Maybe you caught This Post from a couple weeks ago on a Flickr Pool Of Unofficial READ Posters. Mary Mackay from over at the ALA did, and she sent in this:
Making READ posters is really popular, and people come up with some great ideas. It sounds as though not everyone has discovered the two READ CDs that are published by ALA Graphics. The CDs provide all the
tools you need to create the posters–and also make you legit since the CDs include permission to use the trademarked concept. For the creative types who want to find out more, here’s the link.And a bonus . . . For an easy library or school project, simply send in any READ poster you have created using the READ CD 2 and you could win a $100 gift certificate from ALA Graphics and be featured in American Libraries magazine. Your READ poster can feature patrons, staff, students, teachers, or (of course) yourself. Submissions are due by May
31, 2006. For more information, please visit This Page @ The ALA Store.
The CD contains several pre-designed READ posters and bookmarks as well as a selection of backgrounds and type styles so you can create your own. It ain’t cheap, but it is the way to create legit posters.
legitimacy for only $140? how gracious.
I guess I’m happy staying illegitimate then.
I might mention that American Libraries (itself an arm of the ALA… I’m not sure how that works) reproduced a copy of one of my images in their newsletter AL Direct without proper attribution and a dubious reading of the non-commercial nature of the Creative Commons license. However, I’m keeping my mouth closed because 1) I like ALA and 2) I think it’s for the overall good of the profession that these images are shared and people get excited about making their own READ posters. Then again if I recall correctly ALA went after Audible.com for their Don’t Read posters, so maybe this is just a touchy subject for them.
Pretty poor ROI.
What Blake fails to mention is that the READ CD costs $134 (more if you’re not an ALA member). It seems to me that a $100 prize is a pretty cheap way for ALA to get virtually free graphic design work done.
Re:legitimacy for only $140? how gracious.
Ditto. One would think that being a member of the organization would be enough to entitle one to its slogans. I understand that trademark law is rather more complicated than that. I find it hard to justify spending money on something I can make for myself for free, even if it is illegitimate. And I’d like to think that ALA would be happy to see the creativity and resourcefulness of its members–apparently they were happy enough to include the Flickr pool in AL Direct.