Coalition Of The Willing site now LIVE
The Coalition of the Willing website is live. Coalition is a film by Simon Robson and over 20 collaborating film-makers that is “‘an animated film about an online war against global warming in a post-Copenhagen world.” I’m really pleased to be taking part in this film myself (still working on my section at the moment, in fact) – along with a number of other PSST’ers, including James Wignall, Ryan Rothermel, Adam Gault and Stefanie Augustine, Gavin Little and Mate Steinforth.
Check out all the other collaborators and the four live sections of the film which are online NOW.
Adam Smith
“We rarely hear, it has been said, of the combinations of masters, though frequently of those of workmen. But whoever imagines, upon this account, that masters rarely combine, is as ignorant of the world as of the subject. Masters are always and everywhere in a sort of tacit, but constant and uniform, combination, not to raise the wages of labour above their actual rate…Masters, too, sometimes enter into particular combinations to sink the wages of labour even below this rate. These are always conducted with the utmost silence and secrecy till the moment of execution; and when the workmen yield, as they sometimes do without resistance, though severely felt by them, they are never heard of by other people” In contrast, when workers combine, “the masters..never cease to call aloud for the assistance of the civil magistrate, and the rigorous execution of those laws which have been enacted with so much severity against the combination of servants, labourers, and journeymen.” – Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations, Book I. Chap. viii
Small by Choice, Whether Clients Like It or Not
This article in the NY Times Business section this morning really hit home for me. Is there a way to do design and animation in a small and sustainable way? I’d really like that.
Edit:
Frank Chimero was answering questions this morning on his blog, so I posed this to him as well. He’s a fantastic illustrator, an instructor and seems to have his head on straight.
Here’s what he wrote back:
growdesignwork asked: Hi Frank:
I was wondering if you’ve read this, today?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/business/smallbusiness/14sbiz.html?ref=business
Is there a way to stay small, sustainable and connected as a designer? Not by giving the customer what they ask for, but by what they actually need?
Hope that makes sense …
I did read that this morning. And I think it’s great. I agree with the higher ideals they put forth, but being stubborn about principles is a lot easier over a $10 pizza than a $10,000 design project. Them’s the facts.
That’s incentive for design studios to stay small. The less overhead we have, the more picky we can be about the work we decide to do. We can say no more often, and set proper expectations for what our clients can expect of us. Saying no seems novel these days, but I think it’s foolish to enter every new relationship without asking some questions to make sure there’s the potential of satisfactory results. I think Tibor Kalman had a point in saying we should try to work for clients that are smarter than we are.
These days, I don’t think it’s how quickly you go, but maybe more about how nimbly you can maneuver your ship.
Grandchildren for BBC Knowledge
Check out PSST’er Sean Pecknold’s newest spot for BBC Knowledge here. Just lovely.
Pitchfork on Radical Friend
Check out an interview with PSST’ers Radical Friend at Pitchfork on their video Ambling Alp for Yeasayer.
Ji Lee – The Transformative Power of Personal Projects
Check out this video, via Swiss Miss.
Bored with his ad agency gig and the uninspiring work he was producing, Ji Lee – now Creative Director of Google Creative Lab – decided to take matters into his own hands in 2002. The result was the ad-spoofing Bubble Project, in which Lee placed blank speech bubbles on ads around New York City. The masses responded and the project went viral, gaining Lee recognition and ultimately forwarding his professional career. Here, Lee talks about how he created, financed, and marketed the project single-handedly.
Amazing, I couldn’t agree more. It’s exactly why I started PSST!
Computer Arts Projects Issue #131
There’s an article I wrote on PSST!3 and using Basecamp to coordinate and manage the project on page 89 of the latest issue of Computer Arts Projects. Check out their site here and find it a your local magazine shop.
The Indie Music Alphabet 2009
Ryan Dunn’s just posted his Indie Music Alphabet 2009. Twenty-six of the best tracks selected not only for their listenability but also their order in our beautiful and mellifluous alphabet. Bonus! you get an extra helping for each and every letter, so there are 52 tracks in all. Go listen!