Francis Cleetus

Francis Cleetus (/ˈkliːtəs/) is an Indian-American creative director,[1] designer,[2] copywriter,[3] cartoonist,[4] painter,[5] and sculptor.[6] He developed these skills while working on multinational brands at ad agencies in India, Hong Kong and the US.

Francis Cleetus
The cartoonist at a book launch event
NationalityIndian American
OccupationCreative director, designer, copywriter, cartoonist, painter, sculptor
Notable work
It's Geek 2 Me
Websitefranciscleetus.com

A member of the National Cartoonists Society of America, Cleetus is the creator of the tech toon It's Geek 2 Me. He has drawn cartoons for the Pittsburgh Tech Council's TEQ magazine,[7] Tata Consultancy Services' @TCS magazine and other publications. A self-taught artist, Cleetus has created contemporary art based on Indian themes since the nineties. In the course of his day job as a creative director, he has also developed award-winning ad campaigns for brands like Moen,[8] Philips, Maker's Mark,[9] Nike and MTV.[10]

Cleetus lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States with his wife and two daughters, and continues to create new ads, cartoons, paintings and sculptures for a global audience.

It's Geek 2 Me cartoons
Main article: It's Geek 2 Me
Cast of cartoon characters

A tech cartoon about people and their off-center relationships with computers, the Internet, social networks, smart phones, MP3 players and e-book readers, "It's Geek 2 Me" pokes fun at the ubiquitous role of technology in people's lives. Cleetus self-published his first compilation of tech cartoons in 2012 as a paperback titled Wish Your Mouth Had A Backspace Key in the United States through Amazon.com.[11] In 2013, a new compilation titled It's Geek 2 Me – Total Timepass Tech Toons[12] was published by Hachette India for the Indian subcontinent.

Contemporary Indian art
Adding finishing touches to a mural

Over the years, Cleetus's art has been featured in various visual art exhibits. In 2012, the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh commissioned him to recreate ceiling murals from a 16th-century palace[13] for their Tropical Forest India[14] exhibit. In 2017, the Asia Institute – Crane House based in Louisville invited Cleetus to showcase his artwork in a solo exhibition.[15] Pittsburgh's #Notwhite Collective featured Cleetus's work in their 2018 juried exhibition[16] In Between the Middle.[17] In 2018, the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (GPAC) invited Cleetus to create "Karmalogue",[18] a themed art show,[19] as part of the quarterly Gallery Crawl[20] organized by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The Westmoreland Cultural Trust put together "Conglomeration",[21] a group show with Cleetus and three other artists in August 2018. The RAW artists organization invited Cleetus in November 2018 to participate in their Pittsburgh creative showcase "Ovation"[22] featuring over 60 artists.[23] In January 2020, Cleetus's work was part of the "Past, Present, Future" show[24] organized by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council to celebrate '10 Years of Art on the Walls'[25] along with 140[26] other visual artists.

Advertising campaigns
Kentucky tourism poster campaign

A copywriter, art director[27] and creative director, Cleetus has created advertising campaigns across traditional, digital, social and unconventional media at ad agencies in three countries. After spending his formative years in the ad business at Draft FCB in India, he moved in the mid-nineties to Hong Kong and worked at Ogilvy, JWT[28] and D'Arcy, before relocating to the United States in 2001 to work at Doe-Anderson.[29] In 2007, he moved to Pittsburgh-based agency MARC USA[30] and worked there for several years. His integrated advertising campaigns[31] have crossed geographic as well as cultural borders, and won a host of international creative awards.

Photo art for dogs
Fine art for dogs

Cleetus created a unique collection of conceptual photography art just for dogs in 2019.[32] Every piece of art in the collection at art4arf.com[33] is conceived from a dog's perspective of the world.[34] Right from larger-than-life dog portraits; fire hydrant centric scenery; dog food still life to renderings of chewed-up balls and flying frisbees.[35] Printed on canvas, the pieces are designed to be hung at a dog's-eye level next to the food bowl and add creative flair to the dog parent's home.

Compilations
  1. Total Timepass Tech Toons (August 2013, Hachette India, ISBN 978-93-5009-624-6)
  2. Wish Your Mouth Had a Backspace Key (October 2006, Amazon.com, ISBN 978-14495-8712-3)

References
  1. "Ad campaign for Mohawk Flooring". Adland TV. June 5, 2008.
  2. "Maker's Mark ad campaign". Best Ads on TV. November 30, 2005.
  3. "Print campaign for Moen faucets". Ads of the world. November 12, 2008.
  4. "Cartoonist launches Cartoon compilation". Upper St. Clair Patch. April 3, 2012.
  5. "Ceiling Murals at the Phipps Conservatory". Upper St. Clair Patch. February 16, 2012.
  6. "Upper St. Clair painter and sculptor". The Almanac. January 18, 2018.
  7. ""It's Geek 2 Me" Lands on the Pages of TEQ". Tech Burgher. April 30, 2012.
  8. "Print campaign for Moen faucets". Ads of the world. November 12, 2008.
  9. "Magazine ads for Maker's Mark bourbon". Best Ads on TV. November 30, 2005.
  10. "MTV – Magazine ads". Lürzer's Archive. April 10, 2000.
  11. "Pittsburgh cartoonist takes aim at technology". PopCity Media. May 4, 2011.
  12. "Hachette India releases 'Total Timepass Tech Toons'". Hachette India. August 15, 2013.
  13. "Ceiling Murals at the Phipps Conservatory". Upper St. Clair Patch. February 16, 2012.
  14. "Tropical Forest India exhibit to open at Phipps". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 27, 2012.
  15. "Francis Cleetus Exhibition Gallery Opening". All Events Louisville. June 9, 2017.
  16. "Notwhite Collective holds inaugural exhibition". Pittsburgh City Paper. January 10, 2018.
  17. "In Between the Middle at the Brew House". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 9, 2018.
  18. "Opening Reception :Karmalogue". Pittsburgh Arts Council. January 26, 2018.
  19. "Vibrant Art on Display". Pittsburgh Patrika. April 10, 2018.
  20. "Upper St. Clair artist's work featured in Gallery Crawl". The Almanac. January 18, 2018.
  21. "Group Art Show :Conglomeration". Trib Live. August 2, 2018.
  22. "RAW Artists Showcase:Ovation". Popular Pittsburgh. December 1, 2018.
  23. "Pittsburgh Ovation Showcase". RAW Artists. November 28, 2018.
  24. "Getting the Hang of It". Pittsburgh's NPR News Station. January 24, 2020.
  25. "10 Years of Art on the Walls". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 23, 2020.
  26. "10 Years and 140 Artists". Pittsburgh City Paper. January 24, 2020.
  27. "Campaign for Pearl & Dean". Advertolog. February 1, 1998.
  28. "Print Ads – Pearl & Dean LED Panels". Adeevee.com. August 16, 1998.
  29. "Cleetus leaves Darcy for US position". Campaign Asia. February 2, 2001.
  30. "Print Campaign for the Epilepsy Foundation". Adeevee.com. July 10, 2009.
  31. "Maker's Mark ad campaign". Best Ads on TV. November 30, 2005.
  32. "Because our pets deserve art too". Aplus.com. October 23, 2018.
  33. "Pittsburgh artist creates stunning art pieces for dogs". Pawpulous.com. April 19, 2019.
  34. "Artist designs visual imagery for dogs". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 21, 2020.
  35. "Upper St. Clair resident goes to the dogs". The Almanac. March 18, 2020.
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