Business of Illustration
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Graphic Design
Business of Illustration Details
An information-packed, elegantly designed guide to "what they do and don't teach in school" about making a living as an illustrator. Coverage includes the various kinds of illustration genres, media, and tools; self-promotion; reps; fees; and pitfalls and hints relevant to the many aspects of creating and selling artwork. Of particular interest are interviews with 11 working illustrators representing a variety of backgrounds, age groups, styles, techniques, and points of view. Abundantly illustrated. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
Reviews
As an independent Creative Director and Illustrator, I would still recommend this book to entry level folks just starting out. I wish I would have read this book back in the mid-90s when I was first starting my career at an ad agency. In 2011, as you might guess, this particular version of the book is pretty outdated regarding how a typical Art Director searches for and engages with Illustrators these days. However, the book still contains valuable and timeless information about how Illustrators need to have good business sense and professionalism in order to find and keep financial stability.While it must have really resonated with young Illustrators at the time of publication, I'm not a fan of the section that showcases the individual experience interviews. After doing some recent research online, some of the Illustrators interviewed in this book haven't kept up with the times. It was disappointing to see some of the poorly designed portfolio websites that still utilize text as graphics. This in itself seems to contradict the original purpose of the book... to show that the business of illustration is business... and that even veterans need to know as much about current marketing trends as any wholesaler or retailer.As far as recommending books on the business of illustration, I would include this particular book as a general overview. But I would likely suggest that they read the "Graphic Artists Guild Handbook" since it is updated yearly with timely advice and contains relevant business templates.