Rather than doing business under their own names, as is traditional, a growing number of artists are creating separate brand names to identify their work and serve as the centerpoint for their licensing activities:
- Mexican artist Juan de Lascurain, represented by RJM Licensing, uses the Dream Big World brand as the umbrella for his colorful artwork and positive messaging.
- Emily Wood, whose artwork focuses largely on graphics related to the beach, the sea, and the cabin, operates under the Jetty Home label. MHS Licensing represents her brand.
- Pop artist and muralist Dan Fenelon, represented by MGL Licensing, utilizes the Wavedog brand name to identify his work.
- California-based watercolorist Barbara Ignatiev, who signed with The Brand Liaison for licensing earlier this month, markets her images under the Barbarian label.
While there are other examples of artist branding beyond this list, it should be noted that creating a separate brand along these lines is not yet a common strategy in the art-licensing world, as most artists continue to associate their work with their own names.
Using a brand name offers some benefits for artists when it comes to licensing, however. It can solidify consumers’ and the trade’s understanding of an overall lifestyle positioning; establish the licensing program as strategic, as opposed to a more opportunistic, image-by-image effort; and, importantly, make it easier for artists to commercialize their images and market their products by creating a distance between the person and the work.
Raugust Communications’ May e-newsletter goes out tomorrow, May 14. The Licensing Topic of the Month looks at the role of content licensing, outside of traditional storytelling, for properties of all types. The Datapoint column, meanwhile, highlights research on licensing in the fragrance category. If you have not yet subscribed to this free publication, you can do so here.
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