What do you tell a man that has worked with the likes of Washington Nationals, Citibank, Sanford Health and even Coca Cola? What do you tell that same man who has spent twenty-five years in the graphics and marketing world and yet their greatest pleasure is helping others achieve their dreams? You tell him nothing, you simply ask him for an interview and hope he says yes, and that is just what we did (luckily we got a yes). Allow us to introduce Crowd member Andy Rotman- Zaid, founder of virtual company creative collaborativ and here’s what he had to say…

Hi Andy! So what attracted you to Blur Marketing?

Hi! I was introduced through my friend to Poonam who told me about Blur Marketing.

I was initially attracted because the group was relatively small and diverse. I also appreciated that the group was global.The crowd is diverse and addresses many parts of the world that I travel to now with an eye to the future.

What are your opinions on our Crowdsourced model?

The crowdsource model has a good social network basis because as of now it is a niche in everything design. It seems to be weighted to traditional forms of freelance particularly in writing, but that will change over time into more visual aspects of design gain dimension. I don’t think the participant – both agencies and marketing pros have reached “critical mass”. When it does there will be a greater abundance of exchange.

What are your future aspirations/ career plans?

I am currently building a virtual company called Creative Collaborativ. My intention is bringing fine artists and designers together with business resources to provide them the freedom to focus on growing their creativity. A long time ago I worked as a supplier to designers and sometimes artists for all thing visual. What I learned is that design and art approach exploration and discovery in different ways. Design works to find solutions to problems. Designers are prolific in working with clients to identify their intentions and then visualise them. Let’s call it outside-in process. Artists work from inside out…expressing themselves through their expression/visualisation and beyond. My intention is to find and develop projects that bring both worlds together

As someone that has been in business for most of my life, I have learned that creative flow and business discipline are not mutually exclusive and ‘creatives’ often  struggle with the business ends of their lives. Therefore, part of the plan is to provide resources to creatives to ease their business angst.
We are slowly growing. Blur potentially down the road will provide a wide range of resources that will provide growth between creatives and business resources.

What qualities do you feel a marketer needs to have in order to be successful? Which qualities do you feel you have?

A good marketer is a synthesizer of ideas, their universe and is able to articulate their experience.I am good at bringing diverse ideas together and understanding process. I am  also learning to communicate more clearly.

What is your favourite campaign/project?

I have worked in many areas, most recently in project managing in the fine arts.
The project that stands out the most from the past is a larger than life sculpture project in Sioux Falls, SD for Sanford Healthcare. I am working with an inventor currently who has invented a new musical instrument – The Beamz and am learning that everything is possible.

What has been your career highlight?

I work on those highlights everyday and create new possibilities and challenges.We are currently in the bidding process of bringing together The Beamz in a creative and interactive experience on a Sky bridge between a children’s hospital and an outpatient clinic, which will create an environment that is visual and musical and will allow the participant to create their own experience.

With the emergence of web 2.0, marketing strategies have changed and are adapting to new technology. How has this change affected you?

The best is yet to come….when we bring the solid and the virtual worlds together.

It is happening now.

What do you feel is the most interesting aspect of project management?

The process of discovery of the process in everything we do.

How has recent technological development broadened your treatment of graphic design?

I am a grandpa…so I have delighted in the change over many years from manual to analog to digital to dimensional. We are working in taking that which is visual and making is into music and visa versa. We are working in making ideas and dreams real and as technology grows (and it is still in its infancy) the time from those dreams to reality will grow shorter and allow us to conceive of things that we didn’t even know could be. This impacts every aspect of our lives from the food we eat to our health and well-being, to our environments to how we communicate. My simple ability to be alive in these times is wondrous and amazing to me and it is based on the visualisation of communication through technology.  It is amazing that with little or no interference I can now touch the whole world.

In your opinion, what 3 qualities makes a good graphic designer

• · Inspired to communicate

• · Talent to express themselves visually

• · A strong belief in the possible

If you (Andy) were going to be placed in SEM on Google, which three words would you use?

• · Futurist

• · Communicator

• · Dreamer

Favourite:

Twitter or Facebook – neither

Linkedin or BlurMarketing – both

Blog :http://betterperspective.blogspot.com

Superhero :Thor

Film :What the Bleep ?

Advertising company/company Digitas Chicago http://www.digitas.com/

PC or Mac: Both

Any last words before we close?

Have a great day everyday!

Andy

Connect with Andy at blurMarketing