Value
Everyone’s talking about the economy these days and how businesses are adapting to it. Below are a few points we would like to share as to why it would be good to use a service such as Conceptopolis to create art for your company.
1) We’re less expensive, but maintain a high level of quality. On a case-by-case basis, we believe we can meet or beat any studios pricing…even many overseas groups. The advantage over them (we feel) is the connection to the markets here in the U.S. and our ability to “get it” and understand the needs of the project. It’s the comfort level of knowing you’re working with a group that sees itself as an extension of your company – and it doesn’t hurt that we’re on the same side of the planet.
Our pricing philosophy isn’t because we’re “desperate”, but a philosophy of passing on savings to the client. We always believe that we should price things out fairly for the client and the artists we work with. This way, it’s a good deal for all involved and translates into high quality pieces when everyone’s happy.
In fact, one art manager asked us bluntly how much a particular piece we produced went for. He was shocked and informed us that we could be charging twice as much…$12,000 vs. $6000, since it was comparable to other group’s piece that were on the same level. While, we were flattered, we simply felt it was priced correctly, as it worked out for the client and artist very well. This is our biggest advantage we think and we feel we handle those situations in the most honorable way we can, as we truly have everyone’s best interest in mind. This is true for the smaller jobs as well where each piece may only be a few hundred dollars. We feel it’s best to be up front and fair to everyone from the start.
2) Flexibility. One of our strongest arguments for using Conceptopolis is our flexibility in matching up the right artist to the job. To us, it just doesn’t make sense to hire an artist on (or several!), have them work on a title and then when the work is finished; they’re let go or shifted into a scenario that doesn’t utilize their strengths. There are many good artists out there, but we can offer a solution that is more conscious of the big picture – allowing each person to do what they’re best at.
Granted, you lose a little of the personal touch and one-on-one communication within a studio environment. But if an art-director can communicate clearly through phone calls and emails, then it really makes sense to have us illustrate the pieces needed for the project.
3) There is also the economic factor as well. Everyone knows an “employee” is more expensive when you consider in taxes, insurance, etc. Core cost controls are essential, so if you can budget a certain amount for the art needed for a game, it just makes sense to have a contractor complete that part of the work, but it’s essential you have someone such as Conceptopolis who can manage much of the process. The last thing an art director needs is to turn over the work to a group who will “disappear”, miss deadlines and be unable to manage the flow of work properly. Conceptopolis has several years of experience handling milestones, revisions and feedback cycles…the job is and will be in good hands.
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We hear that we’re inexpensive, produce really high quality art and are fast from all those who work with us. That’s probably true, but we simply look at it as us just doing a job and having fun. We’re “lunch bucket” types that love what we do. We don’t need to put on parties, events or run a community to feel better about ourselves. We avoid a “house style” or force a “flavor of the month”. We meet our deadlines and honor each contract we sign. We simply let our work speak for itself and hope when we communicate to clients and artists that we all get off the phone or finish an email with a smile on our face. We should always remind ourselves that this should be fun and that lots of people will get to experience what we’re illustrating. We’re all contributing to what people on the street would find really cool and we want the best for everyone. We think there’s some value in that.
