Global Economy in the Art World
With the development of technology, the world has seen an increased connection between different places in the world. Connections to people from different places, previously impossible, are now quite commonplace in the modern world. The Items we encounter in our everyday lives share their roots in various places across the world. These technological changes create a new image of the world. In many ways globalization has benefits to the economy, however some benefit more than others. This global connection presents itself with new opportunities for artists trying to expand their clientele. Now that art has entered the global market, Artists encounter new challenges from differing clientele, to new competition.

Emma Connaughton is a graphic designer. She has clients both within the country and internationally. She is employed as a freelance designer. Emma remarks that she first hand feels the effects of globalization in the industry, her clients are both within the United States and international.

Emma spends a lot of time on her computer between design work and communicating with clients. According to Emma, regardless if the clients are in the country or international, correspondence is one of the most important aspects of her job.

International clients take a bit more time to talk with. Emma notes that it is important that the designer knows what they are producing and receiving from the client and vice-versa. Differences in cultures and customs can lead to miscommunication especially when deliverables and deadlines are involved. Emma has worked with two different international clients. One was located in Wales and another in Pakistan. She still has ongoing communication with the client in Wales, however, the client in Pakistan proved too difficult to work with. Emma explains time differences and language mix-ups were the main reason she stopped working with the client in Pakistan.

According to her past experiences international communication and time differences are the biggest challenges she faced when working with international clients. When asked, she recognized that she had more of a personal connection with the clients she could meet in person. Emma also noted, while the connection may not be as strong with her international clients she always found it rewarding to work with people of different cultures. She explains, “It’s really valuable to be able to get the chance to see the industry through a different nationalities culture.” She notes that aside from income that is the biggest reward to international work.

“Competition is a big problem in the international design market,” Emma explained she has been undercut several times by other international designers. Clients would reach out to her, eventually concluding the conversation by implying they could find cheaper work in another country. Globalization has added countless new designers around the world, some willing to work a lot cheaper. Emma notes that websites such as Fiverr exist exclusively to link clients with low cost designers.
Another Scad graduate is Yvette Maria, of the mid 90’s from Nassau, Bahamas. Living in the U.S upon graduating, she has been working as a graphic designer for the company she owns called Proforma. Through the operation of her own company she’s got to experience different parts of globalization.

With Yvette’s background knowledge in international relations, she believes her customers have more products to choose from on a global scale and depending on their in hand dates, she could source the best product for the best price with these global connections.
Internationally, Yvette has worked with ten clients, most of them located in the Bahamas and the Caribbean but she also has worked with a company in China as well. Though her global business is small, she has over 100 clients in the U.S, mostly in the southeast but Yvette has worked with big name companies as well like BET (Black Entertainment Television) and movies like the Conspirator.

Working with companies within different countries without physically being there has been a struggle for Yvette, like most international business people. She states, ‘It’s hard to have a good of a connection with a client, because you can’t sit down with them and discuss design choices or business decisions. Face to face, in person, has a lot more value because you can further understand someone.’ Though with this communication, her experience and exposure to various countries and cultures has changed her design style. Yvette’s art has a blend of what she’s connected with, ‘I would never consider my work ‘southern’ though I live in the south, I like to think internationally.’

As a business owner, Yvette states that she sometimes struggle with the international market, ‘The products and services I sell to my customers from other countries were already sold by companies operating in their own countries. Sometimes these companies would eventually eliminate my services which affected my global stance.’ She says it’s overall worth it in the end though. Being able to be apart of a global economy has its pros and cons but being able to view art on a global stance is amazing.
As an artist one has to adapt to changes in the industry, so it is expected to receive work from clients from different places. When dealing with clients with different cultural backgrounds it gives an opportunity to view art from a different perspective. Through ethnographic fieldwork we learned about some of the benefits and struggles that come with accepting a job from an employer from another country. Fostering a relationship with a client is less successful due to the lack of in person meetings. However it is useful for artists to consider the global scale of their work, working with people from different places can provide valuable experience when dealing with clients in the future.