Online Arts & Literature Journal Increases Subscriptions Through New Architecture
Information Architecture + Art & Literature Journal Mental ContagIon
Winter, 2008

In the fall of 2000, Design for the Arts director Karen Kopacz launched the first issue of Mental Contagion, an online arts and literature journal that is more than 7 years in the making. This journal has seen a lot of redesigns—supporting more than 85 issues. The January-February 2008 issue launched a redesign with revised architecture that saw dramatic results in user behavior within the first 19 days.

Seen in the chart above, the redesign and new layout for the email blast shows dramatic results in user clickthrough to view articles online. The redeveloped navigation includes social bookmarking tools for StumbleUpon, Digg, Facebook and del.icio.us, and a new format that encourages subscription sign up on every page. A variety of factors were taken into consideration in the re-architecting process, including creating stable pages that will never be moved to an archive with the launch of each new issue. This ensures that bookmarks remain valid, also creating an archive format that will not be overwhelming to manage.

Publishing a site every month for 7 years creates a mess of pages to update with each new issue, and because the journal sometimes changes format, this consideration and others led to the decision to build the majority of the page's content with php includes. The advantage: when the navigation changes, only one file needs to be updated.

Check out MentalContagion.com



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A Brand New Identity for an Educational Publisher
Brand Building + Accompany Publishing
Winter, 2008

Accompany Publishing will be launching 67 new products in 2008. Design for the Arts has worked with Accompany for 5 years (since the beginning), assisting with everything from illustrating book covers and CDs, to editorial layout, Web site and direct marketing design.

Design for the Arts suggested the brand identity initiative in response to Accompany's request for design work for their new products which would include books, games and expansion into new product territory. Principal of Accompany Publishing, Sam Graber, expressed great enthusiasm for setting this important strategy in motion. Creating a brand identity has been proven to increase sales and customer trust. Brand has often been called "a company's promise." It encompasses everything from color palette and font usage to logo, tagline and placement of key design elements. This promise is a thread through all materials.

The brand guidline system was created to maintain coherency throughout marketing materials and products in anticipation of company growth as Accompany Publishing begins to widen their market to compete with larger educational publishers. Additionally, the guidelines will be a valuable tool that will assist the multiple designers who will work with Accompany Publishing to create products and supporting marketing initiatives. The resulting document revealed an easy-to-access PDF document with guidelines, brand statements and hard and soft rules. The document was designed with expansion in mind, as the company continues to grow.



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Creating a Tagline: The Poetry of Marketing
Brand Building + été Handbags
Winter, 2008

été Handbags makes custom bags in a variety of shapes, sizes and fabrics, and they look fabulous! Their brand, however, needed help creating consistency throughout marketing materials, including identitiy pieces and Web site. In addition to creating a brand identity that would strongly connect all marketing elements, we needed to develop consice language that would help potential customers understand that été Handbags are all about customization and home parties. Design for the Arts led this initiative and came up with two key phrases that would appear in all marketing materials to further engage the target demographic: married women in the 'burbs with some disposable income.

The tagline, "It's Your Style" speaks to the customizable nature of their product. It communicates directly to the consumer, making a personalized connection, and conveys a sense of fashion. Design for the Arts thinks about taglines as the poetry of the marketing world: each word has a powerful job. Too many or too few words will detract from expression of just the right sentiment.

Since the majority of été's proftis come from home parties, a secondary phrase was created and placed throughout marketing materials to encourage participation. Design for the Arts chose to upscale the language of "home party" to "soirée." This fit well with the été name both visually and phonetically, and acheived a dual purpose that spoke to the right demographic.

"Host an été soirée and été will gift a portion of the sales toward your handbag!"

Further, letting viewers know that they will get a discount if they host, creates an effective headline that can be followed with a call-to-action using été contact information.

Check out eteHandbags.com



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A Novel Web Site
Concept & Strategy + Author Geoff Herbach
Winter, 2008

Having destroyed his life, the suicidal T. Rimberg strikes out on a journey through history and geography. From Minneapolis to Europe to a fiery accident near Green Bay, he searches for a father who is likely dead, digs for meaning where he’s sure there is none, fires out suicide letters to family, celebrities, presidents and football stars, and lands in a hospital bed across from a priest who believes that he has caused a miracle.

"The Miracle Letters of T. Rimberg" will be available April 15th, 2008. The supporting site was illustrated by Andy Sturdevant and designed and developed by Design for the Arts. Author Geoff Herbach wanted to create a site that would do more than promote book, he wanted it to add depth. The site was developed from the point of view of Cranberry, one of the main characters, who shares evidence from events that occur throughout the book. We chose to guide the user to this evidence through location, since the book weaves the story through 6 different settings via the main character T. Rimberg. Cranberry even has a blog on the site that continues to reveal information that he discovers about the main character T. Rimberg, and the events that surround him.

The site integrates quotes and quick facts in every primary navigtaion section, social bookmarking tools and is rich with embedded YouTube videos throughout the site's multi-media pages. Design for the Arts also designed the site logo, which was loosely based on '60s pop culture and fit the book dynamic.

Check out TheMiracleLetters.com



In order to provide information on author readings and events without interrupting the site concept, Design for the Arts designed the author's personal site as a separate entity, accessable only from the homepage and the footer navigation of TheMiracleLetters.com, for those avid fans who are interested in learning more.

Check out GeoffHerbach.com

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Do Marketing and Art Mix?
Art Smart + Visual Artist Kathryn Stemwedel
Winter, 2008

There is a wide-spread misconception that artists spend all of their time creating. (And I know this because the same misconception exists about designers.) Nothing could be further from the truth. This is not to say that we do not feel fulfilled (and lucky), but the fact is we are running businesses. While 9 to 5-ers leave at the end of the day (usually) and have their benefits taken care of, artists and freelance designers are forever concepting, planning, doing research, writing proposals, writing grants, sifting through paperwork, learning the art of scheduling, becoming project managers, meeting with gallery owners, adding up deductions, worrying about insurance and retirement and, oh yeah, being creative. At least that is what we are doing if our endeavor really is a business.

So do artists need a marketing strategy? Even musicians have a handle on the art of marketing, due to the competitive nature of their industry. Every musician I know has a bio, press kit and a one-sheet that lets radio DJs and other industry people know what label they are on, the songs that should be played, when the tour is, and so on. Artists need this same kind of organized structure, in order to efficiently update industry people on their accomplishments and projects, but unlike musicians, an overwhelming number of artists do not have this system in place.

Design for the Arts began working with artist Kathryn Stemwedel to help establish goals and strategy. Designing a Web site that highlights her fine art and her interior décor has become an excellent tool for her to refer to during discussions with potential clients. In particular, photographing and posting the numerous frescos she painted in a prestigous Minneapolis mansion has added a lot of depth and interest to her site. Highlighting her many experiences, including her education and teaching experience in Italy, helps build credibility. Since the launch of her site, her artwork has been featured in the Twin Cities Gallery Guide (30,000 distributed throughout the Twin Cities), she has participated in the Rake's Gallery Grooves series and we've created and updated documents for press, biography, statement, past exhbitions and CV that can be printed or emailed to galleries, media or adapted for the purpose of grant writing.

By providing materials that help artists organize their goals and their materials, it makes self-promoting more managable. Success is not tied solely to talent, although it helps and Kathryn has no shortage of it. Many artists who continue to grow in popularity and prosperity do so becuase, in addition to their creative skills, they are connected and maintain consistent followthrough on possible opportunities. By consulting with artists about their goals, strengths and triumphs—and also addressing issues that deter successes—a plan can be devloped for helping artists reach their full potential.

Check out KathrynStemwedel.com



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Writing a Biography for the Creative Professional
Creative's Field Guide + Articles by Experts
Winter, 2008 + Originally Published in Mental Contagion

The creative professional’s biography can be a valuable tool, a quick guide to factual information that lends a deeper comprehension of professional experience and expertise. A well-written biography is informative and engaging, and will always be clear and easy to read.

The biography is often the reader’s first detailed introduction to the subject. For both the green and seasoned professional, it plays an important role in setting tone and moving objectives forward.

The Basics

If a biography is not working for a person, it is working against a person. Readers appreciate not having to work for the facts or having to wade through obvious statements and irrelevant information. Unclear or rambling biographies often determine a specific outcome: immediate transfer to the trashcan.

Some basic rules for writing style follow:

• Write in the third person to create a professional and objective tone
• Write for clarity—beware of abstract or overly-clever statements
• Stay positive and orient content toward information that support goals
• Lead the reader with facts, rather than opinion or conjecture

• One to three paragraphs is often sufficient in length; always write less than one page
• Use short paragraphs
• Be succinct and remove or rework unclear and redundant statements
• Keep consistent tense

Audience

Each and every person who reads a creative professional’s biography is a potential candidate to assist in achieving goals.

Consumers
• Consumers, collectors, fans, clients

Financial Supporters
• Investors, benefactors, sponsors, donors
• Decision-makers in awarding grants, scholarships and travel-study programs

Professional Liaisons
• Publishers, publicists, agents, art buyers
• Galleries, theaters

Buzz-Makers
• Media, critics
• Professional peers, social networks, bloggers

Collaborators
• Team-workers, associates, advocates
• Potential partners

The “I” Environment: A Basic Overview of What to Include

• Name and profession
• Goals, works in progress (be succinct)

• Education and/or experience
• Subject matter, professional focus
• Objective-related accomplishments
• Extraordinary or unique experience
• Contact information and Website (this can be a follow or precede the biography)

Optional

• Resident location
• Hobbies or special interest
• Family

Where Do I Start and What Have I Done?

Read biographies by professional peers and mentors in your line of work. It’s a good way to spark inspiration and can serve as an information trigger.

A few things to look for, while reading:

• Composition and information flow
• Style and tone
• Content

Make a list, before you compose. Not all of the items listed will make it into the biography, but this process is useful for content organization and can often trigger relevant details otherwise forgotten. Tip: a résumé can be an excellent resource in the list-making process.

• Professional affiliations and organizations
• Education, training, experience
• Press: reviews or interview by newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and online media
• Awards, grants and recognition
• Publications and articles; include authored articles or art or writing published in books, magazines, anthologies or other media such as ads, cds or brochures
• Leading or assisting roles in workshops or panels
• Related and notable volunteer or pro-bono work
• Prestigious exhibits

Keep It Real, Keep it Relevant, Keep It Updated

Create action statements that are relevant to the objective of the biography. It is a common mistake to truncate the importance of a statement, or to run on for sentences without relaying any actual information. The aim is to achieve balance in how much information is revealed.

Example:
No: “Jane is passionate about art.”
No: “Jane has always loved art made by women.”
Yes: “Jane’s work reflects her life-long relationship with women in art.”

Update the biography biannually or annually with new information as accomplishments build. Outdated or less relevant information can be removed as new accomplishments are achieved.

Proof and Have Proofed

A seamless biography conveys attention to detail, an asset to any professional. Ask a trusted colleague to read the biography. An objective party can often catch an important detail that was left out. An informational disconnect can occur after sentence structure has been repeatedly changed or rearranged.

Things to consider while proofreading:

• Spelling, grammar and errors
• Flow and coherency
• Reader engagement

When applying for a grant or a project with guidelines, be sure to note if there are specific instructions regarding the length or content of your biography.

Good luck!

About the Writer

Karen Kopacz is a graphic and Web designer living in St. Paul, MN. Her freelance enterprise, Design for the Arts, provides design, strategy and consultation for artists, writers and creative businesses of all types.

Karen is director and founder of the monthly-published, online arts & literature magazine Mental Contagion, launched in 2000. She was a panel member of Fostering New Culture on the Internet in SXSW's 2005 Interactive Festival, and is the founder and curator of Reconnect, a ‘Mobile Art Gallery’ series that takes place at various locations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to help build connections between local artists, business owners and the community.

Karen's Web design has been featured in the design anthology Portfolios Online. She has been on the board of directors for the Twin Cities Fine Arts Organization, is a former art director of First Avenue’s in-house magazine, has been a columnist and photographer for PitchforkMedia.com and has collaborated with artists, musicians, photographers, copywriters and editors for more years than she cares to admit.

For more information about the arts & literature journal in which this article was originally published, visit www.MentalContagion.com.

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