Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

Tamara's Predictions for 2012

Most of my predictions for the future are long-term.  This means going beyond 2012, but over the next few years I expect:

- Greater austerity measures in the US.  Now that the war's over, they'll be tallying up the cost and it might be a wake-up call that money's not free.  This will be bad in the short term, because it's the people who will be bearing the brunt of the cutbacks, but in the long run it might help if it gets those in power to take money seriously.

Tales from the Ashcan: Proof Identity Design is Important

Merry Christmas!  Right now, you're probably drinking egg nog, cozying around the TV station playing the picture of the fireplace and beating that cousin you don't like and haven't seen in a while at Call of Duty, so you can ignore this.  For the rest of you who aren't, however (read: me), I've got a new Tales from the Ashcan for you.  This month, we're talking about identity design.

As a graphic designer and typographer, one thing that I've really noticed since my great wide entry into the world of comic publishing is exactly how horrifically bad some of the identity design (aka logos) some people have.  Seriously.  Granted, horrific logo design is something you see on a regular basis - it's everywhere.  But I've noticed that it's exceptionally bad in the realm of comic logos.  Without pointing fingers (because that's bad), I can find you within ten minutes some of the most afterthought (if even that much) series logos out there.  Likewise, aside from our own, I can point out what I think are some of the most incredible ones.  While the former are afterthoughts, the latter have clearly been thought out in terms with the scheme of the story, or are intentionally aping a particular style.  The difference between a monstrosity (you can find one within five minutes by looking at any webcomics aggregator) and something as beautiful as the logos for Woody After Hours or Powernap or Delve into Fantasy are immense.

But as a professional, it's even more important to have the proper identity for your business, regardless of whether or not your business is a comic artist, bookseller, travel agenty or coffee shop.  Why?  Well, it can really hit you hard, and I'll give two examples; the first one now, the second after the jump.

Take, for example, a conversation I had one day with an individual who handed me his business card. It was a simple affair, with black and blue ink and looked very sleek and stylish for a technology company. There was just one problem: the gentleman was in the food services industry, something that the average person would not have known by looking at the card. While his logo and branding needed work, the colors and fonts chosen did even more to confuse potential customers, thus making a simple food producer look like a great tech company (which was not even close to his intent.)  I ended up doing a much warmer and more accessible logo for their business, and their business is doing swimmingly.

But I had another customer who had an even bigger issue, and his I'd like to share with you.

Independent bookstores vs. Amazon: Buying books online is better for authors, better for the economy, and better for you. - Slate Magazine

Independent bookstores vs. Amazon: Buying books online is better for authors, better for the economy, and better for you. - Slate Magazine

That's the thesis, anyway. A few good points are made in the article, especially the idea that you can get better recommendations online than in person (which is true but only up to a point).

But the piece is also terribly biased in favor of the economy, rather than the culture, of the book trade -- and when he calls local bookstores "cultish, moldering institutions", you can guess where his initial bias lies.

-- Serdar Yegulalp

WebOS Released

Hewlett-Packard is releasing WebOS as open source software.  While the company will still support WebOS, the move allows other programmers to take the source code and modify it to their own needs.  This could be a move to get people to use both the Palm Pre smartphone and the HP TouchPad, both of which use the OS.

--Scott

Rogers and Bell Buy Maple Leaf Sports

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, owners of some of the best known and most valuable sports brands, is now owned by the two biggest communication companies in Canada.  Rogers and Bell jointly acquired 80% of MLSE, announcing today their $1.3 billion deal. When asked about competition or conflict of interest in their partnership, they replied that Rogers and Bell had previously worked together (covering the Olympics).

Interview with Leticia of Cretur Fetur

Needlefelting is the craft of using industrial-strength felt and sharp pointy things to make 3D sculptures.  I interview the needlefelting progeek, Leticia, about her craft and business.

1. How did you get into needlefelting?  How long did you do it as a hobby before making a business of it?

Oddly enough, while I was getting my degree in Fine Arts I always avoided the sculpture classes. But the classes were mandatory, so I had to take them eventually, near the time of my graduation – and I discovered that hey, this isn't bad after all! After I graduated I tried making stuffed animals and failed astoundingly. Then I saw something on the internet about needlefelting, and started reading about it and watching videos before taking the plunge and buying some supplies to try it out on my own. It had all the charm of fiber and the malleability of clay, plus there was no sewing involved. The first thing I made was my favorite animal, a hyena. And after a few more experiments in felting, I decided this was pretty much what I wanted to do with my life.

Say It With Me: Fantrepreneur

Well, I wasn't going to do this earlier, but something inside told me I needed to. Others have spoken, now so must I.

Folks, I am not just a geek, not just an otaku.  I am the amateur trying to turn pro.  You know them by plenty of names.  The profan, trying to turn his drawing and coding into video games.  The protaku, trying to hone her voice to become the voice actress dozens will hear in the dubs.  And then there are the ones who take it in a different direction.  Those of us whose dreams are owning a comic store, or creating a cosplay cafe, or starting a business based on the webcomic we've created.

You know us by many names.  Megatokyo.  Penny Arcade.  The Golden Apple.  Midtown Comics.  Royal/T.  All of these people strive for more than just fandom, more than just the entry-level.  They aspire to turn their fandom into both avocation and calling, not just for themselves, but for others.

In short, they are fans who want to be employers, to create jobs and a business.  They are fantrepreneurs.

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 3 - Oh My Stars and Garters: Networking

Okay, for those of you who are currently dodging hurricanes (and for those of you who aren't), you might want to spend a little time pressing the flesh.  That's right - it's time to network.

Launch or Be Lunch...and Someone's About to Be Lunch.

Just reading on the whole HP thing and completely shaking my head.  On a larger scale, this whole thing is about (in my opinion) a growing problem in Western companies: the need to bet the farm on huge gambles instead of slow and steady but assured money.  The former might net you more, but if you fail, you're screwed; the latter isn't as glorious but it brings in a decent chunk of change. 

But we're going to talk about the shorter end here: it’s rather interesting that if you read the financial news, this is the greatest thing that ever happened to HP; but if you read the tech news, this is a clear and complete failure.

Launch or Be Lunch, Day 17 - Originality is SO Original, Part 2: Composition is Not a Crime

Aaaaaaand we're back.  Yesterday, we talked about the concepts of originality vs. unoriginality, and why unoriginality isn't rated high enough or that originality is overrated; in the end, it's how you treate the unoiriginality in an unoriginal manner.  In a sense, it's like the concept of Fair Use in copyright: it's the transformative and new meaning to the source that counts.

And now it's time to get into that little shibboleth. Hang on to your pens and pencils, boys and girls, because what I'm about to say is probably going to turn a few heads at best and floor people at worst.  Also, because I could go forever on the subject and all its different permutations, I'm only going to stick to how it related to manga and comics; I'll acknowledge that it happens all too often in other media and others can cover that better than I can.  

So with that, let's get started.