The Basis Point’s Best Artwork: January 2019 edition
Our sound check continues as we change The Basis Point’s voice from speaking mostly to business to speaking to everyone. We’re building the only site in consumer finance that combines bite and brains into a voice you can relate to.
We write the way people talk and our artwork is core to this voice.
You early fans have commented that we don’t just slap in stock photos and call it a day. You’re spot on. That’s just modern-day clip art. We want to visually translate important finance concepts so you learn, remember, or just chuckle and get sucked into the lesson.
This style is led by our creative director Dennis Pettigrew who’s a big creative agency veteran, and a master of the zeitgeist. He and I have been partners on countless projects for 15+ years, and he’s led creative on The Basis Point through all its permutations from early business blog days to today’s renewed consumer finance and housing focus to our current consultancy which advises some of the hottest names in fintech.
Our goal is to find the voice that makes you laugh, makes you smarter, and makes you come back.
Having said all that, we present our first monthly roundup of our favorite artwork from The Basis Point. Shout to our light’s out creative leader Dennis.
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American Homes Are ATM’s Again!! WAIT, What?!
THE POST: This dive into the state of home equity inspired a huge webinar for banking execs co-hosted by The Basis Point, Black Knight, Blend, and the Consumer Bankers Association.
WHY WE LOVE THE ARTWORK: This image is the perfect combo of concept and visual—and The Basis Point logo stamped into the door panel is a signature of each piece.
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Would a down stock market make you bail on your dream home?
THE POST: Economist types are always quick to blame the stock market when consumer sentiment is bad—but most of us don’t give a damn about the stock market. Spencer dives into why this thinking persists and how we should read data as consumers.
WHY WE LOVE THE ARTWORK: The Basis Point tattoo on Margot Robbie is amazing. I mean, we knew she was a fan, but the tatt is truly flattering. And can you spot the other easter egg?
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House Hunting? Street Knowledge Beats Charts
THE POST: Spencer dove into the Case Shiller Home Price Index and found that it’s not a very reliable way to start your home search. Start on your street to find your dream home, not Wall Street.
WHY WE LOVE THE ARTWORK: The Basis Point team is located in San Francisco, LA, Indianapolis, and … Detroit. So of course, we have to rep Eminem—turns out he’s as much of a chart fiend as we are.
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What We Care About Most In Cars & Homes: Lessons From Detroit Auto Show
THE POST: Spencer went to the Detroit Auto Show with an eye for consumer finance messaging—and realized the auto industry has cracked the storytelling code in a way consumer finance and housing hasn’t yet. We’ll keep pushing this theme hard so our business readers know how to reach you in a way that doesn’t make you nauseous.
WHY WE LOVE THE ARTWORK: What’s not to love? Limited-run The Basis Point Cadillac, the etched glass message in front of the ride, dollar signs on the license plate, and Spencer’s dad’s grin on the right side of image—this one has it all.
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Free Your Mind From The Matrix of Home Affordability Headlines
THE POST: After Spencer learned about debt-to-income ratio, he started seeing the housing market in a whole new way, and dove into the NAR’s housing affordability index.
WHY WE LOVE THE ARTWORK: Knowledge is power, and Spencer felt supercharged after learning how to look at housing with a more nuanced perspective. Now he’s The Basis Point’s Neo to my Morpheus, and this image nails that.
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Linkage: Reformed Broker Josh Brown Edition
THE POST: The Reformed Broker Josh Brown, his partner Barry Ritholtz, and their team rule financial media (in addition to running one of the most credible, fastest growing wealth management firms in the country), and Josh named The Basis Point’s daily Linkage many years ago. This piece tells the back story.
WHY WE LOVE THE ARTWORK: Josh retired his daily Hot Links last year as his media priorities grew. But Hot Links not only influenced Linkage, it’s influenced everyone on the financial web, so it was our obligation to immortalize the original Hot Links image his wife created in museum-like fashion.
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2019 Housing Predictions From NAR, MBA, NAHB, Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Bankrate
THE POST: A collection of 2019 housing market predictions.
WHY WE LOVE THE ARTWORK: This was just a quick link out to a WaPo housing predictions roundup, but we love to put the extra attention to the little things and make unique art for even the small posts.