How to win against the robots
Excuse me while I fanboy for a moment. That will make more sense later. Anyway, there's so much good stuff in this edition that I hope you enjoy. I had a big announcement to make, but there's so much stuff, I decided to hold off on that until next week. #FOMO
Design Things That AI Can't
Designer Lindsay Marsh publishes one of my favorite creative newsletters, and this week; she made a few predictions and an outstanding claim. "Everything you will learn in design will become outdated in five years."
I think she's wrong, though—it will happen sooner than that!
Perhaps that's a bit too much doom and gloom for the opening of this newsletter, but instead of us sticking our heads in the sand over our dystopian future, let's figure out ways to change our perspectives and pivot our ways into making things that AI cannot, at least until some genius decides to make sentient robots.
What are designers and digital artists to do if those jobs are commodities that will soon be replaced by our AI overlords?
Make the things that AI can't fathom because it doesn't have your level of creativity.
The most obvious answer to the problem is to make real things that have purpose and utility in the physical world. Posters, books, and print-on-demand products are the low-hanging fruit, and eventually, that process will be done entirely by AI generators.
Since most AI content will drift to the boring middle, it's time to start using our creativity to make physical things that challenge the status quo. The following are just a few examples of brands moving beyond what people expect of them and designing a new future for themselves.
Neighborhood is a streetwear brand and is now moving into product design that resonates with its fanbase, like this handheld record player.
Did you catch all the celebrities and influencers sporting the giant Rocket Boy boots? Those were courtesy of MSCHF, the maker of the most outrageous and bizarre products that have taken the Internet by storm.
Teenage Engineering makes musical instruments that sound amazing and look beautiful, but it's not entirely a musical instrument company. It has also collaborated on many design projects that redefine what it means to be a design agency.
Of course, designing products like those takes money and a tremendous amount of time, but those companies, above all, started with simple beginnings and an unlimited mindset about what it means to be a designer and make things.
When thinking about your next pet project, perhaps ask yourself how you could take it to another level above what any other creative person would make, or worse, what AI will eventually do faster and cheaper than you within the next few years.
Don't Try This Unproven Instagram Strategy Yet
I've been executing a new approach to Instagram, and so far, it's produced some reasonable results. One Reel got almost 30,000 views, and that video alone brought in nearly 300 new followers.
Did every other video do that? Nope, not even close, but that's okay because I have a three-pronged approach that I hope will become an engagement generator.
Make Reels three to five times a week that fall between 10 and 30 seconds
Share to my Stories several times a day with both curated content and a little off-the-cuff face time
Make references to The Hungry so people know I'm all about the newsletter life.
I do not have hard data yet, but this is the plan. Follow along on your own accord, and if you want to know more about it, READ MORE HERE.
Art Snack: J. Grant Brittain
All Images are the property of J. Grant Brittain.
This is total pandering fandom because a photography legend joined The Hungry this week, someone I've been a fan of since I was a kid, scraping my knees on asphalt and plywood from the constant bails off my skateboard.
J. Grant Brittain is one of the most notable skate photographers to grace the pages of Transworld and Thrasher magazines. His unique perspective on capturing the most explosive and beautiful gravity-defying feats of strength on four small, polyurethane wheels ranks with the greatest photographers in any genre. Surprisingly, he's not already an inductee to the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.
He's also responsible for one of my favorite magazine covers of all time (shout out to David Carson). As a magazine art director, that means something, and that cover still informs my art and design aesthetic today. That image also graces the cover of his book, PUSH.
Sides: Giphy Creator
Skill Level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
Cost to start: ⭐️/5
Potential: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
I recently reconnected with an illustrator I hadn't seen on Instagram in a while. During our chat, I checked out her links, one of which was a link to her Giphy account, where, to my awe and surprise, she's making money!
To get accepted, you must create quality content that proves to Giphy that your work is good enough to share in their ad revenue. For more information on how to get started, Gifyard.com has a great article that breaks it down.
The Model
This one is fairly simple: Make GIFs that people can use and earn money from those views, like YouTube for animated images.
How I Would Do It
Giphy is a search engine first, and the way to get found on the site and within all of the partner apps and sites (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) is to use trends and good SEO to your advantage. Also, keep in mind that this is a slow burn. It will take a long time to start earning a decent income. You must be committed.
Invest in an app like Procreate Dreams or Adobe Photoshop. This will be your only expense to start.
Research. Research. Research! Learn what is working for others before I apply so I don't waste Giphy's time or mine.
You need at least 5 images to apply, and I would create at least that many GIFs that are stylistically unique and also relevant to current trends. I can only assume my application will be judged on how my images will drive traffic, so relevancy is essential.
Once accepted, I would create images that find the middle ground between trendy and evergreen. Just as an example might be politics in an election year, but nothing specific to that year alone.
Lean In! The best way to be found is to be everywhere. The more images I publish, the better chance my work gets found by people searching for unique and fun GIFs.
Tips
Start a blog/newsletter with a service that allows for link embedding of Giphy GIFS so that whenever the GIFs are viewed, you get credit for views.
Make animated tutorials about making animated GIFS. You could also create short and long-form videos showing your process. Direct any viewers/followers to your email list.
Turn your GIFS into static images and sell them as stickers and other merch through a print-on-demand marketplace or an independent service like Printify.
Create high-res digital asset packs of your images for others to use and incorporate into theirwn work.
Small Bites
🚫 - The bill to ban TikTok was fast-tracked and has been signed off by President Biden. Now, the parent company, Bytedance, has nine months to divest or be banned from both Apple and Google app stores. In an ironic turn of events, Bytedance used the power of its platform to sway users to talk to their government representatives, which is the exact thing the U.S. is worried about.
🧠 - Are sales slow? There’s a strong chance you haven’t hit any of the key psychological triggers of why people buy. But who needs science when we have creative intuition and entitlement, right? 😐
🎙️ - Substack is now allowing users to distribute their on-platform podcasts to Spotify. Now, all those far-right extremists can be heard around the world.
📬 - Turning a newsletter into a revenue generator for your business requires strategy, and it goes further than sneaking in Amazon affiliate links to expensive goods.😳
📸 - Taking photos of your art is a tricky thing, but it doesn't have to be. Use these tips to capture your art in the best way, or take them into Photoshop and let AI do all the work.
📖 - I had this inkling to start taking a sketchbook with me to my son's swim events since most of the time is spent waiting for races that take a minute or less. Leon Moh-Cah may have just convinced me.
🪑 - Now you can grow your own furniture and wash your dishes too.
