[Originally published, September, 2007] December (2007) marks the 10-year anniversary of my “cartoons drawn on the back of business cards” format. Here’s some random notes on the subject, in no particular order: 1. I came up with the format in early December. I moved to New York about a week and a half later. But […]
THOUGHTS ON “IGNORE EVERYBODY”, EIGHT YEARS LATER In 2009, my first book, IGNORE EVERYBODY was published by Penguin Portfolio, the big New York imprint. The work originally began life five years before that, in Autumn, 2004 as an e-book, “How To Be Creative”, first published on ChangeThis.com. The e-book came out of a series of […]
[UPDATE: Because I want people to see it, I’m keeping this as a placeholder at the top of the gapingvoid homepage for a while. Scroll down to see newer stuff etc.] My manifesto, “How To Be Creative”, is still the most downloaded manifesto on ChangeThis.com. The editors there recently told me that at last count, […]
A milestone of sorts was reached, I suppose, at least for me… Earlier today, my book became the NUMBER ONE Top Seller on Amazon in the “Creativity” category. I don’t expect it to stay up there forever, of course- it’s probably already fallen a few points since then [Amazon rankings are updated hourly, and tend […]
[One of my all-time favorite cartoons, from The Hughtrain.] As the book now stands, there will be about eighty or so cartoons in it. I don’t have the exact number so far, a lot has to do with the actual design of the physical book- dimensions, page numbers, layout, cost of production etc. all factor […]
[Click on image to enlarge etc.] For the last couple of months, I’ve been talking about a return to large-format paintings. Originally I was planning 6-by-6-foot canvases; I decided instead to opt for 4′x8′. I finally have my studio set up, as pictured above. It’s an outdoor studio, with cement floor, tin roof, and as […]
1. Since I got back from the road trip I’ve basically been locked up in my office, putting the finishing touches on my final edit for the book. It has to be at the publisher’s by Monday morning. I’m pretty much done. Just going over it again and again and again, micro-tweaking the hell out […]
The first chapter of my upcoming book is called “Ignore Everybody”. 1. Ignore everybody. The more original your idea is, the less good advice other people will be able to give you. When I first started with the biz card format, people thought I was nuts. Why wasn’t I trying to do something more easy […]
Short Version: We make "Motivational Art For Smart People".
Long Version: I’m Hugh MacLeod. I’m a cartoonist. I'm also a published author and have a daily cartoon newsletter that makes tens of thousands of people happy, five days a week.
gapingvoid was founded by me (Chief Creative) and Jason Korman (CEO) to effect change in business, using my distinct style of drawing.
i.e. "If you're trying to change your business' culture, you should be talking to us."
We believe that our work can express ideas, vision, beliefs, stories, culture, mission and purpose faster, better and more deeply than any other method of business communication.
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Clients include Rackspace, Intel, Cisco, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Babson College, Techcrunch, Dewar’s Whisky etc.
People ask, as an artist, why are you so obsessed with the office? And I answer, because that is where the action is, that is where we make things happen, that's where we spend at least a third of our lives.
Sure, there are other places where the human drama unfolds: homes, bars, restaurants, schools, shops, the street etc. But considering how central business is to our lives, I find it odd that more people don’t understand how important art can be to the work environment. So gapingvoid is determined to help them understand that better.
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Hugh MacLeod is a genius. Genius.
Seth GodinHis work acknowledges the absurdity of workaday life, while also encouraging employees to respond with passion, creativity, and non-conformity... MacLeod’s work is undeniably an improvement over the office schlock of yore. At its best, it’s more honest, and more cognizant of the entrepreneurial psyche, while still retaining some idealism.
The New RepublicLast year my State of the College address was 76 slides loaded with data. This year it was 14 cartoons that were substantially more memorable.
Len Schlesinger"There are only two daily newsletters that I look forward to opening and reading every time they show up to my inbox: Seth Godin's and gapingvoid."
Tony HsiehIn moments of indecision I glance at the wall [to Hugh's work] for guidance.
Brian Clark