What do Illustrators do?

An Illustrator would typically need to:

• Create static illustrations for use in commercials, books, magazines, packaging, greeting cards, and newspapers.
• Communicate with clients, editors, and authors to comprehend and interpret their business requirements.
• Learn about appropriate styles; select the medium that works best for the client’s demands.
• Negotiate pricing and deadlines
• To generate fresh ideas, think imaginatively and creatively.
• To meet design briefs, create graphics and designs utilizing classic hand skills such as sketching and painting, as well as new approaches.
• Scanning photographs with computer-aided design (CAD) software to adjust the size, colours, and other components
• Provide roughs for approval
• Redefine a brief in conjunction with the client to add new ideas or text as needed.
• Run the business, if working freelance
• Approach potential customers speculatively to seek new commissions
• Work within a set timescale, often to tight deadlines
• Create original pieces for self-promotion
• Research appropriate galleries to find suitable venues to exhibit work

Standard Work Environment

Illustrators generally work from a studio or from home. You may spend some of your time meeting with clients to discuss assignments; your meetings may also be handled via email or phone calls. It is possible to travel within a working day to meet with clients.

The dress code for Illustrators varies according to the location, sector, size, and type of firm; unless otherwise indicated, smart casual should cover most circumstances.

Work Schedule

Most illustrators determine their own working hours based on their workload and the deadlines they must accomplish.

Employers

The biggest feasible market for illustration is still corporate communications. However, it is a competitive field, and there is a modest tendency for corporations to prefer in-house design solutions rather than resorting to freelancers to keep costs low. Animated ads, billboards, film & fine art posters, and greeting cards are some of the other markets.

Illustrators are generally employed by:

• Advertising Agencies
• Design Consultancies
• Corporate Communications
• Children’s Book Industry
• Animated Television Shows
• Animated Short Films
• Government Information Services
• Packaging Companies
• Trend Forecasting (Fashion)
• Computer Games Industry

Unions / Professional Organizations

Professional organizations staffed by practicing illustrators offer vital assistance and advise to their members, including career development counsel.

As a member, you can attend seminars on relevant topics, receive a regular newsletter, get assistance with your portfolio, and pricing and invoicing advice. An online discussion board covering all areas of practice may also be available. You may also be listed in their member directory, along with examples of your work, which can lead to future commissions.

Workplace Challenges

• Lack of drawing skills, poor color choice, or use of the medium
• Tentative, static, or stiff-quality hand
• Staying true to one’s creativity and freedom while satisfying the need to produce creative work even when not feeling inspired

Suggested Work Experience

Evening classes, competitions, and workshops are excellent ways to keep your portfolio fresh and diversified while potentially gaining additional exposure. If you do not yet have any published work, you should put up a portfolio that demonstrates your ability to work to a brief. It could comprise book cover designs, a collection of illustrations for a well-known book, a series of greeting cards, CD covers, or illustrations for a car handbook.

Recommended Qualifications

An Illustrator with a two-year associate’s degree or a four-year bachelor’s degree in fashion, fine art, graphic design & illustration, printmaking, or visual art may have an advantage over other candidates. Postsecondary education will expose students to a variety of art forms, introduce them to the various components of design, increase their technical skills, and teach them to think visually. If you have extraordinary drawing skills, you may be able to qualify for several entry-level professions with only a high school graduation.

Certifications, Licenses, and Registration

Consider taking part-time classes to refresh your knowledge of computer-aided design (CAD) software such as Illustrator, QuarkXPress, InDesign, Freehand, and Adobe Photoshop. An in-depth understanding of digital media and web marketing skills may assist produce additional work.

Short self-employment courses available through local careers services and enterprise agencies will help you grasp all aspects of business and marketing. Certification from a reputable and objective organization will assist you in gaining professional credibility and standing out in a competitive employment market.

Projected Career Map

Illustrators typically require five to six years to acquire a reputation and establish themselves in the profession. Investigate and take advantage of company start-up programmes to develop a studio and good working practices. Participate in a professional organization or a community group. Make certain you have solid business and management skills.

You may decide to gradually acquire contacts and clients while doing other paid work. You will need to promote your work to art directors, publishing editors, and design studio managers in order to secure commissions. Make an appointment to display your (targeted) portfolio or image library to clients who are likely to employ your work, and leave a business card or send samples of your work ahead of time.

A lot of illustrators employ agencies to get commissions. They will review your portfolio, advise clients, and attempt to get employment for you for a fee of up to 40% of your fee. Professional organizations can provide lists of agents.

Your web presence is a crucial tool in an increasingly global industry. Several websites host searchable databases with links to websites where potential commissioners can look. Before signing up for these services, thoroughly research the management and marketing of each site. It may also be able to directly advertise your job through directories.

Career advancement opportunities are restricted. The majority of Illustrators work as freelancers and can have a very successful career. Some will be able to successfully merge illustration and instruction. Others may advance from freelance Illustrator to Art Director with a publishing house, and a few may act as agents for other Illustrators.

Job Prospects

Illustrators with inherent skill, education, and ongoing practice would have the finest work opportunities.

Beneficial Professional Development

You may wish to pursue postgraduate studies before beginning full-time employment. Courses typically span one to three years and can be completed part-time while building independent jobs. The majority of postgraduate degrees include studio-based modules, self-directed study, individual research, and professional practise.

Postgraduate illustration studies may allow you to specialize in children’s book illustration, medical illustration, or sequential design and illustration. If you want to teach, a diploma or master’s degree in graphic design or illustration may be useful.

Professional organizations may charge a small fee for brief seminars that provide practical assistance to new Illustrators, information on survival skills, or one-on-one portfolio advice. It can be quite useful in discovering potential clients and successfully focusing your portfolio.

Conclusion

Vision without action is merely a fantasy; action without vision is merely entertainment; vision with action has the potential to change the world. Illustrations that clarify a complex notion, complement the words or message provided to the user, or stand-alone without any explanation go a long way toward making visions a reality.

Advice from the Wise

You should never depend on just one type of work or just one client, and you should never sit and wait for the phone to ring with the perfect job, because there is no perfect job.