Creativity is finally being rewarded in the way (starving) artists have long deserved. Financially.
Graphic designers, bloggers, painters, crafters, photographers and others are making money by pursuing their passions. Thanks to websites that empower artists to market, sell and manage their artwork, art is becoming profitable business. Even more astounding is the fact that businesses are also profiting from art.
Here are three examples of traditional business practices being refreshed by the presence and power of art:
Art Transforms Life Insurance
Life insurance is a touchy subject. People don’t often get excited about policies that payout when they cease to exist. Nevertheless, life insurance is an important policy to hold. More so, it is a business that stands the test of time. However, Beagle Street, a life insurance company in the UK recognizes the need to breathe new life into this longstanding insurance practice. This is why they contract artists to create original artwork for them.
The artwork is not for their office walls or holiday greeting cards; the art is for their insurance policies. Each one of their client’s is given a printout of his or her policy, covered with a piece of original artwork. Not only does the colorful cover remind people to “Enjoy Life,” it also helps them find their life insurance policies – among a drab sea of white papers and black text – when the time is right.
Art Transforms Business Cards
What do Cisco, Intel, and Hubspot have in common? Aside from being some of the most recognizable names in business they share similar wall art. Each company has commissioned artwork from gapingvoid. Founded by a cartoonist, gapingvoid exists to “affect change in business and business culture.” And gapingvoid offers more than interior décor; it also transforms traditional, run-of-the-mill business cards.
Art Transforms Board Rooms
Attending a board meeting can be downright boring. But not for ABGC Architecture and Design. The design firm commissioned 22,742 LEGO bricks to create the board room table that sits in the office of a Dublin ad agency.
Art is breathing new life into traditional business practices. If conference room tables can be made of LEGOs, cartoons can be drawn on business cards and a life insurance policy can be as beautiful as life itself, then it seems art can transform any business.
What business should implement art next? And, what art practice has the potential to become the next big business?
Read more Segmation blog posts about art and color:
Choosing a Color for Your Business Brand
Office Paint Colors and Effective Employees
Use Color to Change Employees’ Job Performance
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Located in the National Gallery, Sunflowers was painted in 1888. Sunflowers is a still life, oil on canvas painting that was created in Arles. Vincent Van Gogh reportedly painted Sunflowers with the intention of using it to decorate Gauguin’s rented home in the South of France. The National Gallery, Sunflowers’ home, also shelters other pieces of famous artwork from the 13th – 19th Century. One of the best things about the National Gallery is that its artwork is free for viewing.
The Lady of Shalott was created by the masterful hands of John William Waterhouse in 1888. The painting is a depiction of Tennyson’s poem entitled The Lady of Shalott. The woman representing the Lady of Shalott in Waterhouse’s painting was, reportedly, his wife. This naturalistic painting is located at Tate Britain, which houses British art made in the past 500 years or so. Contemporary and international modern art can also be found at Tate Britain.
Commissioned in 1515 by Pope Leo X, The Raphael Cartoons are said to be “among the greatest treasures of the High Renaissance.” Created by Raphael and his “assistants,” The Raphael Cartoons were used as tapestry designs for the Vatican. The paintings feature St. Paul and St. Peter. The Raphael Cartoons are currently housed at the Victoria and Albert museum, which is home to 4.5 million pieces of art, clothing, jewelry, ironwork, and much more.
Outside The Lines 