The Advocate Art iPad, ain't it pretty?

Advocate Art has announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with Vendetta-Arts to produce and convert Children’s books into iPad applications.

Advocate is a leading supplier of content for children’s educational and picture book publishers. Vendetta creates animation, VFX and audio for the gaming industry, film and adverting industry. The alliance pools expertise and resources from both camps, targeted at Children’s Publishers looking at having their publishing lists in the new iPad format.

Vince Verma CEO of Vendetta made the announcement at the recent London Book Fair conference, “Advocate knows kids publishing, – and they have been around so long even I recognise some of the books their artists have worked on! Advocate and Vendetta have worked together on several iPhone applications in the past so we were the first call when they were looking for technical know-how on how to help their clients onto the iPad.”

Edward Burns commented on his blog after the show: “Vendetta are easy to work with… they don’t hang around, they are straight talkers and have a really fresh approach. They have some of the best designers and programmers in the business and a huge freelance pool. I like the way they structure projects in the same way as you would see a film or TV programme put together. They place the best audio, animators, writers and programmers and co-ordinate it with their in-house team. It means they can ramp up their operation for the big budget or short deadline projects.”

Children’s book publishers are not waiting to see if the iPad catches on in the UK, with already over 1 million sold in the USA it seems that this is a trend that will continue over here. Advocate Art have already secured several conversion projects from their existing clients including several “self-publishing” assignments.

Vendetta’s Art Director, Ava, comments: “We recommend to publishers that they don’t loose sight of the story telling element of the book or the book’s USP when bringing it to life on the iPad. It’s easy to make it look like the Homer Simpson title sequence (from The Simpson film) – it uses every visual effect available! This just detracts from the real reason the book is being purchased- it can spoil the book’s appeal. The iPad should be thought of as just another format – it can now make a book more audible, animated and interactive, sure, but not into some crazy toy that you can prod and swipe for the sake of it.”

When will we be seeing what Advocate and Vendetta have worked on? Visit their iStore or email edward@advocate-art.com.