Few people can hear the word "Munch" without thinking of promotional food products. But for those who are very passionate about the arts, those that hear "Munch" may refer to expressionist artist Edvard Munch. 

While Edvard Munch may not be as much of a house-hold name as his inspirations and idolizers but one of his works is regarded as the most recognizable piece in modern art history.

Entitled "The Scream" this piece that showcases the plight of modern man has been printed and sold on promotional t-shirts and promotional mousepads world-wide. Despite the mass-produced prints, there are only four known originals. Three of these copies have ties to museums in Norway but those who are willing can try to score the fourth original by Munch himself.

Petter Olsen, a Norwegian businessman whose father was a friend of Munch's, will be submitting the work to a Sotherby's auction on May 2nd of this year. The Web is already buzzing - with predictions of the piece's value at around $80 million. 

The work, which features a hand-painted frame by Munch himself, will be on display in both the UK and NY before being auctioned off.

For more information on the auction and how to get your shot at this work of art, visit the Sotherby's website.  

This past Thursday January 26th, Ken, Laura, Samantha and myself attended the SAAGNY winter showcase 2012.  The plethora of trade show items were amazing.  Any promotional product you could think of was there.  Any item you may want imprinted they had on display.  It really makes you think about how many of these items you come in contact with every single day.  We all had a great time walking the show and are looking forward to selling many of these item to our customers!

Did you know that anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents? What's the cause behind this shocking statistic? Many speculate that it's due to the highly edited images of celebrities and models that appear in magazines and on the Internet.  But just how Photoshopped are these images?

A new software tool developed at the Department of Science at Dartmouth College can rate an image based on how much it's been digitally altered.  According to Mashable, the tool is meant to "bring truth to advertising and restore the perception of natural beauty."  The hope is that magazines and ads will one day feature a warning label similar to those seen on cigarette advertisements, Dr. Hany Farid, a professor of digital forensics and computer science at Dartmouth College, told Mashable.

Let's take a look at some Photoshopped images that have been exposed by the promotional tool:  

What do you think -- is the tool taking the issue too far?  Or is it necessary to expose the truth behind the dangers of an artificial standard of beauty?

You finally put all your photos on that promotional flash drive.  Now what?  Google's got you covered.  Yesterday, the Internet and computer software giant introduced a new iPhone application that allows users to share photos publicly, reports Mashable. 

The iPhone app, Photovine, is "centered on community storytelling through mobile photos," and encourages users to "plant a photo" and "watch it grow," according to Mashable.  It's important to note that Photovine will be different from other photo-sharing apps, such as Instagram, because users are encouraged to engage and share with others. 

Another way Photovine is distinct from other photo-sharing apps is that the vines -- or photo threads -- have themes.  For example, if a user creates a theme called "Back to School," you can expect to see photo uploads from all over the world of students showing off their new custom backpacks and other back to school promo products.

I look forward to playing around with Google's new iPhone app!  Maybe I'll even start a promotional products thread.

My cubicle is grey.  While everybody else's workspace is filled with posters of their favorite bands and photos of their loved ones, mine contains nothing more than a few notes jotted down on Post-Its.  Today I decided it was time for a change.

I raided our stash of promotional products and came across a couple of choice items.  Their bright colors and appealing designs have definitely helped to lighten up my desk a bit.  First, I found a gorgeous new mouse pad!  My old mouse pad was -- you guessed it -- GREY.  Now I've got a pretty promotional mouse pad that features a brilliant photograph of a sunflower.

I also decided that wearing a brightly colored promotional wristband might help illuminate my cubicle a bit.  This one features a glorious light blue color that I love.  I also took a bright green one in case I get bored of blue!

These promotional products definitely helped transform my little nook into a colorful oasis.  My new decorations are sure to make the rest of this week a bit more beautiful!

Growing up, I was more into spinning around on tire swings and running through the grass than reading.  I consequently never got into comic books the way my peers did.  I didn't understand the appeal, because I wanted to be gallivanting around the yard, not stuck inside wearing my reading glasses.

But now I'm older, I have a bit more of an open mind, and I own a large supply of contact lenses (to ensure I will never have to wear my reading glasses again).  So over the weekend my friends took me to a comic book store for the first time in my life.  I was quite obviously out of place, and admittedly a little uncomfortable among the veteran comic book readers, but I think I learned a lot! 

Through perusing the store's vast selection of comics, I realized that many of the movies and TV shows I love were inspired by or derived from comic books.  I noticed a few True Blood-themed custom printed pens, and almost didn't believe that the television program had a new comic book series.  That's something I would totally read!

I also came across some really interesting twists on one of my favorite films, The Wizard of Oz.  There was one comic series that took the familiar characters through a darker version of Oz.  I was both creeped out and excited at the same time.  I definitely need to head back to check out those comics again.

When I ended up at the .25 cent comic book collection, I decided that it was time to get my very first comic book.  At such a cheap price, how could I pass up the opportunity?  My friends ended up treating me to the shiniest .25 cent comic they could find, and I was absolutely thrilled.  And as the woman at the register packed my purchase into a promotional bag, I realized that I was about to develop a new unhealthy obsession.  Who knew comic books were so cool?

Let's face it, we live in a world full of colors. When there is sunshine after the rain, we all stop to look at the rainbow it has produced. We stop and stare because of the prism of colors it produces, it is certainly not a 1 color imprint. Don't get me wrong, sometimes, many times, a one color imprint is perfect. I have many a promotional drawstring backpack or promotional non woven tote bag that looks perfect with a one color imprint. Sometimes though, you need more, you want more. For those times, we have promotional 4 color process items. One of those times was not more than an hour ago here at Motivators Central. In less than 3 days our very own Art Supervisor Keri Ello will be getting married! Today will be her last day at work for a little while as she prepares for, as well as celebrates, her wedding. So, before we at Motivators we ready to send her off to get married, in typical Motivators fashion we had to send her off with a cake. This is no ordinary cake celebration, this deserved a better than average cake. In fact, it deserved a 4 color process cake!

Now, we don't offer 4 color process cake, yet. However, we have a full array of products that offer epoxy color dome and 4 color process imprints. And, while I said, we don't actually offer a full color process cake, we can offer promotional full color process cookies! So, next time you have an event and you don't think a 1 or 2 color imprint will do, check out Motivators' gigantic selection of  promotional epoxy color dome and promotional 4 color process items.

Advertisements may not have changed so drastically over time- they're still in newspapers, magazines and plastered on billboards. But some of the content from dated advertisements illustrates the silliness that ensued before knowledge was gained and regulations were passed.
                 
For instance, does this baby really need to be chugging on carbonated sugar? And better yet, isn't a glass bottle a dangerous makeshift rattle? Still, in that day and age, the obesity "epidemic" and child safety laws were not yet fashioned. I say skip out on the caffeine and check out our promotional baby safety month items.
                                 
Now that's a jolly ole' St. Nicholas. All I can think of is that after a hard Christmas night of work,  Santa knocked down a bottle of whiskey, got those cheeks all nice and rosy and chilled out with his Lucky Strike cigarettes.

Currently a new law about print advertisements is being challenged in court. It states that all adds appearing in print read by children under 18 years of age must be in black and white. This is a huge difference from the days when Santa smoking was seen as acceptable. I say, Come on Santa, stick to the Christmas giveaways.

Find yourself totting around a new custom bag everyday? That's all right, because Tommy Hilfiger loves promotional tote bags too. The Whitney museum is gearing up for the 2010 Whitney Biennial that has a stellar exhibition list of over 60 artist.
       
Their web-site shares, "While Biennials are always affected by the cultural, political, and social moment, this exhibition "simply titled 2010" embodies a cross section of contemporary art production rather than a specific theme." To kick off the event an celebrate one of the artists work, Tommy Hilfiger has designed this custom imprinted tote bag. It can be purchased for $98, with $50 of that going right to the museum. It's a cute tote that shares many of the same qualities of ours. It features the work of artist, Ari Marcopoulos.
    

Museums are an awesome venue for promotional products. Gift shops are always stacked with imprinted items. Incorporating a showcased artist's work onto these items is an awesome way to promote existing exhibits, celebrate great artistry and boost sales.