Personalized sports posters
That is the question that artist, Christine Burnham asked herself as she was shopping for decorations for her daughter's bedroom. Having a background in graphic design and illustration, Christine knew this was something she could create for sports-minded girls and began producing sports posters for children.
The Product Line
There are three offset posters that sell for $10 each. They feature the team sports that girls often play—soccer, basketball and softball. The whimsical characters reflect ethnic diversity that makes-up America while the contemporary colors go with many of the bedroom accessories that are sold in stores today.
Graphicworks also has personalized posters that are available for both boys and girls in soccer, basketball, baseball/softball. The buyer can choose the skin tone and hair color, plus add the name and number to the back of the jersey. These are truly unique, custom prints that use print-on-demand technology. The personalized posters sell for $30 each with a shipping/handling fee of $5. For an additional $15 fee, Graphicworks can customize the colors of the jersey to match the decor of a child's bedroom. Christine mentions, "I encourage people to send fabric or paint swatches so we can fine-tune the colors in the prints." The colors in any of the Graphicworks posters can be modified. The prints are vector illustrations that can be proportionally enlarged beyond their 16" x 20" size without loosing detail.
Encouraging Sports
Both boys and girls sports leagues have decreased enrollment as the age bracket goes up. The majority of children who play team sports are elementary school age. This is the perfect age to capture kids interest and develop their skills. The posters images help children identify themselves as athletes and encourage their activities.
Finding the Look for American Children
Living in the ethnically diverse San Francisco Bay Area and teaching art at the elementary school where her children attended, Christine helped the children as they struggled with a self-portrait assignment. Every child in the class seemed to have difficulty choosing an oil pastel that resembled their skin tone. Working first hand with the children made Christine aware of how sensitive the children are to the various shades of skin color and she also realized that when a child looks at a picture, they search for a character with whom they can identify, they look for someone who resembles them self.
About the Company
Graphicworks is a home-based business that began selling posters on-line in October 2007. If you are in the San Francisco Bay area you may see the Graphicworks posters at boutiques, festivals, Opening Day Ceremonies or other sports events. They are also available on-line at http://www.graphicworks4kids.com
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
