When we view the submitted artwork we are always looking for an interesting idea, a voice, a moment, technical prowess, etc., but we are also interested in helping young, less established artists have faith in their talent. The secret to “doing what you love” or “never working a day in your life” is to believe in yourself, have faith in your dreams, keep working hard and never give up.

It is no small task to whittle down hundreds of pieces entered to fewer then 70, and it is very difficult to omit some pieces. But we believe this collection is a group of both talented professionals who’ve “stuck it out” and can help inspire the younger artist and promising up-and-comers we hope to watch grow over the coming years.

Through our unique efforts, AGC has stayed committed to the renewable print medium just as these artists have stayed committed to their creative talent. The 11th publication of 52 Weeks 52 Works seeks to showcase two local assets: Northeast Ohio’s dynamic creative community and the myriad of marketing and print related services AGC provides to over 150 local businesses, non profit organizations and educational institutions.

We believe these commitments have the potential to make a difference in people’s lives.

We hope you enjoy the 11th edition of 52 Weeks 52 Works.

Thank you. Candice C. Champion

Call for Artists - 52 Weeks 52 Works - 2013 edition

The 2013 edition of 52 Weeks 52 Works is in production!
The deadline for submission is October 1, 2012

We are amidst the production of the 11th annual 52 Weeks 52 Works desk calendar and we need your talent! Any artist living and working in NEO is eligible (nudity and explicit imagery are restricted). If you are interested or if you know any one who may be interested please forward this information along.

You can download the 2013 submission form here. Upon completion of the calendar every participating artist will receive 2 copies along with your returned submission. You will see first hand the impressive results achieved when combining the versatility of eco-friendly print communication with the unique talent of NEO’s local artists.

 If interested please download a submission form or contact me at CandiceChampion@agcinc.org or 216-661-2550. 52 Weeks 52 Works is Academy Graphic Communication’s (AGC) annual desk calendar highlighting the talent of Northeast Ohio area artists. The calendar has served as a stage for the creative community of Northeast Ohio for the past 10 years.

AGC is a full-service, marketing and print communication firm in Cleveland, OH. We operate three comprehensive facilities: The Creative Advantage Design Studio, Sustainable Print Solutions, and Fulfillment Yields Interest. This calendar serves as our capabilities brochure and seeks to demonstrate the power of expressing ideas effectively through print and the myriad of collaborative opportunities available with Northeast Ohio’s creative community.

The collections of past calendars have ranged from sculpture to painting, photography to ceramics, fiber to jewelry.

 52 Weeks 52 Works is published entirely by Academy Graphic Communication.

View past issues of the calendar here.

 Don’t miss your opportunity to be included in the 11th edition!

52 Weeks 52 Works 2012 Calendar has been posted online

After much anticipation the 2012 52 Weeks 52 Works Desk Calendar is now posted to our website.

The 2013 submission form has also been posted to this page.

A special Thank You to all of north east Ohio's talented artists for helping make this a beautiful collection.

PANTONE & Color Marketing Group Predict "Next" Hot Colors

PANTONE's 2012 Color of the Tear is TANGERINE TANGO while, Color Marketing Group Predicts BOYZ-N-BERRY.
Frankly, I think these two colors would be a striking combination - maybe for a Spring Gala Invitation or an advertisement for your Summer Camp programming... the possibilities are endless!

For the official Press Releases Please Read Below:

Dance into the New Year with this Vivacious and Appealing Reddish Orange:
CARLSTADT, N.J., Dec. 8, 2011 – Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company (NASDAQ: XRIT), and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced PANTONE® 17-1463 Tangerine Tango, a vivacious, enticing hue, as the color of the year for 2012.

The 2011 color of the year, PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle, encouraged us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. Tangerine Tango, a spirited reddish orange, continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward.

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Over the past several years, orange has grown in popularity and acceptance among designers and consumers alike. A provocative attention-getter, Tangerine Tango is especially appealing in men’s and women’s fashion. Fashion designers featured in the PANTONE Fashion Color Report Spring 2012, including Tommy Hilfiger, Nanette Lepore, Cynthia Steffe by Shaun Kearney, Elie Tahari and Adrienne Vittadini, are incorporating this attractive orange into their spring collections. A fun, lively take on a traditional autumnal hue, Tangerine Tango will surely carry through to fall fashion as well.

A winner in cosmetics because of its versatility, Tangerine Tango is a bit exotic, but in a very friendly, non-threatening way. Add a sultry flair to lips, cheeks and nails with Tangerine Tango. An unexpected eye shadow color, Tangerine Tango is a complementary opposite that flatters blue or green eyes. When paired with brown eyes, it brings out an amber cast.

SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE
Sharing a strong passion for how color can transform a face, mood or even an attitude, Pantone has partnered with Sephora, the leading beauty specialty retailer, to create an extraordinary collection that will change how consumers wear, feel and think about color. Launching in spring 2012, SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE™ delivers insightful color forecasting, timely trends and powerful seasonal product collections. To celebrate the launch, SEPHORA + PANTONE UNIVERSE proudly presents the first Color of the Year beauty collection.

“These products allow for on-trend, uninhibited expression, while being exceptionally wearable,” commented Gilbert Soliz, lead artist for Sephora PRO. “Whether she is looking to create a bold look featuring Tangerine Tango, or if demure trend expression is more her style, the collection allows for customized wearability.”

The limited edition collection features a variety of products including eye shadow, lipstick, lip gloss, nail polish and accessories, and will be available in Sephora Americas beginning March 2012.

Tangerine Tango for Interiors and More
Energize interior spaces with Tangerine Tango patterned home accessories. Pillows, bedspreads and tabletop accessories in this high-impact hue add spice to any room. Or incorporate Tangerine Tango appliances and personal electronics for an unexpected pop of color. Looking for an inexpensive way to perk up your home? Paint a wall in Tangerine Tango for a dynamic burst of energy in the kitchen, entryway or hallway.

Tangerine Tango products are also available from Chronicle Books (publisher of “Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color” and creator of Pantone paperback journals), Dessy (a leading manufacturer of bridesmaid, social-occasion and flower-girl dresses), MyColor inspired by Pantone (a spirited new collection of grab-and-go paints), PANTONE PAINTS (Pantone’s line of superior-quality, eco-friendly paint), Rickshaw of San Francisco (lightweight and stylish messenger bag created especially for Pantone) and W2 (creator of the iconic PANTONE Chip mug).

Cross-Referencing to Other PANTONE Libraries
PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango can also be cross-referenced to all other PANTONE Libraries including PANTONE PLUS and PANTONE Goe™ for graphic design. For cross-referencing information, see www.pantone.com/COY2012.

About the PANTONE Color of the Year
The color of the year selection is a very thoughtful process. To arrive at the selection, Pantone quite literally combs the world looking for color influences. This can include the entertainment industry and films that are in production, traveling art collections, hot new artists, popular travel destinations and other socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from technology, availability of new textures and effects that impact color, and even upcoming sports events that capture worldwide attention.



Color Marketing Group's Predicts "NEXT" hot color BOYZ-N-BERRY:
Alexandria, VA ‐ BOYZ‐N‐BERRY is the Color Marketing Group’s NEXT important forecast color for the future. With clarity, on the reddened side of purple, it can be interpreted across many industries in spectacular combinations. After all, a color is not seen in a vacuum. Color is influenced by its pairings with other colors.

Simply, with black it is warm and darkly evocative, offering richness and depth, even if it takes us to the dark side of the imagination with vampires and the cosmic black hole. When paired with white, BOYS‐N‐BERRY plays well with ermine furs of royalty, with stark white sand beaches, and the brightness of the bright lights.

Where some colors easily clash with their surroundings, here is a color that is lush enough to bring out the creativity of designers everywhere. Imagine the sophistication that comes with a pearl grey or white pairing. Imagine the fun that comes to mind when it is combined with a clear lime green.

Human nature is healthiest when optimistic. The Color Marketing Group is providing visual stimulation to enrich the psyche through the use of BOYZ‐N‐ BERRY. Whether you want to design an environment with a subtle sensibility, or give your space street cred you can apply this color. Country paths lined with seasonal berries embrace BOYZN‐N‐BERRY, placing it in a palette with deep greens, loamy browns, and sun‐kissed monarch butterflies. Bright city lights and rounded city cobblestones also heighten our visual excitement when this color is in the mix.

The Color Marketing Group members come from all industries to create the NEXT color forecast. Understanding where our society is, and where it is going is the responsibility of each member. Research involves delving into the cultural anthropology of each industry, including: home, technology, transportation, graphic design, fashion, sports, entertainment, media, marketing, education, and innovation.

Will QR Codes Fly or Die in 2012?
What’s Ahead for Barcodes By Nancy Pekala

Marketers have a penchant for gleefully pronouncing the death of the latest trend or technology. First it was email. As of late, QR Codes seem to be heralded as the next latest, greatest trend to bite the dust. But will it?

Without question, 2011 was the year for QR Code chatter. Some heralded mobile barcode technology as the next big thing while others dismissed it as merely a fad.

Despite its success in Japan where Denso Wave first developed them in 1994, QR (Quick Response) codes have struggled in the U.S. to find practical applications. Many have criticized the codes as merely being a fad and a transitional technology to something bigger and better. However, research indicates these barcodes will live well beyond 2012.

Consider the results of a survey of 415 smartphone users earlier last year by Baltimore-based agency MGH. The research revealed that 70% of survey participants were interested in using QR Codes. This percentage included both would-be first timers, and those who had scanned the codes with their smartphones in the past. While the MGH survey also indicated the actual usage of QR Codes lags behind widespread deployment, the rapid growth of tablets and smartphones may soon narrow the gap.

A study Comscore conducted last summer found that “6.2% of the total mobile audience scanned a QR code on their mobile device” in a 1-month period. In comparison, a recent Pew study found that 28% use mobile/social location based services.

B.L. Ochman, president of whatsnextonline.com and an internet marketing strategist and blogger, suggested in a recent AdAge article that it’s not the barcodes that should die, but rather the “dumb ways agencies and brands try to use them.” That being said, QR Codes continue to grow on consumers.

For example, Ochman cited these 2011 Q3 global stats for QR code use from research firm 3Gvision via 2D Code blog editor Roger Smolski:
1.) QR Code usage is growing worldwide. Q3/2011 usage grew by 20% over Q2/2011 usage, with daily scans conducted from 141 different countries.
2.) Barcode usage in North America continued to expand in Q3 with 42.1% growth in the U.S. and 35.1% growth in Canada compared to Q2/2011
3.) QR code activity in Spain and Australia showed a significant growth in Q3 of 66.5%, and 50.9% respectively over Q2/2011.

What’s Ahead for QR Codes in 2012?
Clearly, the forecast of the death of QR Codes is premature. Mobile barcodes continue to gain traction with consumers, but marketers and brands will need to be creative about how they use this technology moving forward in order to produce better consumer experiences.

NeoMedia Technologies, Inc., a global mobile barcode management solutions company, took a peek into its crystal ball and shared these industry predictions for 2012:

 QR codes will dominate. While mobile barcodes will continue to gain traction thanks to increasing smartphone penetration, greater consumer awareness as well as brand confidence and understanding around mobile barcodes, QR codes will continue to be the dominant 2D symbology, becoming the most utilized by marketers across all sectors.

 QR codes front and center: In 2012, mobile barcode scanning applications will increasingly be integrated into brand and retail mobile marketing applications to enable greater consumer participation, expanded loyalty initiatives and overall enhanced consumer experience when in store. In addition, hardware solutions at retail will support mobile barcode scanning on a much wider basis in 2012.

 Mobile barcode campaigns will get creative. Innovation will be critical to QR Code campaigns. In 2012, barcode campaigns will become more than just a way to direct consumers to the web and instead take center stage in campaign design.

 1D scanning will be on the rise. While 2D scanning will continue to grow, there will be continued growth of 1D for extended packaging, promotion, loyalty, and advertising. Major industry bodies, like GS1, will continue to work to enhance the product information behind the scan, to ensure a more positive consumer experience and more accurate data. The influence of barcode scanning on the consumer’s shopping habits will continue to grow as marketers further engage with mobile barcodes.

 Mobile web takes center stage. 2012 will see a noticeable shift toward the mobile web due to three major factors:
The ubiquity of the web cross platform; and Cost associated with developing applications across multiple platforms; and, The experiences enabled by a mobile web environment.
This rise in mobile web will directly correlate to the rise of mobile barcodes. Mobile barcodes make it easier than ever to connect to the mobile web (no more typing cumbersome URLs). Instead, consumers can connect quickly to a mobile website with a simple barcode scan.

 U.S. emerges as a market leader. The U.S. market will dominate mobile marketing globally as smartphones, tablets and other internet devices increasingly become ubiquitous. In the US, expect smartphones to hold the lion’s share of the market by the end of 2012.

“2011 has seen enormous growth in the penetration and usage of mobile barcodes. Brand owners, retailers and consumers are all becoming more familiar with 2D codes and the value they can offer,” said Laura Marriott, CEO of NeoMedia.

Nancy Pekala is the Senior Director of Online Marketing for the AMA and Editor of Marketing Researchers. Continue the conversation in AMAConnectTM, the AMA’s online community exclusively for marketing professionals. Follow us on Twitter @marketing_power.