No More Cheesy Cell-Phone Art

By Rachel Metz

When it comes to cell-phone wallpapers, Hello Kitty might do it for some people, but she just doesn't excite John Doffing.

Doffing, who runs San Francisco art gallery Start SOMA, is betting he's not the only one. Fed up with what he sees as a slew of lame, clip-art-style services, he launched his own wallpaper site, Start Mobile, in December. He said it will serve as an alternative source of cell-phone art for those who prefer pop and street art to kitties and puppies.

"There was no stroke of genius that said, 'Why don't you sell the work of these young artists for this new medium?' It was just so obvious," he said.

The cell-phone wallpaper market brought in around $100 million this year, according to Julie Ask, a wireless analyst with Jupiter Research. But many customers actually want the images Doffing sees as cheesy, and analysts predict the market could stagnate or decline in the future, she said. This is a sharp contrast to phone products like games and ring tones, whose sales are on the rise.

Hundreds of artists have submitted wallpapers to the site, ranging from emerging street artists to well known works by Shepard Fairey and David Choe, Doffing said. Some of the wallpapers were designed specifically for cell phones. Others were re-purposed from original works to fit the tiny screen. Thousands of fledgling artists have also submitted their art, hoping Start Mobile will distribute it.

"I got a submission yesterday from one of my friends' 7-year-old kids," Doffing said. "Anyone can submit to the site."

The site has a wallpaper for everyone -- even those whose tastes lean toward bunny rabbits or bikini babes.

But will people pay for it? The wallpapers run $2 each, with a small portion going to the artist and most going to cell-phone carriers. The price may sound steep, considering the product's limited function. But Doffing said the price falls mid-range, and that consumers are jumping on board.

Richard Ting, a New Yorker who runs the sneaker website Flytip.com, bought three Nike-inspired wallpapers from the site. The file quality was good, he said, they were sent to his phone immediately and, unlike some wallpaper services, they were perfectly sized.

"It's a cool service," Ting said. "It was pretty seamless."

But in order to survive and hopefully thrive, the site will need a lot of customers like Ting. Ask, the Jupiter Research wireless analyst, said Start Mobile's success or failure will depend on its ability to drive traffic to the site and gain repeat customers.