foalio-blog

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Foalio Activity (Part 1)

Let's be honest, it feels good to get feedback. We're out there putting our creative neck on the line, a little "thumbs up" or "great work" or "I'm foaming at the mouth" never hurts the ego. Thankfully, Foalio gives you a couple great options to give much-needed feedback to other creatives.

Props

Props are Foalio's version of Likes. This is a fast, efficient and easy way to say, "I dig it." Just find your way to a cool project like this one and click "Prop This" at the top of the right sidebar.

Comments

Plain and simple, say something! If you're out and about checking out great creative work and you feel inspired, tell the artist. We've made this as painless as possible. When you're checking out a project and you feel the urge, scroll down below the images and leave your mark!

What are you waiting for? Get active on Foalio. Spread the word. 

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Job Posting, Hunting & Recruiting on Foalio

We all have one thing in common in today's economy... work. We either need good, reliable & creative workers or someone awesome to work for. Here are some great tips to remember when using Foalio to find potential job candidates:

JOB POSTING: Finding the right creative candidate for your job

1. Do some research

When you have a specific job to fill, do some research in advance. There are a lot of great artists out there, but not all will fit the bill for your needs. Are you looking for someone to design a Zombie-Eating-Clownasaur for your next t-shirt line? Browse around on Foalio and see if you can't find the perfect match, then contact the artist directly from their profile using the "Hire Me" button. 

2. Take your time

Once you've browed the Foalio directory for inspiration, you might be ready to create a free job post to find candidates. Take your time during this step. Create an appealing job post... remember you are hiring an artist! A giant run-on sentence doesn't typically showcase professionalism or creativity. Use the built in HTML editor to fine tune your job post (i.e. Make important text bold, separate information into paragraphs, post links to outside sources of inspiration, use bullet points to list job responsibilities or perks).

  Extra Credit: Take the extra step to "give props" to projects that you love on Foalio. This will give job candidates an even better idea of what you are looking for. And, upload an avatar to your profile, so people have a personal reference of who they are working with.

3. Create an offer

Let's be honest, you have a budget for creative work, and creative workers want to know what they are working for. Be up front about how much your job pays. Is it a "flat rate" for the job, or will you be paying hourly? Is this a freelance job that could take a couple of days, or do you need a creative on hand for 6 months? The more specific you are, the better your chances of finding the right person for your needs.

P.S. - Foalio does not accept job listings that involve "spec work". If you are looking for people to submit designs according to your specifications that you can choose from before you hire them, we will not activate your listing. Learn more.

4. Share your job listing

Once you submit your job post, Foalio will review it and activate it. Go to your listing and use the sharing features on the right sidebar to email it, tweet it, post it to facebook and get more traction.

5. Review your applicants and HIRE!

Once your job post is active, go to the "Your Jobs" tab on your Dashboard to see Applicants. You can browse applicant profiles and contact them about hiring them for the job! 

We hope that Foalio can be a great resource to help you find the work that you need! Send us an email and let us know about your experiences!

Happy Hunting,

The Foalio Crew

[foalio-blog]

Growing Organically Takes Time

Launching a new web application is a true test of patience. It can be lot like really wanting Christmas to get here... but it's only January.

For the impatient, loads of money is spent on advertising in an attempt to accelerate the adoption of the idea. Loads more money is spent hiring a massive team to pull out all the stops and attract as many users as possible, as quickly as possible.

But, we believe in the organic approach. The one where you put a frog in a pot of water and set it to boil. And, we believe in the organism, and that's you. We believe that, in time, people will begin to see and understand the value of the idea and build a community around that value.

Foalio is not built around a new idea. It's built around an idea that we weren't satisfied with, so we decided to take matters into our own hands. There are brilliant artists that, given the chance to be seen, would be hired by just the right people. But, they're not being seen. There are so many people looking for those artists that, given the opportunity and budget to find them, would love to hire them. But, they can't find them or don't have the money to invest in finding them.

For six months, people have slowly been hearing about Foalio. One person discovers the gem and tells a friend. Another tweets a new project. And another posts a job. Six months from now, we hope the organic approach gives us a window into the value people find in our service.

We are actively involved in making Foalio a great service for you. But, remember, growth takes time. We hope that you will post a new project, tell a friend or post a job... and grow organically with us into the future.

Cheers,

The Foalio Crew

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Ruben Ireland

We just can't get enough of Ruben Ireland's dreamlike illustrations. Ruben is a graphic artist and illustrator based in London. He specializes in a fusion of traditional techniques and digital processing.

You can see more of Ruben's work on Foalio & his website. Then go to Society6 and buy something!

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Happy One Monthiversary!

Today marks 1 month that Foalio has been in Beta! Thanks to all of the amazing artists who have helped create a spot for us in the world. We're working hard every day to make Foalio a great resource for artists and those in need of an artist. Now get out there and create your own portfolio if you haven't already: http://www.foalio.com. Here's to the next month... cheers!

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Jon Contino, Alphastructaesthetitologist

Every now and then, an artist catches your eye and just sticks. Such is the case with Jon Contino. A New York native, Jon utilizes "hand-drawn lettering and typographic illustration in conjunction with a modern, yet minimalistic sensibility".

We've been digging Jon's work for a while now. Check out his work at http://joncontino.com, buy his stuff at http://society6.com/JonContino and share the love!

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Alex Pearson & The Family Tree

Alex Pearson and the gang at Family Tree Design and Illustration are killing it. Their special edition poster series will win just about anyone over to their side! Check out more of Alex's work on Foalio.

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Yema Yema is Funky Character Tee Design

Meet Mercedes Crespo aka Yema Yema. Her quirky character illustrations will keep you filled with imagination. See more of Yema Yema's work on Foalio or buy some of her great t-shirts or posters from her online store.

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Today's Featured Projects by the following Artists (Clockwise from Top Left):

Scott Coleman | JohnC Thurbin | Claire Anderson | Brian Walline | Matheus Lopes | Colus Havenga

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Herman Lee aka Freshfauxx on Foalio. Be sure to check out his ultra cool project MSCED (Make Something Cool Every Day).

Herman is currently based in Hong Kong after living most of his life in Toronto, Canada.

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We are so pleased to see Karen Hallion's work on Foalio. A great fusion of classic and modern illustration.

Hailing from Massachusetts, Karen is influenced by the amazing work of Glen Keane, Audrey Kawasaki, and Alphonse Mucha. She also speaks fluent Star Wars, Firefly, Buffy, Harry Potter and Steampunk.

See more of Karen Hallion's work on Foalio and her website.

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Human by Matthew Sebert on Foalio.

Matthew is a graphic designer from Southern New England and has been freelancing since February 2010. See more of his work on his website: www.matthewsebert.com

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Vintage DC Superhero Posters by Michael Myers on Foalio

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David Smith: Typography & "Authentic Junk"

We love David's focus on handcrafted work. His vintage typography skills make his work pop. Go give the boy some "Props" on Foalio

David hails from Southern California. You can find more work on his website: http://smithscanvas.org/

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Creative Job Listings on Foalio

Foalio is all about Jobs

We're passionate about good art and it's our goal to connect artists with jobs. The differentiating factor between Foalio and other services on the web is one word: Free.

There are a couple great services on the web where artists can find jobs, but there is a threshold for which jobs can be found based on the "Job Listing Fee". We work with artists every day who aren't just looking for the big money with every job. Let's look at an example:

You are starting a clothing company, and you're not a designer. You need someone to design your first t-shirt print and your budget is pretty small, $250. If you post a job for $99, you now only have 60% of your budget left to pay the artist.

But, here's how it works on Foalio:

You go to http://www.foalio.com, create an account and submit your Creative Job Listing for FREE. Once your job is live, it can be discovered by anyone browsing the Jobs pages. Your job will also be emailed directly to Artists in the creative field you are looking for, notifying them to check out your job and apply. You can also browse the Foalio artist and project directory to find your favorites and contact those people directly about hiring them. If you start with $250, you will have $250 to pay the artist, plain and simple.

What are you waiting for? There's no reason not to post a job on Foalio. You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. Get started now: www.foalio.com

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Nathan Olsen & his Robots are invading Foalio.

See more of Nathan's work on his website: www.nateomedia.com

Nathan lives in Long Beach, California with his wife and two cats.

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Sock Monkee aka Chris Sandlin will Rock Your Socks Off

We're honored to have Chris Sandlin on Foalio. His playful, 50's era style is fused with modern tones and great humor. Check out his collection and be transported back to the cartoons of old.

See more of Chris' work on his website: www.sockmonkee.com.

Born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Atlanta, GA, Chris Sandlin is a freelance illustrator under the moniker of SockMonkee.