Bible Scholars Stunned: Forbidden Fruit May Have Been… A Shoe!
And now for something completely different, as Python’s brother Monty used to say.
I shy away from contests because they tend to be exploitative: artists get taken advantage of. On the other hand, a contest can provide an artist with valuable publicity– so there’s room for debate.
Back in August, I surprised myself by entering a contest sponsored by Fluevog Shoes. The challenge: design an ad for their new shoe, Truth Genevieve. Including copy was optional, since the winning ad would be run inside a frame which contained all pertinent written information.
Without further ado, here’s my entry:
It’s a takeoff, of course, on the story of Adam and Eve, as recorded in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. Before going further, I must emphasize that it is not meant to ridicule the Bible or religion in any way.
Most cartoonists have, at some point, tried their hand at an Adam and Eve cartoon. Most of these cartoons are affectionate parodies. I intended my Fluevog ad to be exactly that.
So why did I decide to enter the contest? I received an email from Claire Porter, a friend of mine who also happens to be one of the world’s most inventive performance artists.
Turns out Claire likes Fluevog shoes, and actually wears them in some of her routines. She had heard about the contest, and urged me to enter, saying she thought my design “would be THE BEST!!!” Blush! Nothing like flattery to make a guy reckless. I decided to jump in.
I’ve always been a fan of retro art which tends to employ very distinctive color palettes. I decided to give the ad a retro look, hence the unusual color scheme. Here’s a detail image:
Fluevog contests are ongoing. They run for about 4 weeks. Artists submit their designs during this period. Once the deadline passes, John, the owner, picks his four favorites. These are moved onto a separate page, and “Fluevogers” then vote and determine the winner.
Fluevog provides all participating artists with a “toolkit” which contains high-res images of the featured shoe. You can use them in your ad, or simply for reference– it’s strictly up to you. Here’s what the Truth Genevieve shoe actually looks like:
So what exactly do you win if your design is chosen? To quote from the official contest rules:
If your artwork is chosen, you will become an official FluevogCreative, receive a bio on Fluevog.com, have your ad, name, & URL showcased with a minimum of 250,000 printed impressions in classy magazines, and receive a $1,000 Gift Certificate to John Fluevog Shoes.
And what exactly is Fluevog getting in return? Fluevog spells this out on its Design Submission Terms and Conditions page:
If your Design is selected for use by Fluevog, you acknowledge that you assign to John Fluevog Shoes & Boots Ltd. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (hereinafter collectively “Fluevog”) the entire right, title, and interest in and to the copyright in your Design including the right to sue for past infringement and the right to further sublicense the Design, for its sole and exclusive use on and in connection with the Items. You also acknowledge that you waive all “moral” rights that you may have in and to your Design.
You get publicity and $1000 worth of shoes. You give up all rights to your work.
Here’s another detail image:
So I won the contest, right? Uh, no.
But I did get selected as one of the finalists, right? Uh… sadly, no.
There were a total of 56 entries, these were the four finalists. Take a look, then scroll down to see the winner.
Here’s the winner, and I did vote for it myself. Simple, striking, colorful.
Re the copy used in the winning ad: the creative brief for the contest stated that no copy was required, but:
if you are looking for some, here are some words/copy we have used in the past, which you are free to use.
It went on to list Truth and Integrity since 1970, Unique Soles for Unique Souls, and several other catch-phrases.
Most of the designers used one of these phrases, I did not. I doubt it was a factor in my getting passed over. Nudity? A religious reference? What was I thinking?? Also: most of the entries featured a large central image, with prominent placement given to the shoe,
in contrast to my own “long shot” image. Ah, well– a good learning experience.
You can see all 56 entries in this Truth Genevieve gallery.
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What do you think? Is it worthwhile for an artist to enter this kind of contest? Ever entered a similar contest yourself? Hope you’ll leave a comment.
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