This first appeared in the February 1998 issue of Cygneture, a publication of the Self-employed Writers & Artists Network, Inc. SWAN, Inc. is currently known as NJ Creatives Network.

Who's Who
Stan Cohen: SWAN’s WebMeister

If you don’t have your own portfolio pages on SWAN’s Website and you talk to Stan Cohen, you might feel like the kid who sits by the side of the pool watching everybody else frolic in the water. Or perhaps like those skeptics who said Ford’s Tin Lizzy would never replace the horse and wagon. “In the next two years, most everyone’s business will be on the Internet,” Stan said recently in his Graphic Visions studio in Harrington Park. “In one form or another, from online brochure to online brokerages to online storefronts, companies will be on the Internet. Whether you’re a writer, designer, or photographer, realize that this is changing the face of business. Service companies will be in demand, so why not show what you can do, in the medium?”

Stan has been running his own business for about four years, providing 3D illustration, 3D computer animation, multi-media, website design, and consulting services. A large portion of his business today is website design, helping companies increase their business by being on the web. From online awareness to online ordering, there is always something new developing.

Another SWAN Success Story

Stan’s transition into website design could be a living testimonial for playing an active role in SWAN. “I took up the gauntlet for the website a few years ago,” Stan said. “I knew the web would be the next big area for multimedia design and if I wanted a piece of the action, I had to learn more about it. I formed the group’s original Internet Committee and advised on how we should create SWAN’s site. From the original design, there have been three overhauls and numerous refinements. The website should always be thought of as a ‘work-in-progress’; no site should ever be done.”

Today SWAN’s website is pivotal to the growth and mission of the organization. A prospective member can view SWAN’s membership page on the net, become familiar with its benefits, code of performance, and referrals process. If the person wants to join, he or she can complete the application that is also a part of the site. Potential buyers of members’ services can learn about the organization and individual members.

Members with their own pages can display bio sketches and samples of their work. “It’s like having an online brochure, accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; the web never sleeps,” Stan said. “When a prospective client calls and asks about your background and wants to see samples of your work, how easy—and impressive —it is to say, ‘If you’d like to see something right away, you can check out my Website.’” Some prospective clients have said: “I will only look at the people who have online samples; I can’t be bothered reading descriptions of the work you do. I want the real thing.”

Stan’s background has led naturally to where he is today. While pursuing a degree in Design, Stan was exposed to programming with FORTRAN and computer-aided drafting. Taking a course in Film, he decided to combine the two disciplines, which led to a lot of work and his first computer- assisted animation. Before forming his own business, Stan worked in a variety of pioneering companies doing illustration and 3D computer graphic animation, work that made its way into magazines, television commercials, documentary and training films, and other media.

Though he does a range of work, including Website design, for a variety of clients, Stan continues to help SWAN members create their Web pages, “at a nominal fee.” His workload, however, makes it imperative for more people to get involved in keeping SWAN’s site upto- date and in ensuring that the site is on the most advantageous search engines and reflects the current focus of the group. “I must have invested 200+ hours in SWAN’s Website,” Stan said.  “Have I gotten a fair return? Most definitely! I learned things I would have had to learn anyway. I learned them on SWAN’s ‘non-dime’ and developed skills and a strong service line. SWAN’s Website served as a portfolio piece and helped sell my first corporate Web development project. That project then served as a portfolio piece that led to other projects, and so on. Was the time well spent? No question, no doubt. I’d do it again!”

Any member interested in working with Stan to keep SWAN’s Website fresh and current, should contact Stan Cohen, sometimes referred to by Phil Cantor as “The Web Monster.”

—Cos Ferrara

How To Build Your SWAN Web Page

1. View other members’ sites to get some ideas; look at sites in other disciplines as well as your own.

2. Select the material you’d like to include. Usually members include an intro page presenting an overview of their experience, or a page that acts as the front door to the intro page. One or more pages present the areas of expertise. Then members include as many pages of samples as they feel are necessary to display their range and skills.

3. Bring the selected material to Stan. Bring hard copy, Photo-CDs, tear sheets. Text should be in electronic form, MS-Word format preferred on a DOS Diskette.

4. Determine with Stan a navigation path, or the route by which users can get to the material they are most interested in. “The psychology of the user should dictate the navigation path, to enable users to easily find what they want; each item is usually no more than three clicks away,” Stan said.

5. Allow Stan to use his creativity in individualizing your page to highlight your particular strengths.

Member News

Over a year ago, the SWAN Website helped Stan Cohen/Graphic Visions sell a large Corporate website (http://worldbusinesscenter.com). He has since been busy translating the site into five languages, the most interesting challenge being Chinese, because all the chinese characters had to be done as graphics. He had so much fun, he suggested adding Japanese and Korean to the site. Stan also just contracted to do a online Art Catalog. He called on the writing talents of fellow SWAN member Despina Metaxatos, having become familiar with her work while setting up her SWAN web page.

Caricature by Dave McCoy