographer Bob Stevens was designed by IE Design + Communications in Hermosa Beach, CA. The piece received a merit award in the ‘09 HOW Promotion Design Competition.

Comments? Let us know what you think.
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