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We Need Your Voice on the next Register of Copyrights

We’re asking all visual artists, and all who rely on a strong copyright system, to respond to the Library of Congress’ survey on the next Register of Copyrights. ...

30 December, 2016

Fairness for Small Creators Act Introduced

The Guild applauds the introduction of H.R. 6496, the “Fairness for Small Creators Act” introduced by Rep. Judy Chu [D-NY] and Rep. Lamar Smith [R-TX]. ...

08 December, 2016

First Policy Proposal from Judiciary Committee Hearings Released

The Graphic Artists Guild welcomes the first policy proposal resulting from the Judicary Committee’s review of U.S. copyright law, released by House Judiciary Committee Chair Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers....

08 December, 2016

DesignCensus: Respond to AIGA’s Comprehensive Survey of the Design Sector by December 16

Google and AIGA have collaborated on Design Census, a survey to map the educational level, lifestyle, and work habits of designers around the world....

30 November, 2016

Free Art Licensing Q&A with J’net Smith, December 14

J’net Smith of All Art Licensing is running her free Q&A on art licensing on December 14th. ...

29 November, 2016

Judge Dismisses Photographer’s $1 Billion Case Against Getty Images

After the judge presiding in the case indicated that he was considering dismissing a number of photographer Highsmith’s claims, the parties settled. ...

25 November, 2016

Update on Freelance Isn’t Free: NYC Mayor Signs Bill into Law

The law is the first of its kind in the nation, providing legal recourse for freelancers to pursue clients for non-payment. ...

18 November, 2016

Illustrator and Lawyer Collaborate on Law & Artist Videos to Inform Graphic Artists

In a bi-coastal collaboration that benefits artists, illustrator Mark Monlux and attorney Daniel Abraham have been producing Law & Artist videos....

08 November, 2016

Relief for NYC Visual Artists: Freelance Isn’t Free Act Passes Unanimously

The bill redresses the growing trend of non- or late payment experienced by 71% of New York City freelancers....

31 October, 2016

Two New Guild Member Discounts: Art Licensing Services & Products, and Brush Calligraphy Workshop

We have two new member discounts to announce! To retrieve your discount codes, log in to Member Central (upper right corner of our website), and visit our Member Discounts page....

28 October, 2016

Statement on Removal of Registrar of Copyrights by Copyright Alliance

The Copyright Alliance released a statement that echoes our concerns with the removal of Maria Pallante as Register of Copyrights....

24 October, 2016

Ask a Pro Webinar and Resources for Illustration and Design Students Published

Links and resources shared during our Ask a Pro webinar have been gathered into a resource list, along with links to additional resources....

21 October, 2016

Resources for Illustration and Design students from The Guild’s Ask A Pro Webinar

We've gathered the links and resources shared during our Ask a Pro webinar into a resource list....

20 October, 2016

Illustrator Cory Kerr Makes the Case for Using a Contract

Illustrator Cory Kerr covers “Contracts and the Apocalypse” for illustrators who are new to the business side of illustration....

11 October, 2016

$1 Billion Lawsuit Against Getty Images Raises Questions about Public Domain Dedication

Photographer Carol Highsmith was outraged when she received a $120 invoice for using a photograph she had taken....

29 September, 2016

The Power of the © Notice

In her follow-up article, “Your © is More Than CMI,” Burns goes into greater detail on how to effectively use the copyright notice, and why doing so is such a good practice....

15 September, 2016

ico-D August 2016 Pasadena platform meeting

Workgroups Present to the International Design Community at ico-D Platform Meetings

The Guild particpated in ico-D’s Platform Meetings by heading a session on National Design Policy....

09 September, 2016

National Design Policies: Why They Matter

A national design policy is a systemic and strategic government plan to support its design sector to achieve various ends. ...

06 September, 2016

AIGA’s “Get Out the Vote” Poster Campaign 2016 Resonates

AIGAs "Get Out the Vote" poster campaign solicits designs from AIGA members for posters urging citizens to vote. ...

29 August, 2016

An Open Letter to Political Candidates on Copyright

The Copyright Alliance has published an open letter to the 2016 political candidates, advocating for a strong copyright system and a safe and secure Internet. ...

03 August, 2016

Coalition of Visual Artists Welcomes Introduction of Establishing Small Claims Board for Copyright

A coalition of visual artist groups commends the attention that a copyright small claims legislation is now garnering on Capitol Hill. ...

14 July, 2016

Thurgood Marshall Courthouse, New York City

Guild Advocacy Liaison Testifies at Copyright Office Discussion on the DMCA Notice

The Guild participated in panel discussions conducted by the Copyright Office on the DMCA takedown process....

11 July, 2016

Meet Yanique DaCosta, Southern Region’s Candidate for Representative!

We’re delighted to announce another candidate for regional representative, designer and fine artist Yanique DaCosta. ...

30 June, 2016

© Watermark: A Tool to Protect Your Work Under the DMCA

Attorney Leslie Burns explains how including your name and copyright symbol gives you an additional, powerful tool to protect your copyrights online....

29 June, 2016

HOW Design Live: A Fun Pricing Game, and a Memorable Conference

The Guild was invited to participate at HOW Design Live this past May, and decided to contribute a live version of our Pricing Game. ...

07 June, 2016

Introducing Joseph Caserto, Eastern Region’s New Representative

The Guild’s Eastern Region is delighted to announce their new representative to National: designer Joseph Caserto....

24 May, 2016

World Design Summit – Montréal 2017: Call for Speakers

The organizers of the World Design Summit – Montréal 2017 aim to address how design can shape the future. ...

20 May, 2016

Compare and Contrast: Artists’ Rights and the Two Princes

Sarah Howes of The Copyright Alliance compared Prince the musician to his opposite, appropriation artist Richard Prince (RP)....

18 May, 2016

Vox Indie's screenshots of Google's Pirate takedown

Vox Indie’s Common Sense Proposal for Google to Reduce its Massive DMCA Takedown Numbers

Ellen Siedler of Vox Indie asserts that the sheer quantity of notices processed Google is proof enough that the process does not help rights holders. ...

12 May, 2016

Questions about Copyright Registration? Answers from the Copyright Office!

10 May, 2016

The Handbook Primer Series: Now in Android Flavor!

Want to read our Handbook of Pricing & Ethical Guidelines on your tablet? Our digital Primer series has just been released for Android. ...

03 May, 2016

NYC’s Freelance Isn’t Free Act Hopes to Redress Non-Payment

New York City's Freelance Isn’t Free Act has been championed by the Freelancers Union and founder Sara Horowitz. ...

26 April, 2016

Adobe Design Achievement Awards Strive to Prepare Students for the Real World

The deadline for the Adobe Design Achievement Awards is June 19. ...

12 April, 2016

Marking World Design Day, April 27

ico-D is marking World Design Day by celebrating how design has improved everyday life in local communities....

30 March, 2016

Screenshot of Mark Monlux animations on copyright

Animations Educate on Copyright Ownership and Registration

Guild member and illustrator/animator Mark Monlux has given us permission to post two animations he created covering copyright basics. ...

28 March, 2016

Katie Lane’s Low-down on Work-for-Hire versus Assigning Your Copyrights

Attorney Katie Lane recently addressed the difference between work-for-hire and assigning copyrights....

21 March, 2016

Graphic Means: Film Project Explores Pre-Digital Design Production

A film trailer released in early March has received a lot of attention, particularly among designers of a certain age....

18 March, 2016

Vox Indie's Google DMCA process thumbnail

Vox Indie on Google’s Roadblocks to the DMCA Takedown Process

Filmmaker Ellen Siedler explored the process Google employs for those wishing to report copyright infringement via their DMCA takedown notice....

15 March, 2016

Deadline on Survey on DMCA Notice Extended to March 20

The deadline for the survey on infringement of online copyrighted images and the DMCA take-down notice has been extended to March 20th....

11 March, 2016

Survey for Visual Artists About the DMCA Notice

We’d like to know about your experience with online infringement and the DMCA notice process....

08 March, 2016

Copyright Small Claims White Paper Released by Visual Arts Associations

Several visual artist groups, representing hundreds of thousands of creators, have joined forces to propose key components of potentially forthcoming small claims legislation. ...

02 March, 2016

Professor Sean O’Connor being introduced at the House Judicary Committee hearing on the DMCA

The DMCA Notice: “Take Down” is Letting Down Artists

Since the DMCA notice procedure was written into law in 1998, it’s proven to be of limited effectiveness in combating copyright infringement online. ...

03 February, 2016

New York Public LIbraray public domain image search

NYPL Adds Public Domain Images to Digital Collections for Reuse by Artists

The New York Public Library (NYPL) has added over 674,000 public domain images to their on online database of digital collections. ...

02 February, 2016

Designer Jonathan Barnbrook Releases David Bowie “Blackstar” Graphics for Noncommercial Use

In remembrance of David Bowie, designer Jonathan Barnbrook has released the graphics used on Bowie’s last album, Blackstar, for non-commercial use. ...

29 January, 2016

Design Community Dismayed by Decision to Crowdsource Tokyo Olympics Logo

The development of the Tokyo Olympics identity went into a tailspin when Belgian designer Olivier Debie accused Sano of plagiarizing Debie’s logo for the Théâtre de Liege....

22 January, 2016

NEA infographic on the economic contribution of the arts

NEA Report Shows Stronger Contribution of the Arts to the US Economy than Previously Assumed

A report issued in mid-January by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) concludes that the arts make 4% of the GDP (gross domestic product), or $698 billion. ...

15 January, 2016

Lawsuit May Successfully Challenge Fair Use Defense in Art Appropriation

Appropriation artist Richard Prince is being sued once again for infringement, by photographer Donald Graham. ...

11 January, 2016

Apparel Company Counters Piracy Accusation with Bogus Claim of Copyright Infringement

Eric Kim reported that his illustration of pro wrestler Randy “The Macho Man” Savage was pirated by apparel company Freeze Central Mills Inc....

28 December, 2015

Holiday GIFts, Courtesy of Creative Mornings

Creative Mornings posted the “GIF Channel,” a wall of GIF animations on themes relevant to freelancers and agency staff....

15 December, 2015

Fashion House Appropriates Sacred Inuit Design

British fashion label Kokon to Zai (KTZ) stole a sacred Inuit pattern to print on their “Shaman Toweling Sweatshirt.” ...

03 December, 2015

Guild Gift Certificates

Not sure what gift to give the creative entrepreneur in your life? How about the gift of community and business advice from the Graphic Artists Guild?...

03 December, 2015

11 1/2 Free Tools for testing Website Accessibility banner image

David Berman’s 11½ (or 15) Favorite Tools for Testing Website Accessibility

David Berman addresses the pitfalls of ensuring a website meets basic accessibility standards in 11½ Tools for Testing Website Accessibility, a webinar hosted by 3PlayMedia. ...

27 November, 2015

Ad Agency Video on Spec Work Belies Reality Facing Creators

A video and blog post on spec work produced by Toronto advertising agency Zulu Alpha Kilo is burning up the Internet....

18 November, 2015

Guild Participates in Creative Rights Caucus 2015 for the House Judiciary Committee

On November 3, the Guild participated in the 2015 Creative Rights Caucus for the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC. ...

12 November, 2015

Sheila Copps Challenges Designers to Address Global Issues

At the Eeum Design Connects international congress, Copps challenged the design community to effectively address global issues. ...

03 November, 2015

ico-D General Assembly Sets an Ambitious Agenda for Design Associations

The ico-D General Assembly 26 took place October 22-23, following Eeum, the International Design Congress in Gwangju, South Korea. ...

29 October, 2015

The Restrictions in Stock Image Licenses Illustrators and Designers Need to Know

Designers and illustrators are cautioned to read through the licenses employed by microstock sites....

06 October, 2015

Guild Member Discount for HOW Interactive Design Conference Boston, Nov. 5-7

Guild members are invited to attend the conference at a discount of $50 off the registration fee....

30 September, 2015

October Drawing Challenges for Illustrators

Two October drawing challenges inspire artists to up their technical skills, as well has have a great deal of fun. ...

23 September, 2015

Library of Congress Technology Woes Shut Down Copyright Office

Creators seeking to register their work online at the end of August were foiled by a system outage that took the electronic filing system offline. ...

14 September, 2015

Orphan Works in Canada: Attempting Accountability

In light of how concerned U.S. artists are about legislation addressing orphan works, it's worth taking a look at how Canada addresses the issue....

02 September, 2015

Illustration Rep Changes Policy of Not Crediting Artists After Protest from Illustration Age

Illustrator Thomas James reported that artists representatives illozoo was not crediting their illustrators on their Instagram account....

24 August, 2015

Yahoo Ads Delivered Malware as Hackers Leverage Flash Security Flaw

Visitors to Yahoo’s main website during the last week in July may have been exposed to malware....

20 August, 2015

Mr. Shems Goes to Washington (well, New York, actually)

Ed Shems, a Guild member, was asked to testify on behalf of illustrators on proposed changes to the First Sale Doctrine....

14 August, 2015

Wallpart: Online Print Shop “Stealing” Arists’ Work is Not What You Think

An online business that appears to be infringing visual artists is not what it appears to be. ...

30 July, 2015

Guild Member Discount for Design Thinkers 2015 Conference

With over 2,000 attendees and 30+ speakers, DesignThinkers is Canada’s largest conference for visual communicators....

27 July, 2015

Taylor Swift Listens to Photographers’ Concerns; Foo Fighters Not So Much

The publicity engendered by Taylor Swift’s protest of Apple’s licensing terms cast a spotlight on her troublesome concert photography contracts....

24 July, 2015

Guild Filed Response to the “Copyright Protection for Certain Visual Works” Notice of Inquiry

The Graphic Artists Guild has filed a response to the Copyright Office notice, “Copyright Protection for Certain Visual Works.” ...

23 July, 2015

Taylor Swift concert photographers' contract

Taylor Swift Advocates for Musicians, but not Photographers

UK photographer Jason Sheldon published an open response to Taylor Swift's protest of Apple's treatment of musicians....

29 June, 2015

The Cost of Logo Design: Advice from a Graphic Designer

Brooklyn-based graphic designer Roberto Blake has published a video educating non-designers on what to expect when soliciting a bid on a logo design. ...

17 June, 2015

Guild Member Joseph Caserto Responds to Pratt Crowdsourcing Contest

Pratt Institute alum Joseph Caserto protested the institution’s crowd-sourced mascot design contest. ...

11 June, 2015

Copyright Alliance's “Copyright is a Conversation” graphic

Happy 225, US Copyright Law!

The first US federal copyright law was enacted 225 years ago, and the Copyright Office and Copyright Alliance marked the anniversary. ...

02 June, 2015

Guild Protests Federal Agency’s Logo Design Contest

The Guild has sent a letter to the Small Business Administration protesting their crowd-sourced “Seed for the Future” logo design contest. ...

21 May, 2015

Canada 150 Logo Revealed to Subdued Response from Graphic Designers

After a controversial logo contest bitterly criticized by national design organizations, the Canadian government revealed its chosen 150 anniversary logo. ...

01 May, 2015

Copyright Office Publishes Fair Use Index

The Copyright Office has published the Fair Use Index, a searchable database of cases. ...

30 April, 2015

Apple Sued by Artist for Trade Dress Infringement

Brazilian pop artist Romero Britto is suing Apple, Inc. and the designers known as Craig & Karl for trade dress infringement and unfair competition....

20 April, 2015

Typetester Online Tool Permits Comparison of 2,000+ Webfonts

Typetester is an online resource permitting users to compare up to three fonts at a time. ...

09 April, 2015

Copyright and Creators: Addressing Anti-Copyright Sentiments

Novelist John Degen recently engaged in a back-and-forth of the value of copyrights to creators, spurred by recent changes to Canda's copyright laws. ...

30 March, 2015

Keep Your Art Director Happy: 10 Mistakes Illustrators Make

Art director Giuseppe Castellano has compiled a list of 10 common mistakes illustrators make in delivering their work to art directors. ...

24 March, 2015

Guild Joins Organizations in Protesting the “Code of Best Practices in Fair Use”

The Graphic Artists Guild joined a coalition of visual artist associations in a letter addressing concerns with the CAA’s “Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts.”...

16 March, 2015

Guild Joins CreativeFuture Coalition to Address Piracy

The Graphic Artists Guild has joined CreativeFuture, a coalition of over 350 companies and organizations that seeks to address piracy. ...

12 March, 2015

Speech on Type: Typography Podcasts by Typeradio

Now in its eighth year of netcasting, Typeradio is an internet radio stream with a wealth of material. ...

10 March, 2015

news what hollywood thinks of graphic designers video

A Video Compilation: What Hollywood Thinks of Graphic Designers

Design students Ellen Mercer and Lucy Streule have compiled a video of graphic designers as portrayed by Hollywood. ...

05 March, 2015

Bring your Blood Pressure Up: Spec Work Documented on Social Media

If you’ve been advised to keep your heart rate steady, you should probably avoid @forexposure_txt on Twitter and shitspecworkon Tumblr....

25 February, 2015

Have a Cool Sustainable Design Project? Renourish Wants to Know

The founders of Renourishvare working on a book for graphic designers who “want to integrate a sustainable ethos into their workflow.”...

20 February, 2015

Oh, Dear, Canada: Government Issues Contest for Logo

Canadian designers were startled when their government issued a student contest for the Canada 150 logo. ...

13 February, 2015

Buying your Own Logo – At Least it was Cheap

The Logo Factory, a logo design and branding shop, had their logo ripped off on Fiverr not once, but three times....

11 February, 2015

Molly Crabapple on Thriving as an Artist in the Internet Age

Artist and writer Molly Crabapple shared her thoughts on achieving creative success....

04 February, 2015

It’s Dying: Glaser’s Stark Message on Climate Change

Hoping to galvanize public demand for effective policy addressing climate change, Milton Glaser unleashed a campaign titled “It’s Not Warming, It’s Dying.” ...

02 February, 2015