Dear Illustrator
If you want to improve this article or suggest your version of this one, don't be so hesitant to send the letter
If you want to improve this article or suggest your version of this one, don't be so hesitant to send the letter
Commercial illustrations are used to sell products or promote a brand, while nonprofit illustrations are used to raise awareness and educate the public about a cause. Both types of illustrations are important for communicating information and influencing public opinion, but have different goals. Commercial illustrations aim to persuade people to buy something, while nonprofit illustrations aim to inform and educate. Both types of illustrations require the ability to create visually appealing images that effectively convey a message.
Before starting to design any illustration, an illustrator should have a clear understanding of the following information from the customer:
dALL-E is a free AI tool for creating unique illustrations and designs. It is powered by OpenAI's state-of-the-art language model, and allows users to generate illustrations by simply describing them in natural language. With dALL-E, anyone can create professional-looking illustrations without any design experience.
Google rank: 9.0
Midjourney is a free AI tool for creating unique illustrations and designs. It uses advanced Artificial Intelligence algorithms to generate illustrations and designs, and allows users to simply input a text or a concept to create professional-looking illustrations without any design experience. With Midjourney, anyone can create professional-looking illustrations quickly and easily.
Google rank: 8.7
Trust is the social glue that holds business relationships together. But, how do managers decide whether to trust a potential partner outside their business? And how does culture influence this decision-making process? To answer these questions, the authors...
Read more
Do you have any specific elements in mind for your illustration? If you aren't clear here, the illustrator will be able to interpret the brief however they see fit, which may not be what you had in mind for the final output. In this case, my element description read as follows: "The book must have a strong African and South African focus and speak to both oral and written story-telling traditions. Additionally, it needs to include various media formats like books and tablets. Reading ought to be portrayed as a social activity."
You often don't get the dimensions from people. Include here any text that has to be on the illustration, any bleed requirements for printing, and whether or not the illustration will be printed in CMYK (best printing) or RGB (best for computer display). For the aforementioned example, my memo stated: "The book is 170 x 245 in size. Portrait. The title, subtitle, and author names often need to be placed within a third of the front cover. To contain all of these components, the graphic designer might need to crop or otherwise alter the cover image. The graphic designer and the publishing house will decide this at their discretion. Format: CMYK ink will be used to print the cover."
Monday.com is a cloud-based platform that allows users to create their own applications and work management software. The product was launched in 2014 and in July 2019, the company raised $150 million, based on a $1.9 billion valuation. The company went public in June 2021 and is based in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Google rank: 4.4
Trello is a web-based, Kanban-style, list-making application and is developed by Trello Enterprise, a subsidiary of Atlassian. Created in 2011 by Fog Creek Software, it was spun out to form the basis of a separate company in New York City in 2014 and sold to Atlassian in January 2017.
Google rank: 6.4
Asana is a web and mobile work management platform designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. It is produced by the San Francisco based company of the same name. The company was founded in 2008 by Dustin Moskovitz and Justin Rosenstein. The product launched commercially in April 2012.
Google rank: 9.4
When writing a creative brief for an illustration project, it is important to establish measurable results that align with the project's triple constraint of scope, time, and cost. These results should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).
By including measurable results in the creative brief that align with the project's triple constraint of scope, time, and cost, the illustrator and the customer can have a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of the illustration project, and the success of the illustration can be evaluated based on these results.
Whether you’re a one-person freelance company or have a team that you work with, goals are imperative in terms of providing direction for your company. Goals can be around revenue growth, customer satisfaction, or just about anything associated with improving your business long-term. Once set, you need to establish measurable objectives supporting them. The article How to Set Goals does a great job of explaining goals and what criteria should be used when setting supporting objectives.
Read moreDo you often find yourself setting out big plans, only to fall flat and push the plan aside? This is a common occurrence. Luckily, there exists a well-defined solution that's easy to follow. It comes in a detailed system of measurable goals and objectives that puts you on a path to success.
Read more
When crafting a creative brief for an illustration project, it's essential to provide references for the illustrator to use as inspiration and guidance. These references can include examples of existing illustrations, artwork, or visual styles that align with the desired look and feel of the project. Providing references allows the illustrator to gain a deeper understanding of the customer's vision and expectations for the project, and can help to ensure that the final product meets those expectations.
It's also important to note that all new ideas are often built on the foundation of existing ones, or by combining and modifying existing concepts. By providing references, the illustrator can better understand the customer's desired direction and create an illustration that aligns with that vision.
The closer the customer's and illustrator's ideas for the project match, the greater the chance that the project will be completed successfully. By providing clear and relevant references in the creative brief, the customer can help the illustrator to understand their vision and create an illustration that exceeds expectations.
Best websites with illustration references
Behance is a social media platform owned by Adobe whose main focus is to showcase and discover creative work. Behance was founded by Matias Corea and Scott Belsky in November 2005. It was acquired by Adobe in December 2012. As of October 2020, Behance had over 24 million members.
Google rank: 4.4
Pinterest is an image sharing and social media service designed to enable saving and discovery of information on the internet using images, and on a smaller scale, animated GIFs and videos, in the form of pinboards.
Google rank: 6.4
Dribbble is a self-promotion and social networking platform for digital designers and creatives. It serves as a design portfolio platform, jobs and recruiting site and is one of the largest platforms for designers to share their work online.
Google rank: 9.4
Setting up a budget early on will help you truly manage your money and direct your decision-making. Make sure to record precise figures and, when possible, include expenditures. It will be beneficial to conduct some brief research beforehand. Are there any strategies to reduce your expenses? You'll keep your boss happy if you allow yourself some time to fiddle with the figures before you even start the work!
Upwork connects businesses with independent professionals and agencies around the globe. Where companies and freelancers work together in new ways that .
Google rank: 4.4
Join the thousands of entrepreneurs who are launching their contests every week and harnessing the awesome power of crowdsourcing.
Google rank: 4.4
Another staple competitor analysis tool for SEO is Ahrefs’ site explorer, which allows you to check any URL’s top organic keywords. Additionally, you get a rough estimate of how much traffic a competitor receives on those keywords.
Google rank: 4.4
Who are the final customers? Actually, this is crucial. Whom does this example need to communicate with and make sense to? Who will view and utilize it? And what should it convey to that person when they view it? My memo stated "Students studying to become teachers of children between the ages of 6 and 15 make up the captive market. Parents of children in this age group as well as pre-service teachers ought to find the image to be very appealing. The intention is for them to voluntarily choose to pick up and purchase the book."
It’s pretty simple. Any marketing, whether it be video marketing or otherwise, we’ll miss the mark if you have no idea who you’re trying to reach with your message. So, the critical first step when you’re getting started with video marketing for your business is to clearly identify your target audience, and that’s what I’ll be helping you do in this article.
Read moreA common mistake made by creators is to assume that their target audience will come effortlessly over their brand’s YouTube channel, if you just focus on creating and publishing more videos. Although a study suggests that 78% of people watch online videos every week, only a tiny fraction might be interested in what you sell.
Read more
Is the client upscale, supportive, amiable, tech-savvy, or down to earth? Do they want to come across as brash and powerful or approachable?
Learn more about: What shades does the customer prefer or dislike? Maybe they want to stand out from the competition, who may utilize blue and green. It's a good idea to be aware of this information beforehand because the CEO can also detest the color purple. You could wish to find out which fonts they prefer.
Think about using various serif, san serif, and script fonts. Does the customer like formal fonts that convey seriousness? Or do they like scripty, handwritten ones that convey playfulness and friendliness? Is the photography they're utilizing artistic or professional? This will assist you in determining the tone of the
Learn more about: What shades does the customer prefer or dislike? Maybe they want to stand out from the competition, who may utilize blue and green. It's a good idea to be aware of this information beforehand because the CEO can also detest the color purple. You could wish to find out which fonts they prefer.
Making a mood board is the proper approach. Although Pinterest makes it incredibly simple, you may also design a mood board on a cork or bulletin board. Grab magazine cutouts, paint store color samples, and anything else that inspires you, including scraps of cloth or postcards. Typefaces or other type treatments should be added after a color. Look for images that depict the ideal customer. Just like styling a place or putting together an outfit.
In conclusion, creating successful illustration projects requires careful consideration and attention to various factors. By understanding the purpose, target audience, style, and design direction, illustrators can effectively convey the intended message. Additionally, establishing measurable results aligned with scope, time, and cost ensures project success. Providing references for inspiration fosters a shared vision between the customer and illustrator. Budgeting, whether through a fixed price or hourly rate approach, enables effective financial management. Lastly, considering the target audience and crafting the right messaging and tone through mood boards contributes to the overall success of the project. By implementing these strategies, illustrators can deliver illustrations that exceed expectations and leave a lasting impact.
If you're looking to delve deeper into specific areas of work such as graphic design, video production, audio engineering, programming, copywriting, or marketing, you should check out the Project Briefs Categories on this website.
By exploring these categories, you'll find comprehensive briefs that provide detailed insights on approaching each type of work. They offer valuable information on recommended tools, techniques, and practical tips to excel in your chosen field. Whether you're a seasoned professional or a beginner, these briefs serve as a valuable resource, helping you enhance your skills and stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices.
llustrator and graphic recorder
I studied graphic design at the University of Pretoria and later completed my Master’s degree in illustration at the University of Stellenbosch. I am currently based in Cape Town where I work as a freelance illustrator and graphic facilitator.
I showcase my corporate and business illustrations on my www.fine-line.co.za website. My personal website (www.nicolenelouw.co.za) is dedicated to my editorial and more traditional illustration work.
is concerned with the creation and integration of film, motion graphics, and camera shooting feed into different fields.
is a creative method, process and result of artistic and technical design of industrial products, their complexes and systems, focused on achieving the fullest compliance of the created objects and the environment in general to human needs, both utilitarian and aesthetic.
is the process of performing a particular computation, usually by designing/building an executable computer program or web, and mobile applications. Programming involves tasks such as analysis, generating algorithms, profiling algorithms' accuracy and resource consumption, and the implementation of algorithms.
Is actions a company takes to attract an audience to the company's product or services through messaging. Marketing aims to deliver standalone value for prospects and consumers through content, with the long-term goal of demonstrating product value, strengthening brand loyalty, and ultimately increasing sales.
is the process of using symbols to communicate thoughts and ideas in a readable form. Writing helps to bring an idea to readers in order to commercial or social goals. Comercial writing stimulates sales growth or popularize a product, company, service, person or idea.
is the art and practice of creating soundtracks for a variety of needs. It involves specifying, acquiring or creating auditory elements using audio production techniques and tools