We’ve all heard of the horror stories: parents who have shelled out thousands of dollars to send their child to a talent competition in front of “Hollywood” agents, only to have the child return, no closer to being a star than before they left. And yet, these “organizations” or self-proclaimed “talent scouts” continue to prey on kids’ dreams and their parents’ desire to support them. It really is a shame. But unfortunately, these predatory organizations will continue to exist as long as there are parents who are willing to pay whatever it takes to make their child a star. So the remedy is simple: parents must stop paying!

Anyone in the legitimate talent industry will tell you that you should never have to pay to be represented by an agent, which is true. An agent should make his or her money from the commission from the jobs that he or she books the talent on. And a lot of parents have caught on to that and are being savvier that way. However, there are many other outlets for these predatory organizations to charge parents for. Namely, these organizations are typically affiliated with some sort of talent scouting event or competition. These events are set up to bring aspiring models and actors into one venue where they can be seen by several entertainment representatives; including casting directors, talent agents, and talent scouts. The aspiring talent prepare audition pieces or walk on a runway, are judged by a panel, and then the entertainment representatives are supposed to meet privately with anyone they are interested in.

These events provide predatory organizations with ample opportunities to charge for “services”, left and right. There are classes and workshops to prepare the talent for each level of “competition”, professional pictures that will need to be taken, prints of the professional pictures that need to be given to the potentially interested entertainment reps, registration for the event, plus airfare and accommodations. Like Uncle Scrooge McDuck, I can almost picture the dollar signs in their greedy eyes!!

Naturally, if such scouting events proved to be successful for everyone who attended them, then perhaps the investment could be considered worthwhile. Unfortunately, being “discovered” at such an event is typically the exception to the rule. The truth of the matter is that if a child is attractive and is talented, they can sign for free with a legitimate agency in their hometown, never pay a dime, and will easily book jobs. Now, they may not end up on their favorite Disney Channel show, but if the reason why the kids are getting involved in the entertainment industry is because they enjoy it (and that should really be the only reason), then it should not matter what jobs they book.

For a professional actor or model, professional pictures are a necessity. They are the main instrument in how one books a job. Investing in strong professional pictures is very important and any good agent will advise his or her talent to make sure that they have good pictures—and that they look like their pictures. But at the end of the day, it is the talent’s decision as to what pictures they shoot and how much of an investment is made. No child needs a full portfolio. If you are unsure of who to trust, call the local advertising agencies and find out where they get their talent from. The key is to understand the entertainment industry as a business. Treat yourself like a person venturing out into your own business—do your research, be smart, and trust your instincts. If something seems fishy, it probably is!

Tags: advice, kids, Modeling, Photography

What do you do when you only have a minute or so to tell someone who you are, what you do and what you stand for? This situation sounds like an elevator pitch, but it’s also the perspective of a package on a store shelf. Whether at a mass-market retailer, a specialty store or a local boutique, product packaging has the goal of presenting and selling your product. Here are three things to create within your packaging and marketing materials to help reach that goal:

1. Create A Strong Message — It’s very difficult to be everything to everyone, so don’t try. Instead, pick a strong selling point and create your focus around that. Be confident. The combination of copy, imagery, marketing voice and visual style should come together in unison to communicate the essence of your product quickly and clearly.
2. Create Contrast — Standing apart from your competition is key. Having a unique look or selling proposition to set you apart from others on the shelf is important to grab the attention of your consumer and create a focus for your product. In other words, stay away from being a me-too.
3. Create an Emotional Connection — A need is different from want. The goal here is to appeal to your consumer’s emotions and persuade them to want your product. Be positive and appealing. Get feedback from people that share character traits with your target consumer to help stay on track. Often this is about creating a “cool factor” that appeals to your consumer, noting that different consumer segments will find different things to be “cool”.
4. BONUS: Create Humor — Making people laugh creates a positive experience in relation to your brand and product. Have you noticed it’s much more enjoyable and memorable to listen to someone who tells honestly funny stories? This principle also rings true for brands and products. This part can’t be forced, but if you can pull it off, you can create a memorable shelf experience.

Tags: advice, better results, Branding, Marketing, packaging

Anyone who knows me would tell you that I am a detail person. It’s part of who I am to be a bit compulsive. People like me usually end up in tech support.

I’ll be the first person to admit my freakish focus on details can be a blessing as well as a burden. Instead of just reading the menu at a restaurant, I am preoccupied by bad text wraps and food styling. It’s been years since I watched a movie or a commercial without dissecting the continuity.

A few pet peeves of this self-proclaimed compulsive creative:

• Reckless text. Typos go without mention. But as a designer/art director, it’s your job to know that inch marks are not the same as quotation marks. Two spaces after periods went away with the typewriter. And ascenders and descenders shouldn’t touch. The text is as much an element of the design as the images and artwork.
• Do-it-yourself commercials. Creative people don’t perform surgery as a hobby. Businesses should not make their own commercials. Enough said.
• Effect overload. Just because you CAN add drop shadows, bevels, glows and strokes doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Especially all of them at once.
• TMI. A single most important message should be just that – singular. What do you want your target to remember? Your brand message? Your product details? Your phone number, website, location directions, twitter account, price, etc.? Most likely if you include all of the above, people will remember none of the above.
• Design doodads. A creative director once told me that every design element should serve to further the idea. If your design doesn’t have a purpose other than, “I thought it looked cool,” then it’s just unnecessary clutter.

Why does any of this matter? I started in this business old-school style. We set whole catalogs of type on a typesetter, drew marker comps long before computers were even around, rubbed down Letraset type one letter at a time, and cut Amberlith overlays. Who didn’t appreciate a good waxer (and I don’t mean bikini)?

I realize I am showing my age with those examples. But doing things the long way, by hand, helped me learn design in its purest form. It was a necessity to pay attention to the details if you had any hope of getting home at a decent hour. It also was required in order for your piece to print correctly. Mistakes generally mean wasted time and money.

But the bigger lesson to be learned by paying attention to details is this – the quality of your work is a reflection of yourself. Your work speaks for you when you are not there. Design, and really anything, that ignores the details says, “Meh, I couldn’t be bothered to do this right.” And that’s one detail that will be remembered by everyone.

Tags: Design, details, old-school, pet peeves, quality