How does one
"find" what works for licensing? It's been an
interesting and challenging process to discover what I am willing to license that could be also appealing to manufacturers. I'm still not totally sure in fact, but for the past couple of weeks I've been developing more concepts for my collections and I think I've found a possible way through this narrow tunnel... I still have much more market research to do, although I think this is an ever continuing, integral part of licensing.
To help enlighten the quest for a workable licensing style, Sheri McCulley Seibold of
Sheri Berry Designs shares with us her story.
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| Artist Sheri McCulley Seibold |
Since her 2007 debut at the
Surtex art licensing show in New York, Sheri has built
Sheri Berry Designs
into a brand that encompasses fabric, holiday ornaments, murals,
crafting supplies, cards, stuffed animals, checks and wallets, and baby
clothing and decor – her brand name,
Sheri Berry, is based on the nickname her parents gave her as a child.
Sheri’s dad was an art professor, and she grew up among
the easels, paints, and brushes of the college art studios where he
taught. She also spent summers at her grandparents’ farm in Oklahoma.
Wherever she was, she says her earliest goal was simply “to create!”
Sheri earned degrees in photography and graphic design from Pacific
Union College in California, and since then has done commercial
graphic design as well as taught art at all levels from kindergarten to
college.
Since exhibiting at her first licensing show in 2007, Sheri has done projects with about a dozen different licensees, including
Macy’s,
Northcott Silk,
EK Success,
Provo Craft, and
Bradford Exchange.
TMFMA: What's exciting about your creative work? I
love having a spark of an idea and watching it grow into a small candle
flame, a campfire, and finally a roaring bonfire. Like many licensed
artists, I enjoy seeing my work applied to products and getting it into
consumers’ hands—It’s how I make a living. But turning an initial
concept into a complete, unified collection of art that can be taken to
market by a licensee who “gets it” is very exciting.
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Woodland Tails on melamine tableware for Lily and George
© Sheri Berry Designs |
TMFMA: What's your favorite medium or tool/s you create with? I
work in Adobe Illustrator, but many of my ideas start out as pencil
sketches on my clipboard, a sticky note, or the back of a grocery list.
You never know when an idea’s going to hit! I often scan in these
sketches to give me some reference as I work in Illustrator, but other
times I just start drawing on screen.
TMFMA: Who or what has inspired you in your art?
As
a child, I admired artists like Betsy Clark, Holly Hobbie, and Charles
Schulz, and dreamed of creating art that would add joy to everyday
living, like the treasured pillowcase my mom made me from Holly Hobbie
fabric. I studied art history and the “great masters” in college, but
what I really appreciate and relate to are the largely unknown
commercial artists of the twentieth century—people who created artful
advertising, affordable textile designs, charming illustrations for
children’s books and home magazines, household goods, and corporate and
product mascots. Unlike “fine art,” these things are all a window into
the real history and culture of the American spirit.
TMFMA: How long have you been doing art licensing? In 2007, I made my first exhibitor appearance at the
Surtex licensing show in New York City, which led to my first two deals for stationery products and fabric.
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Tiki Tikes collection for Murals Your Way
© Sheri Berry Designs |
TMFMA: What brought you to exhibit for the first time and how many shows have you exhibited in? While working on the art staff of a scrapbooking supplies company, I became aware of
Surtex
for the first time when I was sent with a group of fellow employees to
walk the show and discover “trends.” I wanted my art to be on more kinds
of products than scrapbooking supplies, and felt I had to try the show
from the inside of a booth rather than the outside! My husband agreed,
and in 2007 we went to New York and did our first Surtex show. We have exhibited there every year since then.
TMFMA: Do you work with an agent or do you represent yourself?
Until recently, my husband and I completely managed our own client
relations and contracts, based mostly on contacts we got from Surtex. We
are now working with a freelance licensing industry veteran to help us
build new licensee relationships, assist in contracts and negotiations,
develop new product ideas, and generally build awareness of our studio
brand. We will be announcing more about this relationship at a later
time.
TMFMA: Do you advise new artists to exhibit at Surtex or other art licensing shows to start off their career? And
how many shows should they be part of to begin with? As far as trade
shows go, Surtex has been my primary marketing and networking tool, and
we’ve never felt the need to exhibit anywhere else. It does represent a
substantial investment for the first-time exhibitor, but for me it’s
been a good source of clients and projects. Those considering Surtex
should certainly get second opinions from people who’ve exhibited at
other shows before assuming Surtex is the best one for them.
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Swell Noel for Afghan kit for Dimensions (EK Success)
© Sheri Berry Designs |
TMFMA: Please give us your analysis of the market based on your own experience and contacts.
To summarize the market from my perspective: 2007: Difficult! 2008:
Hard! 2009: Challenging! 2010: Competitive! 2011: Scary! My point is
that working in art licensing is an inherently challenging and somewhat
chaotic way to make a living. Even though it sometimes looks easy to
those who are observing the industry from the outside, for me there have
been ups and downs, good years and bad ones. Regardless of the economy
at a given time, or the number of prospects you meet at the show in a
particular year, or even the number of projects you did last year—I
don’t see clear-cut “trends” in my project calendar. The market for
licensed art has always been—for me, at least—unpredictable and
sporadic.
TMFMA: At Surtex an artist can both sell
and seek art license opportunities. How does one decide what to sell
and what to license? Our studio always intended to
license only, because I’ve never wanted to sell all rights to any of the
art I’ve done. That said, I think it’s important to distinguish between
licensing for royalties and licensing for a flat fee. Both are
licensing, technically, because you sign a contract with a manufacturer
to let them use defined art on defined product types for defined periods
of time. Some manufacturers are set up to track and pay royalties,
while others prefer a one-time, up-front fee that gives them exclusive
rights to that art within a particular product category for a specific
period of time. Some artists refuse to do anything but royalties, but if
you do that try to negotiate for an advance or “guarantee” on royalty
payments in case the product doesn’t sell as well as you think it will.
Another
way to figure this out is to go to Surtex yourself and see what types
of art are being sold and what are being licensed. Selling art outright
may be right for some artists, but licensing was the right choice for
me.
TMFMA: In your view, what was of major interest to manufacturers this year? What do you think the main trends are for 2011-2012? We
didn’t see any clear-cut areas of interest to manufacturers this year,
or any year. The only real trend is that it’s getting more competitive,
and more manufacturers are wanting to buy art outright.
TMFMA:
What advice would you give other artists that are considering the art
licensing field and that want to exhibit in a show like Surtex?
First, if possible, attend your target show as a non-exhibitor so
you can get a feel for the show’s vibe and where you fit in. Waiting
for the next show may seem like an unbearable delay, but having a booth
is a big investment for the first-time exhibitor and you want to be
prepared and make sure it’s the right place for you.
The
number of projects I’ve done in the four years since I first went to
Surtex can give the impression that it’s as easy as showing up and
having the deals roll in. What new exhibitors don’t realize when
considering that total is the overwhelming number of promising leads
that simply dried up, the projects that got cancelled, and the deals
that fell short of their early apparent potential. This may not be true
for every licensed artist, but I’ve talked to enough of them to know
that creating art is a lot easier for us than a) finding new licensees
who not only like your art but can push a project through their
organization, all the way to market, and b) keeping that early
excitement alive for future projects, even with licensees you’ve had a
positive relationship with. Having good sales on products your artwork
appears on helps keep the door open, but every new project is a test of
the licensee’s ability to invest wisely and pick winners in the
marketplace—not just art that they personally like. This is another
reason why many companies “play it safe” and repeatedly manufacture with
designs that they know will sell—and what they pick may not be yours!
TMFMA: Any other useful info that you'd like to share about art licensing? While
it’s important to be confident about your own look and style,
remember—when you get a deal—that you are part of a team that’s needed
to get the product to market—not the center of the universe. Be nice and
don’t step on other people while trying to get your work noticed.
Second,
be prepared to compromise and adapt what you do. You may create
beautiful or fun or sophisticated art, but each manufacturer has their
own goals in the marketplace and you need to help them achieve those. I
love quilts, but I’m not a quilter, so I knew I could either accept the
manufacturer’s instincts on adapting my style and actually get a product
on the market, or insist on having everything my own way and spend the
next 20 years creating art for myself. Manufacturers know their
audience—and if you help them succeed, you will succeed.
Third,
take production deadlines seriously and deliver your art in the form
requested. Just as when you’re working at a salaried job, establish
yourself not only as a good artist but a reliable partner who
manufacturers can count on.
