Cartoons for Business – Books, Blogs and Websites

I’ve long maintained that cartoons are a great method of communication for a business.  They providing an engaging, effective way to deliver a message and the sprinkle of humour makes that message stick in the audience’s memory.  Thankfully I’m not alone in thinking this and have been involved in several projects and campaigns so far this year.  I thought I would share three of these projects with you, as they demonstrate three key areas where cartoons work really effectively.

From looking at my recent monthly updates, you would be forgiven for thinking that political cartoons dominate my work these days.  It’s true, the crazy world of Brexit and Trump (in which events happen at a lightning pace but nothing ever really changes) has led to a huge increase in the amount of current affairs material I have been producing and selling, and I do indeed enjoy showcasing it.  However, I began work at JMC by drawing cartoons cartoons for business and corporate work continues to be a mainstay of the company.

Books

‘Stand Up and Sell‘ by Dexter Moscow is a book full of advice, tips and anecdotes about sales by someone who has spent a career selling through a TV camera into living rooms on both sides of the Atlantic.  Some of the illustrations provided bring to life the stories from the book whilst others take a look at some of the key themes in a more abstract and (hopefully) funny way.  Most of us won’t have to sell to a potential customer thousands of miles away whose reactions you can’t see, but we all need to pitch products, services or ideas at some point and the fundamental skills are transferable.

Blogs

A collaboration between Mellor Mentoring and Business Pulse, ‘How to Ruin Your Business’ is a blog series full of valuable advice disguised as a catalogue of heroic failure.  The guide to what not to do runs for the duration of 2019 and, as it is served with a heavy helping of gallows humour, a series of cartoons seemed the perfect accompaniment. If you’re involved with a startup company and want to take a look you can find the first instalment here – just remember to read between the lines to find out what you should be doing!

Websites

Fresh from creating 10Eighty recruitment’s conference material for HR Grapevine Live earlier this year, I have also been drawing a series of bright, bold cartoon illustrations to accompany their new website – you can find the finished result here.  This project is important to include alongside the others as not every business needs or wants gags in its marketing.  Jokes aren’t always appropriate, but friendly illustrations that are full of life and energy may be just the thing.

If you’ve found your way here led by an interest or inkling about cartoons, hopefully these projects might help crystallise any thoughts about how you might use cartoons to communicate your business’ message.  If not, I’m happy to talk through with you how cartoons could work for you.  In any case, you can contact me here and, in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the samples below.

Best wishes,

James.