The Pop Art® Name
In the spring of 1997, we were picking a name for our nascent web design firm. Our challenge was to come up with a name that was catchy, thought-provoking and unique. We wanted a name that subtly hinted at what we do, without literally describing our work. In short, we wanted a name upon which we could build a great brand!
Our corporate name was inspired by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Jasper Johns. Beginning in the 1950’s and 1960’s, these original Pop Artists used innovative techniques to make ordinary commercial imagery into catchy and popular art for the masses. In 1958, Lawrence Alloway coined the term “Pop Art” – the very name is ironic – highlighting the tenuous dialectic between the “popular” and the “artistic”.
This paralleled a time in advertising history when designers began to apply their creativity to subtly link brands with the functional and emotional needs of the consumer on the subconscious level. Advertising was no longer about describing a product in vanilla terms and appealing to rational instincts; it was about seducing the buyer and influencing consumer behavior.
Pop Art and the corresponding developments in advertising began to ask:
Can a Coca-Cola bottle be made into Art?
Can images of Marilyn Monroe be stamped in an artful matrix?
Should advertising describe a product, or should it seduce the consumer?
The Pop Art movement rebelled against traditional forms of Art. And the traditional art world fought back! The New York Times once called Lichtenstein one of the “worst artists in America”. However, others found his work to be provocative, forceful and beautiful.
"Pop is a buzzword. It is cheerful, ironic and critical, quick to respond to the slogans of the mass media, whose stories make history, whose aesthetics shape the paintings and our image of the ear, whoce clichéd ‘models’ determine our behavior."
From Pop Art by Osterwold
Likewise, Pop Art, Inc. is a rebellion against traditional marketing. Web sites shouldn’t be boring; nor should they be snobby and pretentious. Commercial communication can be artistic; however, it needs to be cost effective, results-focused and aligned with the marketer’s business goals.
We picked the name “Pop Art” because we believe that “Web Design is the new Pop Art!" In other words, web sites are to 21st century communication what Warhol was to the art world 40 years ago.
Pop Art LLC was established in 1997. On July 4, 2000, The US Patent and Trademark Office placed our “Pop Art” trademark on its principal register. In 2002, we became Pop Art, Inc.