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Okay, here’s the routine:

If you’re reading this it means that you could get a free logo from me.

Why?

Because I’m updating my portfolio and am Jonesin’ for an excuse to do a new logo (or treatment of your existing logo) for a current, real business or individual in the style you see above. It’s my “vintage sign” style. It’s something new I’m adding to my range of styles and I sure wouldn’t mind putting it to use for you. I’ve got plenty in my portfolio of other work I’ve done but this one is new and I thought it’d be a fun way to get a real, genuine logo out there, stir up a little fun and interest, and walk away with a new piece for my portfolio… so you know I’ll do a good job!

As I said, it’ll be in the style as you see above (go ahead click the image to see a larger view). I don’t mean it’ll be one of the above pieces… it will be 100% original and unique but in that vintage sign style.

It’s a freebie. I’ll do it for you, on my own time (probably a few days worth of work) and get it back to you via file transfer. We’re talking a final piece in 2000×2000 JPG or PNG format. You’re free to use it as you wish but my name, as the artist, will be unobtrusively and artistically embedded in the art. You’ll own the copyright.

In return I will get at least one (if not two) things:

1. The rights to use it in my portfolio or any other promotional manner I choose. In other words: I get to show it off.

2. (Hopefully) If you like it… if you genuinely, sincerely like it – I’d like to get a few kind words from you I’ll be free to use as a testimonial. This is not expected, required, or guilted of you. You’re free to walk without saying a word. I’m just hoping that if you dig it – you’ll be willing to say so in writing.

So, here’s the trick… if you want it you’ll have to pass one of the seven trials of monkey island and be the first person to fill out the form below and send me a quick note saying you’d like to get the goody. It’ll be time-stamped and I’ll notify you if you’re the recipient of the new, free logo, and I’ll post here when I’ve received that first note.

Have no fear, if you’re the first one then I’ll talk shop with you and find out a couple details so we can at least tailor the image to something you might likely use… you’ll get to have some input before I begin, of course.

Drop me a note below if you’re interested in grabbing a free logo. It would be my sincere pleasure to make a special piece of art for you.

NOTE: Well, that took all of ten minutes! Thank you to all who dropped me a note but we have a first-reply! If you’re interested in discussing a logo in this style (or other style) please still feel free to drop me a line via the link below.

Pop on over to Adam’s TShirtChat.com and read his write-up about a new Print on Demand company.

UPDATE 1: For the record, I posted at TShirtChat.com my strong feelings against the stated Terms/Agreement a user would agree to upon signing up with Yerzies. Therefor, in full disclosure, I’m saying I have not yet signed up for an account with Yerzies because of my position on, what I feel, are unnecessarily restrictive and adversarial terms.

I have posted the following email to the Yerzies company via their website contact form. In my usual fashion I write-from-the-hip and I don’t pull punches:

If you’d be so kind, please direct this email to the appropriate user policy department.

Awfully archaic and adversarial licensing agreement you have… don’t you think?

“You hereby grant to Yerzies an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, fully-paid and royalty free license (with right to sublicense) to create derivative works, reproduce, distribute and publicly display the Content that you post on our website in any and all media (now known or later developed) throughout the world.”

I’d hope you would consider adopting a far less adversarial and industry-standard user agreement soon?

I know of no artist let alone heavy-hitter in the POD-seller-field that would either agree to such terms or actually upload quality content knowing these conditions exist.

I can think of more favorable ways to get one’s feet off the ground as a POD than to have a license agreement that hangs the threat of a company walking off with, without compensation, user-created material?

I’d like to respectfully request a response as I believe there are concerns that exist and, if those concerns can be overcome, would directly influence some who are active and valuable members of the POD-selling community.

A response that could be freely shared with my peers would be very, very welcome.

You have an interesting foundation being formed and it’s an exciting time in the POD industry, I’m sure you’d agree? When a company, such as yours, enters the scene there can be much more excitement generated if there is positive and hopeful news to share.

I thank you for your time in reading and hope you’ll consider my request for clarification and possible re-articulation of your current, existing terms of service.

-Daniel Mowry
Print-on-Demand and affiliate seller.

UPDATE 2: Responses received – please read comments.

You’ve got some juicy tidbit? Some insider-information you want to share? You want to drop a little tantalizing tidbit about something you’d like to see me comment on or blog about?

Source it or it didn’t happen.

I have no problem talking about possibilities but I’ll qualify it by making it clear it’s not a stone-carved fact. However, if you want to just drop me a little piece of information with nothing to go on? Forget it – it won’t even see the light of day here – not even in speculation. I have no problem respecting a request for anonymity but if you don’t give me enough to go on – then your rumor isn’t even worth reading let along typing about.

Before anyone gets a crooked eyebrow… no, this has absolutely nothing to do with topics I’ve posted about in the last month (or probably before). It’s purely coincidental that I’m making two posts recently about speculative subjects- but that’s where the similarity ends. Don’t read anything into this beyond this particular blog post… you know who you are.

So do I.

Okay, “letter” is stretching it but since I haven’t finished my coffee yet a blog post is all I’m wishing to do.

I’m posting this because I know for a fact some folks at Zazzle read my blog (certainly one of many they read, I’m just a little blipfish in a big ocean). However, since I know they read I’m going to take advantage of it.

Originally, the topic of Zazzle came up this morning in a discussion about a possible new product they may offer (embroidery). I was first alerted of this potentiality from Adam O’Connor over at TShirtChat.com

We’re in agreement that Cafepress’ “InfiniStitch” Embroidery stretches the word “embroidery” a bit far for the English language to sufficiently bear the weight of. In other words… their I-S Embroidery is hard for me to call “embroidery” even if I squint. It’s a nice enough product but trying to call it that is a stretch. I’d be thrilled if Zazzle could come up with something better. However, could they do it well enough to overcome their own claims about what CP’s version left to be desired? (Yes, I read other blogs too…).

When I think of Zazzle here’s what comes to mind: Young and hip. Trendy. A little edgy. They’ve got some of the usual POD stuff (shirts and so on) but they’re not afraid to get adventurous with new gear and new corporate relationships brought into their fold. It’s admirable.

I also, unfortunately, think about some less-than-positive moments in their history. I won’t detail those because it’s not the important message here.

I will say, instead, that it’s rarely wise to undermine your own future progress by setting a tone of negativity to counter a competitor only to travel the same path later yourselves. In the POD world paths often are similar – it tends to be unavoidable. The POD community is still new and young enough where memories don’t need to be that long to recall the day bad karma was born.

We see in political arenas that negative campaigning only polarizes for a while… it eventually alienates and creates resentment.

There’s room for rock stars in both PODs… Cafepress and Zazzle. Fans (users) win most if there’s room to praise both of their favorites and don’t feel caught in-between.

My “open letter” is to encourage Zazzle to move forward and onward from a previous level of fistacuffs and, instead, do what they show they can do well: brainstorm new angles, put a cool and hip face on otherwise stuffy POD fare, attract a crowd of sellers and buyers that know how to rock and roll, appeal to a generation that represents the next generation with no built-in limitations, no idea that rules exist, who only know how to think outside the box and require a POD that suits that style.

Part of my “day job” (which is really the same thing as my night job because I work for myself) is that I have to wear different hats. Sometimes I’m strictly a business man making decision for the business. Sometimes I am a man who owns a job and strives to find more ways to own a business. Other times I’m an artist. Even that takes on various guises and I guess that’s a topic I’m putting out there today… the work you do and who you do it for?

Here’s my thing: Sometimes, when I wear my artist hat, I create art for my own use. I create it from scratch, I either do it for enjoyment (sadly, less and less time for that these days) while other times I create that art for a purpose but it’s still my own purpose.

There are times, however, when I create art for others. That’s not uncommon – most freelance artists know what it’s like to be a hired gun and we accept that part of how we make money can sometimes come in the form of how much ownership we retain of the art. Frequently, the more ownership we give up on a piece of art (copyright, licensing, reprint, redistribution, accreditation, etc.) means we make more money – seems like a fair deal, right?

However, I had a conversation with a fellow artist last night that brought up a few points that he found almost unbelievable. When I described that a sizable chunk of my work is working as a “ghost” artist (paid and entirely uncredited) he honestly couldn’t believe such a strata existed. I’m not talking about being hired by a charity organization to do a piece of work and then selling them the entire rights and all I’ve got to show for it is another graphic in my portfolio and a check in the bank. I’m talking about regular, for-hire work that I get paid for (what I feel is a fair rate) and I retain no rights, no credit, and… nothing to put in my portfolio because it’s part of the terms I agreed to (willingly, I might add).

My friend was amazed at this. I think I remember the phrase “pimping yourself out” jokingly tossed around.

On my side of the fence I found his surprise to be surprising. My background, before becoming a pixel-pusher includes being a musician. I worked from a home studio as well as at a professional firm and it was not at all uncommon to produce music that involved conditions of… complete anonymity. Granted, most of it could be credited in a portfolio under tight rules but there were certainly times where I, myself, worked under conditions of non-credit or else I worked with session musicians that frequently are never credited on the albums they play on at all.

For me, I guess I knew a long time ago that there’s an entire population of musicians that perform for artists for albums (or replace members of bands during recording) because they were simply better in the studio. It’s one thing to be a good musician in a band and even on stage – it’s another thing to be a perfect musician on a record that will be scrutinized at every level. Heck, I know of plenty of professional musicians who ghost on other artist’s albums and the credit they get is in the form of a humorous, but completely unidentifiable, nickname. Only people “on the inside” are the first to know that Thomas Dolby was credited as “Booker T. Boffin” on Def Leppard’s Pyromania album due to label restrictions.

So, in art, I’ve never found it unpaletteable to simply do the work, take the money, hand over the keys, and walk away not worrying about being able to shout to the world “Hey, I did that!” I make no apologies for knowing that, in order to make money, I have to work and this is another avenue of procuring work. Once I explained to my friend that I never considered it a slap in the face and I respected the work = pay arrangement he felt better that I wasn’t being taken advantage of.

In my mind it’s another way of taking the work that I do most every day and converting it to a sellable commodity – it’s putting my skills to use. It’s okay if the artist doesn’t get the credit because the business was compensated.

So, how do you feel about “ghost” work? Do you do it? Would you?

Please feel free to comment – I’d like to know how you’re putting your artist skills to work in balance with your business goals. There’s no wrong answer.