Musicians have always gotten inspiration from their fans. Now, they may get cover art from them, too.
DeviantArt, an art website with more than 1 million members, is launching a competition in which artists will design logos for a number of well-known bands. If an artist's work is chosen, his or her creation will become the musician's official logo, appearing on swag like T-shirts, hats and CD covers.
"It's another way that we are attempting to give artists an outlet to becoming well-recognized artists," said Angelo Sotira, president of deviantArt. On his blog, Sotira predicts that within the next year, "designs for official merchandise for the biggest bands in the world will come from deviants."
Beginning this week, more than 35 big-name musicians spanning several musical genres -- including Alanis Morissette, Sum 41 and Jurassic 5 -- will have access to deviantArt artists. In return, fans who are amateur artists will have the opportunity to make a lasting impression on their favorite bands.
When it comes time for a rock group to pick a logo, amateurs and professional artists with studio ties will compete on the same level. Sotira believes the method of calling upon amateur designers for professional products could spread to a whole range of industries, from cereal boxes to shoes. DeviantArt has set up what it calls a "Community Marketplace" in anticipation of other design projects in the near future. For now, band merchandise design is the only active category.
Musicians are linking up with the art site through BandMerch, a company that sells band merchandise like T-shirts, hats, bags and other paraphernalia online and on tours.
BandMerch has sought fan-created logos in the past, but never on a large scale or with great success. With the member base of deviantArt behind the new project, however, Keith Chagnon, BandMerch's vice president of marketing, said he believes the quality of the art "is going to be so mind-boggling it's going to be hard for somebody to turn down some of these things."
With an art library of 12 million pieces, musicians shouldn't have trouble finding the appropriate visuals to complement their music at deviantArt, whether they're looking for something dark and gritty or light and colorful.
Any design that is finally chosen by a band will yield between $300 and $500 for the artist who produced it. In addition to the money, Chagnon expects artists will appreciate the bragging rights that come with having their designs handpicked by their favorite musicians.
As the Community Marketplace evolves, deviantArt plans to put out specific calls for musicians who have general design ideas in mind.
Each band could get its own category on the deviantArt site, allowing a band like The White Stripes, already known for its unique visuals, to turn into its own genre of art.
