Scott Hull Associates

“A new decade of effective creativity.”

Why is this year different from the past years?
To start with, I’m a little wiser. As a result of the current market, the world of creativity and business is changing and I’m seeing opportunities to take our artists and myself, to a whole new level. With the passion of Scott Hull Associates to help others, it comes down to bridging the gap between creative and corporate. Collaboration and understanding the new culture of business is very important in creating a successful visual brand image. With insights learned from the challenging economy, we are excited not about only a new year, but a new decade.

What would you consider your “mantra” for the coming new year to be?
Original Art Works through Collaboration. I’m viewing 2010 as a new year of effective creativity. When resources are constrained, the key to growth is teaming up an analytic left-brain thinker with an imaginative right-brain partner. Look at the latest articles in Harvard Business Reviews, Business Week, or Fast Company magazines; they are blending creative and business minds.

What role does the client’s target customer or end user play in everyday business?
The new business model is building products around consumer needs, not the business needs. This is where original artwork can help client’s empower their customer. This is because original art can be tailored to more specific emotions of a targeted customer.

How important is open communication with a client?
Now more than ever, marketing executives and artists must listen and understand what the client is trying to say/achieve. The closer we can get to define the elements of a client’s desired customer experience, the more value, longevity, and uniqueness we can offer.

Why do you need a company like Scott Hull Associates?
STATUS QUO IS IN BIG TROUBLE. People yearn for change, they relish being part of a movement and they talk about things that are remarkable, not boring. I’m excited for the new era of visual branding. The marketplace (every marketplace) rewards innovation: things that are fresh, stylish, and new. After all, the best way to teach is through the eye and the hand. It’s harder to retain what we hear. Listen with your eyes!

We have had the privilege of working with some of the best and brightest in the art world. And I would like to personally thank them all for such incredible business over the years and a continued partnership into the new decade.

SHA Artist/Illustrator: Greg LaFever
Art/Design Director: Greg Fehrenbach
Project: Value Dossier on Thoracic Surgery; Medical Illustration of Lungs

What creative/business goals did you have with this project?
We were asked to translate an 80+ page Word document of information, graphs and surgical procedure images into a comprehensive, branded communication tool. It was determined that the client would benefit from the ability to use these illustrations in future marketing communications.

Describe your target audience/client base:
Our client is a leading manufacturer and marketer of surgical devices. The target audience is both field sales reps and C-Suite decision-makers for health care providers (i.e. Humana, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, etc.)

Were there any special hurdles or requirements that the artist had to address?
Greg had to do some research to help him develop the illustrations of lung anatomy. Additionally, he had only 10 days in which to deliver final art, including illustrative time. He met the deadline spot-on.

Describe the final outcome of the project:
Greg created 16 illustrations that helped communicate complex procedural information to a non-surgical minded audience.

Tell us specifically about your experience working with our artist:
It was easy to secure client approval on the illustrations Greg developed for us due to how clean and precise his sketch work is. I was impressed by how quickly Greg was able to take his pencil sketches to final digital art. He was also able to make revisions without hesitation or increase in budget. Greg was easy to communicate with and responsive to our needs throughout the project. We look forward to the opportunity to work with him and Scott on future projects.

An Interview

Title of Project: Road Trip with Alice

What was the creative challenge for this project?

The project was a six page magazine feature for the Jamie Oliver cooking magazine, wherein a mother and daughter decide to take a road trip from Telluride, CO to Berkeley, CA and cook along the way using camping equipment and farmer’s market produce. Without the use of photography, matching a dreamy abstracted illustration style with recipe imagery was necessary.

How did you resolve any challenges that were presented?

After discussing what the client was hoping for in a final product, the important thing was meshing together pattern and color with the actual food being produced. Visiting a farmer’s market was great inspiration for color and subject matter, and the final product gave off a dreamlike feel of the story, adding in little elements that pop up throughout.

Any feedback, quotes, funny insights, behind the scenes stories you would like to share?

It was an incredibly fun project– I love to cook and I’d always wanted to work on some food illustrations but never realized how complex it can be. With some of the recipes, I had to actually layer on the herbs and cheese like you would when actually cooking! I can only hope that Alice and Fanny (the mother and daughter in the story) love the end result when they see it.

Art director Adrienne Pitts has this to say about working with Meg, “Meg was an incredibly creative and professional illustrator to collaborate with for issue 6 of Jamie magazine. From what was a fairly complicated and detailed brief, she created large pieces in her signature whimsical style, which really brought the story to life. As is the way with publishing, changes often need to be made, and Meg was friendly, accommodating and creative in the solutions she presented. She was fantastic to work with and I look forward to working with her again in the future”

Keep an eye peeled for upcoming editions of SF Station, THE San Francisco city guide… Grant Gilliland’s work will be featured on their printed promo materials and on their site for about three months starting in March 2008.

Watch the video: SF Station TV Local Artist Profile: Grant Gilliland

See more of Grant’s work over at his portfolio.