ArtCore Fine Art Services

Artcore is a Fine Arts Services (FAS) provider originally based in Long Island City and serving clients both regionally and nationally.  I was contacted to help them solve an emerging threat by larger, very deep pocketed newcomers to whom Artcore was losing clients and employees. When I began, Artcore did not have a specific identity and instead presented itself as a small parity provider of FAS services, again basing their client acquisition process largely on price, rather than value.

During the discovery process I got to know, and gain the trust of Artcore’s somewhat publicity-shy owner and (perhaps) actual genius who has an amazing ability to envision and create solutions to rigging and installation problems that are often impossible to solve for some of the best minds in the FAS business.  In learning more about his mindset and process, I discovered that he quietly provides critical services for larger competitors and is often called in to solve rigging and installation issues they simply cannot figure out. In addition, and in-step with his approach and remarkable talents, the owner had also created a custom fleet of one-of-a-kind vehicles that he personally designed and had built to solve problems with moving over-sized and unusually shaped sculptures and related art safely and without disassembly. These vehicles are a trade-secret and the only ones of their type in the world. 

Ultimately, the strategy was centered around building a new brand narrative and subsequent positioning based on these credible yet untapped differentiators. Rather than building the narrative around the owner’s remarkable talents, we instead needed to pivot toward a narrative that showcased Artcore’s unique ability to serve smaller clients and budgets while also having the unique ability to expand their capabilities and successfully execute even the most challenging assignments.

Logo/Identity: Essentially, we were looking for a way to express the idea of adaptability, strength and the ability to confidently execute both very small and very large jobs without the undue overhead or expense of having to deal with a very large company.  Ultimately, the concept of a geodesic structure, and in Artcore’s case, as a full sphere suggesting their global reach was the perfect solution. Geodesic structures are unique in their ability to expand as needed to accommodate massive loads without adding additional parts of weight, while also performing perfectly at smaller scale – a fitting metaphor for Artcore’s approach. In addition, copy spoke of client benefit here as well, as job costs are scaled accordingly, which served to open up the market to new clients and projects. I also took a more modern approach to logo and typographical elements to distance the company from its somewhat cliched initial identity.

In addition, we refreshed and modernized the brand, moving away from the prior serif-based and somewhat common column motif to an impactful yet restrained sans-serif font set and unique color standards evolved from their prior identity. The contrast between the large, condensed sans serif on top of the extended all-caps base effectively moved what should have been an unwieldy or fragmented mark into a cohesive whole with proper usable ratios that scale nicely and retain visual impact across all platforms, signage and fleet uses.

Tagline: “Quietly Moving The Impossible.” To capture and communicate the true essence – and practical differentiator - of the Artcore’s approach and value proposition grounded in the owner’s unique skillset and genius, as well as the way he goes about solving the problems that seem unsolvable by everyone else in his humble, behind-the-scenes way, I created the tagline “Quietly Moving The Impossible.”  

This tag also serves to communicate the company’s actual value proposition in-line with what industry insiders already know, and spark interest in the new identity, positioning and company.  This tagline captures Artcore’s ability to solve and execute very complex Fine Art and High Value Goods (HVG) projects that are often considered unachievable, but also in a more nuanced and client-aware way accentuates promise of “quiet”, as it pertains to a ‘behind the scenes’ approach, being accommodative and discreet – which is appreciated by large scale museums like The Met, MOMA and The Whitney (all clients), as well as wealthy private collectors worldwide.

Brand Advertising: Carefully selected art-community publications, such as BOMB magazine, among others, were good places for exposure and also provided additional philanthropic opportunities which enabled Artcore to ‘give back’ and in doing so, also receive additional exposure in this often difficult to reach sector. The advertising was primarily print and digital, focused on actual Artcore projects, with digital strategically employed in specific geographic locations with demographically high-income private collectors who often had a need for discrete and effective FAS for their private collections. Both approaches have proven effective in terms of expanding both brand exposure and client base.

Website: We created a high-impact website designed to set Artcore apart fom its comeptotors and tell its brand story in a compelling and memorable way. From a copywriting standpoint, it was an enjoyable challenge to breathe life and interest to a brand in a segment often dominated by picture-only sites. The site, at ArtCoreFas.com, enjoys very low bounce rates, high engagement and TOS, and continues to drive new business.

Today, Artcore continues to gain market share and exposure in fine art space, credibly positioning itself as solutions provider with unique capabilities. The new brand narrative has enabled it to define itself outside of the ‘parity provider’ dogfight many FAS providers compete in, and it has become the go-to choice for the most challenging, often high-end projects. It recently moved to a larger space outside of the NY Metro area, allowing it to expand its range and reach enabling to to capture even more interesting opportunities.