Illustrator
Are you curious about what an illustrator is? Here you will find some information that might be helpful if you're looking to hire an illustrator, thinking of working as an illustrator yourself, or simply want to learn about it.
What does illustrator mean?
An illustrator is a person who creates illustrations. Illustrations are visualisations, mainly in the form of drawings, paintings, photographs and sketches, with the aim of highlighting information or constituting the information itself. The English word for illustrator comes from the Latin illustratio, which in turn comes from illustro, meaning to illuminate or irradiate.
What is an illustrator?
Illustrators are those who create images, mainly in 2D formats, for magazines, prints, websites, apps, etc. For visualisations that are not categorised as illustrations, there are other job titles, such as graphic designer, designer or animator for moving images. It is common for illustrators to specialise in one or more areas and have one or more styles that they master.
What does an illustrator do?
An illustrator receives information from a client about the type of illustration to be created, decides the framework of the assignment with the client and then creates the image itself. The client can have varying degrees of influence over the content of the image. Typically, the illustrator has a style and technique that they use, and the client commissions an illustration in that style containing a specific set of content, such as a particular scene or information.
An illustrator can also create illustrations themselves. In these cases, the customer buys the rights to use a specific image that has already been created.
Illustrators work with visual communication. The images often interact with text in different ways.
What does it mean to be an illustrator?
Being an illustrator mainly means working full or part-time with creating images. An illustrator can be employed or freelance, i.e. run their own business. Most illustrators have their own business, which means they need to find assignments, write contracts, plan the work, buy materials, market themselves and administer the company. Some illustrators hire others to take care of what is not part of the actual image creation.
What are the requirements?
New requirements from clients are constantly emerging, partly due to trends and technological developments. This means that illustrators need to spend time keeping themselves up to date in different areas. Most illustrators earn their main income by creating images for different clients' needs, but there are also illustrators who create freely and then find buyers for their illustrations. An illustrator can also do unpaid work.
Who are the clients of an illustrator?
Example:
Example:
Why hire an illustrator?
Visual communication can be used for a various different purposes. Images are an effective medium to inform, capture attention, provide new ideas, interpret the world, clarify messages and entertain. A key reason why illustrations are used in advertising is to be more visible in the information flow and give a brand a clear visual identity.
How does an illustrator create their images?
Today, it is common for illustrators to work digitally. This is because the image must be delivered in a digital format to be used in digital media, working digitally is often faster and more flexible, and printers use digital files as the basis for printing. Some illustrators work entirely or partly with traditional techniques where the image is then scanned or photographed and thus converted into a digital file.
How does an illustrator get work?
An illustrator is hired just like any other job, for example by searching for advertisements, through contacts, by seeking out organisations in need of illustrators or by making oneself searchable and thus being sought out.
Freelance illustrators market themselves through social media, websites, contacts or by directly seeking out those in need of illustrations. A clear style, good portfolio, previous clients, education and work experience are some qualities clients are looking for.
How much does it cost to hire an illustrator?
The price usually varies between 700-1500 SEK/hour
What does an illustrator's salary look like?
The salary of an illustrator varies greatly. They can range from part-time jobs earning a few thousand a month to famous illustrators earning 50,000 or more a month. See current salary statistics to get an idea of median salaries.
Why do illustrators often have one or a few styles they work in?
Illustration is an art form where personal expression is delivered through the illustrative style. The illustrator receives influences from various sources and, while training and doing commissions, one or more styles are created consciously or unconsciously. The style can be said to be the illustrator's signature and identity.
Having a style can make marketing easier because the customer knows what they are getting. Sticking to a style is also quicker, making it more competitive. Finding a style that an illustrator is happy with can also take many years, which can make a switch in styles difficult. But only being able to draw or paint in one style can be a problem for those who are not already established, as the client may ask for something different.
Start working as an illustrator
Tips for those who want to work as an illustrator are:
If you want to be employed as an illustrator
Educate yourself and try to get an internship at a workplace like once you want to work in. Talk to people in the industry about the fastest route to employment. Find out what skills are in demand and get them as quickly as you can. Then apply for jobs in the sector.
If you want to work as a freelance illustrator
Find a use for your illustrations or your style. Become proficient enough in the craft to fulfil the customer's wishes, through training or self-study. Talk to customers in the field, ask what they expect. Find ways to market yourself. Start your business early and take other part-time jobs to help make a living in the beginning.
Things to consider when hiring an illustration
Train to become an illustrator
Artistic education comes in many different forms:
General education programmes in illustration or graphic design at university, vocational college, upper secondary school or folk high school level.
Niche programmes that aim to enable people to work in a specific field.
Private training, as an apprentice, at private art schools or one-off courses with illustrators.
Knowledge acquired through all available channels such as the internet, books, conversations, self-training, etc.
Formal education may be a requirement for some jobs. Higher education often has a focus on preparing for the workfield, so some information on industry standards is embedded in many programmes. The best way to gain insight and prepare for work is often to do an internship or apprenticeship at a workplace.
Additional skills, for example in written communication, are often sought after as illustrations are often combined with text and are often part of the illustrator's job.
What types of illustration are there?
Editorial illustration
JNArt has helped previous clients with illustrations to interpret text in different ways. Educational material, information campaigns, illustrations for concepts, illustrations for books and magazines, images for the web and printed matter.
Graphic design and illustration
Logo, visual identity, layout, graphic elements, icons, JNArt creates different types of graphic design. Adaptations are made to already existing visual profile or we create a new one according to your wishes.
Want to read more about what it's like to hire JNArt as an illustrator?
JNArt is the right creator for many types of assignments. This applies to illustrations for almost all types of use. If the assignment does not fit, JNArt can give tips on other talented illustrators.
