Nils Ericson
Who printed it?
We used a company out of the UK called Newspaper Club. We had looked locally at a couple of different printers here in the Portland area and they looked amazing but taking into account turnaround and price we ultimately went with Newspaper Club.
Who designed it?
After we went back and forth regarding what project/which images, she designed it and laid everything out. I was in the enviable position of simply taking the photographs and working on the color.
Tell me about the images?
I grew up in Des Moines, Iowa and would get out of school for a couple of days every Spring for the Drake Relays. I was never fast enough to run on the blue oval but did grow up running track and cross country. In any case, I’ve photographed some track and field in the past and for the last few years couldn’t shake the idea of going back home, staying with my folks, walking to and photographing the Drake Relays. It’s a special event. The weather is a mix of amazing and miserable – think snow, rain, wind, and sun – and the athletes range from high school to professional. I called my friend Amy Wolff at Runners World and she pulled a credential in the hopes it might turn into a story. The story didn’t work out but it made for a beautiful promo.
How many did you make?
100 finals plus 3 rounds of proofs to iron out the color.
How many times a year do you send out promos?
Truth be told, this was basically the first. I’d toyed with a promo forever ago but this was my first stab and making something that felt well-conceived and concise and hopefully apropos considering the Olympics coming this summer. In the future, I’d like to send out no more than 2/year. Honestly, 1 per year is probably all I have in the tank with everything else going on.
Do you think printed promos are effective for marketing your work?
I’m undecided, largely because this is my first go around. In my heart of hearts, I want to believe that making something special that conveys real emotion and sending it to a very core group of people is effective but time will tell.
