The Surtex, NSS and ICFF 2015 Shows - A Year of Flexibility and Transition

After 3 consecutive years of exhibiting at Surtex, this year we decided to take a break and take care of some personal affairs instead. However, we did walk the shows - Surtex, NSS and ICFF - as Press. Why did we do that?

Last year we started to publish some interviews and editorials in an On-The-Road Series and we will continue doing so as we travel around the globe. We also wanted to find out what's going on in the world of commercial art and share our findings with this very generous community of amazing artists. Many have asked me to report straight facts, so here we are, with no embellishments.

I also always advise to read up on all blog editorials to get the full view of what's going on. You'll find down below several links to posts I have found so far.

SURTEX 2015

We walked the show all three days and the traffic seemed to be pretty much the same as last year and the year before. Yet some manufacturers said to me that they felt that the energy was different from earlier years, that the show was missing something this time around. Exhibitors told me that they had better quality clients approaching them.

So what changed? Several things changed and I will list just a few that were the most obvious. To begin with, Surtex was smaller and was sandwiched in between the NSS and the ICFF.

The Furniture show expanded and in addition to the first floor, it took over part of the 2nd floor where the Surtex Atelier section used to be. Many veteran and non-veteran artists chose not to exhibit this year, for whatever reason. The show management changed, manufacturers were newly qualified by the show management, and fewer artists walked the show because of the higher entrance fee.

We gathered some informal and rough data by counting the number of booths for the past three years out of the Surtex Directories for 2013, 2014 and 2015. Below is the chart that shows the results, and although this graph is not the only way to measure whether the show was a success, it does indicate that it is in a transitional phase.

I am not sure how this transitional phase will play out, but Surtex is indeed changing, for better or the worse.

In my opinion, the transition with Surtex is but a piece of the larger transition enveloping the whole design industry as there are many other ways to sell or license a design now. New technologies allow for faster communication but that's not the only change. Artists are collaborating more and more amongst themselves in the form of collectives or joining in an exclusive partnership with manufacturers.

Agents are in demand, as the costs to exhibit through an agent are generally less if they bear all the fees. And of course, if they do so, they want a guaranteed return, so they pick the best selling artists to be in their portfolio. Or, some also share the costs of exhibiting with their represented artists. Some don't show at all but they are internet savvy and do online marketing instead. Today, there are many different business models being used.

There are also other design shows that have successfully increased their marketing, affiliates and exhibitors. Take for example, the newly launched virtual world of the Art Licensing Show, where artists virtually show their work for a fee. There are many online POD sites as well as professional sites like Linkedin, Pinterest and Instagram, where visuals are the key to connecting with clients.

Yet Surtex has positioned itself as the premiere event for selling and licensing original art and design. Many independent artists still prefer to exhibit there in addition to the above venues or other shows, like the AmericasMart Atlanta or the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas to name only a couple. There are so, so many more. It would be interesting to do a survey of who sells, licenses or freelances but I think it would be safe to guess that some combination is the new business model for most artists starting out and perhaps for veteran artists who need to keep relevant.

In short, the competition is fearless and flexibility is the password for such transitional times. Even the trend conferences we listened to at the show stressed the mix of styles and trends, the transition, and the flexibility of doing business.

I took some quick notes about the themes and trends, although I am sure other blogs have done more in-depth analyses and more will be talked about in upcoming weeks - don't miss the Ask Paul Brent on May 27, hosted by Tara Reed - Paul will be doing his fabulous SURTEX trend review as usual.

Aside from the still going strong birds (including owls !!!), butterflies, sheep, dogs, cats and other cute animals are all over the market. Lettering and editorial art is still strong. Humor and cuteness was displayed by many. Abstracts, geometrics and florals are everywhere. Black and white, a classic, is again on the rise and adult coloring book line art is highly desired by the Publishing market. In short, nothing particularly new that I could tell with the exception of more hand painted art, which is finally strong enough to compete against the flat digital art that started flooding the licensing arena some years back.

The most exciting thing about Surtex this year was to meet with many artist friends, agents and exhibitors. Here are some photos, although I wish I have taken many more!

Kelly Ventura - Surtex 2015

Kelly's fine art is very fresh and colorful. Her contemporary take on florals and abstracts is for sure unique amongst the numerous hand painted artwork at Surtex this year.

Caleb Gray Studio - Surtex 2015

Caleb Grey's art is so much fun and uniquely modern in style with a fun, retro vibe. In Italian we say "simpatico"!

Giordano Studios - Surtex 2015

Bob Giordano is a veteran of art licensing. Every year he exhibits at Surtex, Licensing Expo and AmericasMart Atlanta. I will publish a full interview with him this summer. I can't wait to have him as our guest! You can find his lovely work here: www.giordanostudios.com.

Monika Forsberg - Surtex 2015

I recently interviewed both Monika (above) and Jennifer(below), who exhibited at Surtex as part of Cloverly Art Collective - such lovely and unique work!

Jennifer Orkin Lewis (August Wren) - Surtex 2015

Sarah Frederking - Surtex 2015

Sarah has done Surtex for the 3rd year, although she also exhibited many years ago. Her textile books are really cute and fun! You can find out more about her patterns and designs here: http://sarahfrederkingdesign.com.

Kate Austin - Surtex 2015

Kate has exhibited in the Atelier section of Surtex last year and this year decided to be in the art licensing section instead. Her colorful patterns stood out at the show. You can find out more about Kate here: www.kateaustindesigns.com.

Ashley Rodriguez Reed - Surtex 2015

Ashley walked the show a couple of years ago and this year took her designs to Surtex - her lovely hanging wall planters and patterns looked very playful! Her website: www.ashleyrodriguezreed.com.

NATIONAL STATIONERY SHOW

It was fun to walk the NSS this year. Of note, letter press and hand painted art were nicely displayed by large companies as well as small businesses and independent artists.

I took some pictures with the exhibitor's permission, although the lighting wasn't the best. I will publish more interviews and articles in future weeks.

Katharine Watson - NSS 2015

Katherine hand painted her backdrop wall and has block printed her images on paper. Her stationery and textile products are fantastic in both quality and design. You can find her work here: www.etsy.com/shop/ShopKatharineWatson.

Our Heiday - NSS 2015

Patricia Shen walked away from a legal career to pursue her dream and launched her own business in June 2014. Her work is colorful and fun! You can find her designs here: http://ourheiday.com/.

Mara-Mi - NSS 2015

This display was one of the best at the NSS, although my photo doesn't do it justice. The design was lovely. You can find more about Mara-Mi here: www.mara-mi.com.

INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY FURNITURE FAIR

I loved it! It was so much fun to see some of the trends coming in from Europe and how the interior design in the 21st Century is influenced by many trends and the flexibility of emerging designers who are also artists. Small businesses created by them exhibited here amongst large or well established businesses. Very brave indeed!

The eco outdoor/indoor themes were very present and it was great to see how they were incorporated in interiors to play together.

We saw more of exotic and sophisticated rustic textures, vibrant and neutral colors, and hand painted art was also visible at this show, along with natural fibers and other innovative concepts.

Fom Icon Mag 2015

Sylvie and Mira of Lisa Peck's home accessories company.

Sylvie's method reproduces her watercolors for interiors, curtains, rugs and wall paper - made in the USA.

Valerie Laudier

Valerie created these Japan-inspired interiors with a European twist, featuring some of her exquisite hand stitched artwork - made in France.

Ronel Jordan

Ronel has been a textile designer for 26 years. Inspired by nature, she featured these beautiful hand crafted felt florals - made in South Africa.

La Fabbrica del Lino

La Fabbrica del Lino manufacturers a beautiful stone-washed linen and other high-end goods - made in Italy.

Garden on the Wall

Garden on the Wall exhibited real plants treated with non-toxics chemicals to adorn interior walls of houses and buildings. Really nice work made in the USA.

Antolini

Antolini showcased some beautiful marble textures in geometric forms - made in Italy.

PRESS & PROMO KITS

Here some of the best promo kits we picked up from the Press Room. There were many, many more but we couldn't get them all. Watch out for upcoming interviews with artists who did have a Press kit!

Fox & Fallow & Design Design

One Canoe Two

Kelly May - Krenz

Printable Wisdom

Our Heiday

Miriam Bos

Neiko Ng

SUMMARY

We think Surtex is still a great show and per what we gathered the quality prevailed over quantity, however since the attendance of the exhibitors significantly dropped this year in all three categories of exhibitors (Atelier, New Exibitors, Veterans), it will require some stronger and innovative marketing to draw an increasing number of qualified manufacturers to make it worthwhile for independent artists to continue to bear the high costs of future exhibitions. Manufacturers are the clients, true, but without the artists there is no show.

We will continue to go to shows and explore the increasing landscape of possibilities for designers and artists. Trends are not as important as the quality of the art itself and the connections between the artist and the manufacturer. We did talk to several of them after some of the conference workshops and we will write more editorials on those topics as well in upcoming weeks - we just couldn't condense everything here.

The NSS is still strong although it also seemed smaller compared to other years. I don't have the directories for 2013 and 2014 though, so I can't say for sure. We liked the more sophisticated letter press mixed with hand painted art. It looked fresh and very crafty.

The housing market is on the raise and so therefore is the demand for good Interior Design. It's now another venue for creating and selling art on a commercial basis through manufacturing your own home decor and accessories. The combinations are infinite! Wall art, curtains, wall paper, small objects, eco-friendly accessories, you name it!

In short, it seems there have never been more opportunities for artists to find ways to get their art into the hands of their public - though this means that the world of art and art licensing is growing even more ambiguous and challenging than ever before!

OTHER BLOG EDITORIALS ON SURTEX

(I will add more as they get published)

https://blogjnet.wordpress.com/2015/05/20/national-stationery-show-surtex-observations, by J’net Smith

http://www.nicoletamarin.com/blog/surtex-2015-under-new-management.html 

by Nicole Tamarin

http://annietroe.blogspot.com/2015/05/photo-review-look-at-surtex-booths.html

by Annie Troe

http://www.annewashereandthere.com/2015-surtex-national-stationery-show-recap 

by Anne was Here

Upcoming Special Art Licensing Editorial

We're going to take a short break from publishing interviews and other editorials on our artists around the globe because we're preparing a special manufacturer editorial for this week. I can't wait to share this amazing insight into the never-resting world of licensing! It's an exclusive interview with a manufacturer we really, really like ... don't miss it!

© alessandra colombo - holiday peace & love tree

We'll resume the posting of our artists' interviews and stories on December 17th - there are so many wonderful artists in the licensing community, we can't seem to stop being amazed. Our goal is to eventually  publish everyone - we usually look through Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc., and online shops and other design blogs like Print&Pattern - it's so fun to scroll through! And speaking of which, thanks Bowie Style for publishing my Holiday Peace and Love Tree collection!

An additional piece of news:  from time to time I will post freebies that can be download and used for non-commercial/personal use only please. The first set of giveaways are a set of fun everyday art type borders and labels for crafts projects or for snail mail. One of the patterns is a cute snail to seal your packages or envelopes. So if you like the design, go to the links below and print your own set. I use white self-adhesive sheets 8 1/2 x 11 I purchased from worldlabel.com and cut them out to fit the application I need. They work great!

"Sweet Fruits" labels

"Cute Garden" labels

__________________________________________________________

The Moon from My Attic on Social Media - A brand New Facebook Page!

I just recently got in my set of promotional postcards that I will be sending out to various manufacturers soon, so I'm excited about this next step of my journey into art licensing!

www.alexcolombo.com

I also launched my new (public) Facebook Page where I will be featuring interviewed artists to further promote them and their beautiful work. I'll share cool quizzes and other surprises ... anyone can participate; artist winners will be featured on the side bar of this blog for a full month for free! You can Like my new FB page here: facebook.com/CCDSalexcolombo

To top it all this week I entered a cool contest on Spoonflower, where I have a shop called Studio•Alex. The theme is Holiday Cocktail Napkins; you submit the artwork for a set of them and you can actually vote without needing to be registered or have an account. My napkins look like these below and they will be on sale soon, right after the contest. I appreciate your votes if you like them - it's easy and quick to do, just click on my design layout and then continue to the last page and enter your vote!

© 2012 alessandra colombo - www.alexcolombo.com

It seems to me, and I am new to this, that the work of marketing and promoting your art is a never ending one. I can assure you, though, that it is lots of fun and rewarding to collaborate with all of you!

I also want to add my many thanks to all past successful artists, as they have paved the road for the rest of us with their success. It is a real team activity after all - way before the internet grew into fruition. Artists have become more and more professional by learning from past pioneers who led the evolution of the industry and inspired many in the process.

Stay tuned for more great interviews and articles from artists, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers...very soon!

Brief Tips & Tricks in Art Licensing

What's a proper etiquette when approaching a manufacturer at a show? Well, I have done some research and found some good tips and tricks from art licensing professionals. It's also common sense in any business.

RIGHT WAY: Approach a manufacturer at a booth when not already engaged in a conversation; ask: "Can you give me the name and contact info of the person responsible for reviewing new art as I'd like to contact them after the show." (or something along that line)

WRONG WAY: Don't walk up to people in the booth if they are already busy in a conversation with other people and ask for info or to review your portfolio. Aside from being rude, it's also a sure way to create a bad impression with both manufacturer and guest being entertained ... you never know who that might be.

OCCASIONAL WAY: You might be asked to go see someone else who is nearby when asking the contact. If that happens, kindly thank them and go introduce yourself. Ask for that person for their contact info, again stressing that it's for after the show. Sometimes they will look at your work then and there, but normally they will give you a card to use for contacting them at a later time.

ADDITIONAL WAY: Do your homework before walking the show. Find out about a company's products and customers ahead of time. You should know and understand what they do; you want to show them quickly that you get their products/materials and that you can show them rapidly how your art might fit in to their company's products or market demand.

Also, have a good sample visual/small package of your work along with your card, something that will catch their attention. It should be a good representation of your work and that should be something they can store away easily yet allows them to remember you at a glance as they go back to their office. Otherwise it could take up weeks to look you up again. 

At last, make sure you bring your portfolio nicely presented or in digital format (tablet) to the show in case you get "lucky" and get to present your art on the spot! 

As they say, "Chance favors the prepared mind."

The Dynamic Surtex, NSS and ICFF Shows! ...And Now, What's Next?

Colorful cookies based on one of
my designs - handed out at the show! 

It was a great show! It was so much fun and amazing to meet up with artists and agents from around the country - I got to meet many of you, which I think was the highlight of my trip!

The aisles between the colorful booths were bustling with people, licensing artists who were happily ready to present their new fabulous work, focused manufacturers looking for specific and novelty artwork, and curious but respectful newbies pondering whether they should be exhibiting next year. Free and paid seminars were delivered in different locations while monitors in the Cafe area advertised all sorts of design styles and new concepts.

The Surtex staff were also busy taking care of everyone and doing a great job. And finally the Press - The Moon from My Attic was also present amongst those walking the floor, and was very active in setting up interviews and sharing insights with many smiling faces, including the four finalist students of the annual Surtex-sponsored student design competition, who were all awaiting for their designs to be judged by a panel of licensing experts.  Check out Designext 2012 link for the winner!

Surtex 2012 Designext Finalists

I will be publishing post-Surtex interviews for the next couple of months to give the opportunity to many emerging and established artists to share their own stories about the show and their passion for art. My agent, Montage Licensing, was very happy about the outcome of the three days there and was in fact so busy talking to clients that I could barely chat with her when I went by the booth. Time will tell, as follow-ups are just as important as the concentrated frenzy of the show, but we can all hope for the best.

My own impressions of the show: as I talked to many, some were very happy, while some were not as pleased but everyone seemed to enjoy the meetings with manufacturers that were diligently set up before the show started. So this is one thing I learned over again - it's important to set up your appointments before the show as opposed to waiting for some unspecified walk-in to show up at your booth.

Some booths were spectacular, so well planned and set up. Cheers to many of you who went the extra mile to display your work!  You can see pictures of some exhibitors who have shared their booth displays through their blogs, through the official Surtex site, or as part of some of the interviews I'll be publishing in the coming months.

The other important piece of information from the show, in my view, is that the National Stationary Show adjacent to the Surtex area was also jammed with people and manufacturers - it was interesting to watch the stationary show exhibitors crossing over to shop for new art, while licensing artists were crossing over to pick up the pulse of new trends and products. I wish there was a way to evaluate that exchange of energy and information flow, as it is potentially one of the most dynamic aspects of Surtex I believe. It seemed very engaged this year.

As for trends, I am not an expert but my opinion is that brighter colors were showing up a little bit everywhere, especially the warm tones in connection to neutrals like grays and browns - I had noticed this trend coming in from Europe last year, which was confirmed in a very well hosted free seminar by French designer Emmanuelle Linard with Edelkoort, Inc. Yellow is the new pink, she mentioned, and green/eco design is also a growing trend she talked about which I saw very clearly in all three shows (Surtex, NSS and ICFF). Although not a new one, it is definitely gaining even more prominence and strength.

The large growth of vendors providing letterpress printing services is another example that illustrates a trend that has been emerging for some time now and more explicitly could be described as the return to hand made crafts, an alternative in-touch-with-nature life style assisted by high-tech futuristic technologies of tomorrow. I noticed, for example, that laser-cut, lace-like techniques are being applied by some start-up vendors to numerous products such as stationary and cards and other commercial products, which illustrates how artisanal handmade and high tech collaborative concepts can be turned into appealing products for the mass market.

From the International Stationary Show, 2012

Other trends spotted at the shows are the ever classic retro and vintage ones, as well as designing with words. Still strong and fun, they seem to be the favorites of many artists.

Finally, the one trend I personally love and favor is the hand drawn-illustration style of artwork, which is showing up everywhere. Many companies had this type of art as a background to their displayed products in the NSS but this style is also everywhere in the artwork of many artists. Not to say that flat-digital art isn't still a strong design look, but it is nicely balanced by the counter-trend of the DYI-hand drawn and primitive art. Again the handmade and natural ethos comes to life here.

So what's next after Surtex?

Follow-ups are key to all involved with the shows, so this is on the top of my list. In my next blog post I will give a few more details on specific trends I think are closer to my heart, including colors, shapes, home textiles and furniture. I will also add that there will be a special editorial sometime soon with a manufacturer and art director who have been very instrumental in sharing their side of the story as art licensing is concerned. So we'll cover the field from all fronts.

I advise you to read all the other blogs that are covering the 2012 Surtex/NSS shows as well, since multiple views are invaluable to help you get an overall idea of what's going on. Since we have such mix of trends and concepts, you can pick the one you feel is closest to your heart and art style!

I want to thank several of the artists and friends we met, including Montage Licensing's team, Cathy Heck Studio, Sue Zipkin, Lance Klass' team, Eriko Maeda, the DANG! gals, Carol Van Zandt, Iza Pearl, Paul Brent, Marilyn MacGregor, Lilla Rogers, Chris Reed, Tamara Holland, Jennifer Castoldi, Karen Harris, and Linadona Botanical to mention a few, as well as many others who made time to say hi or agreed to be interviewed. 

Finally, after the massive input and impressions I received while at the show I decided to just get some fresh air and see a little bit of NYC. I picked a walk down the High Line Park and really enjoyed it! Interestingly, the park rather exemplifies the trend towards a high-tech solution that incorporates vintage elements with a back-to-nature ethic. Here are some images from the stroll along this beautiful elevated green path, not too far from the Javitz Center. What a treat, and what a great way to end a fantastic trip to New York!

The High Line's busiest resident - © 2012 Paul Stout

Best views of New York - on the High Line  © 2012 Paul Stout