Closing a social transaction. Musings on e-commerce and copyright.

A couple of days ago via Microsoft’s arbiter of all things cool,  Steve Clayton,  I saw this poster

Pinned Image

(If you like it, buy it too).

The poster has gone viral, no doubt bringing a wry but slightly painful smile to anyone filling in travel expenses or CRM system screens, or thinking about tidying the garage.

Within  a couple of  clicks I was able to contact  the artist, Brad Rose, and via the collective art website, Big Cartel, order and pay for the print.  It will be gracing my office wall  some unspecified time in the future when I get around to having it framed.  

 The Internet and social media allow me to discover what I think is cool art, interact with the artist and buy their stuff. The world of art and crafts is being fundamentally reshaped by the Internet and social media.  I can very easily find stuff I like,  appreciate who and how it is made, and perhaps buy their product.  It would have been easy to just print out the poster without buying it, but I quite like the idea of paying the creator for the the grin that this will bring to people’s face when they visit my office.  I don’t need the threat of copyright infringement to know this. Discover, engage, and own.

 In a rather weird circular way, I first got into buying poster art online with Hugh, of gapingvoid fame, a close friend of Steve. 

BTW Brad’s site is a fascinating tour of typography. One day I might actually try and learn something about typography. It will be an ideal weapon to use against wine bores at dinner parties.

 similar post on my Gartner blog.

 

 

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