Samsung And Minted Bring Art To Your Television

In recent years, television technology has rapidly improved. Screens are clearer and larger. Colors are truer and brighter. Units are thinner and designed to be to less obtrusive. But no matter which make and model you choose, whether it is sitting on top of an entertainment center or mounted on a wall, a television still looks like a television, unless it is designed to look like something else.

The Frame

First released in 2017, Samsung’s The Frame is one of the only 4K televisions that’s more interesting when you aren’t watching it. Hence the name, it comes with a choice of four frames (black, white, brown or beige) that can be magnetically switched in seconds. The software features an Art Mode that displays user-uploaded content or any piece from the over 1,200 choices available from Samsung’s Art Store. The unit seamlessly blends into any decor scheme as if it weren’t digital or even as part of a gallery wall.

Minted X Samsung

In July 2019, Minted and Samsung announced an innovative collaboration for this platform, offering 23 pieces from 21 artists. Individual works can be purchased for $19.99 or consumers can subscribe to the entire Art Store for just $4.99 per month. 

 But, this partnership with Minted has more significance than just giving consumers more options. It will also help support independent artists. Minted Founder and CEO Mariam Naficy explains, “Minted’s mission is to make the work of the best independent artists in the world accessible to people everywhere. Partnering with Samsung’s The Frame TV allows us to deliver art to those who prefer a technology-centric way of decorating their walls. At the same time, this innovative new platform allows us to provide more economic opportunity to our community of independent artists.”

It is worth noting that the pieces for this collaboration were chosen through crowdsourcing. Designers enter competitions on Minted’s site and consumers get to vote. Then the winners are selected based on the company’s predictive analytics.

Bringing Art To The Masses

Choosing art, especially from lesser-known artists, can be intimidating for most people. But Minted doesn’t think it needs to be. Launched as a stationery company in 2007, the brand has expanded to offer items in a variety of categories including wall art, textiles, home decor, and digital content. They’ve raised more than $300M from investors that include Benchmark Capital, T. Rowe Price, Permira, Ridge Ventures, Technology Crossover Ventures, and Norwest Venture Partners.

Through their innovative lifestyle branding strategy, collaborating with big names such as Method, Pottery Barn, Domino, and West Elm, there isn’t one room in the home that Minted doesn’t have a product for.

This collaboration isn’t Minted’s only summer product launch. They released a new children’s art collection in July and their fine art collection will be available in August.

The Art Of Choice

Samsung’s Art Store features content from some major players in the art world including Saatchi and Artspace. But, for consumers who probably feel more confident buying a television than art, it’s a far easier decision when they’re familiar with a brand. There is something refreshingly non-intimidating and safe about choosing a piece from the same company that designed their wedding invitations or the bottle of soap in their bathroom.

Choosing art is also a bit like eating potato chips. Having just one can be frustrating. The subscription will give users access to every piece in Minted’s collection. However, these designs aren’t limited to digital— print versions of every piece are available. “The partnership between Samsung and Minted expands this selection with a sophisticated and modern collection which include global artists. Rather than choosing solely one piece of artwork to print and display, The Frame makes a vast selection of art available at the push of a button,” says Salek Brodsky, Vice President of Strategic Partnership and Business Development for Samsung Electronics.

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.