Art Unboxed Art In Advertising
Haddon Sundblom, Eugene Kolkey, Vernon S. P. Grant, these names may not be common, but the characters they drew are. A certain soft drink’s Santa Claus, a breakfast tiger, or three guys on a rice cereal box, each of them so common I don’t have to name them. Many times when you say the word artist a museum comes to mind, but art is very much a part of our daily lives.
Whether talking about the names above, or the inspirations behind some of my favorite comic, cartoon, and children’s book illustrators, each produced a work of art. Their paintings may not be displayed in a gallery, though some are, but each made an impact with what they drew and painted. What images are so iconic to your memory that they spring to mind?
For some it’s a logo of a soft drink or tv show. For others it’s a movie poster, or a book cover. When I was a child, there was a famous series of what are known as board books that I grew up on. I don’t see them often now, but they’re a very fond memory of my childhood. For our son Nicholas it’s characters from online videos or streaming services, today’s children’s books, and clothing.
Perhaps the most important artistic design Nick has is not on paper or a screen, but fabric. His Mom found a dinosaur blanket when we were in Arizona that he holds on to every day of his life. That one piece of artwork is more priceless than gold to us, because it’s precious to him.
I value this art because it fulfills a need very near to my heart, it makes my child happy. It also helped to feed the family of the artist who designed it. Whether the artist originated the concept, or an advertising agency it doesn’t matter to me. Because of its purpose it’s a very special piece of art in our lives.
There is a tendency to view artwork connected with marketing, products, or media as less important but that’s not the way I view it. Rembrandt made money with his paintings, so did Gainsborough, or the famed watercolorist William Turner. Their clients weren’t an ad agency, but nobles, merchants, and high society but it was in that sense commercial art.
When I hear an artist is providing for their family selling their art I think that is wonderful, whether it’s painting a portrait, or designing a new web cartoon. I don’t know how many paintings Charles Schultz or Jim Davis did, but I know the comic strip dog and cat each is famous for. I hope this article we’ll encourage you to take a moment to appreciate the art in your life, whether a painting, or the logo on your favorite coffee cup.
