Exploring the reasons why you might decide NOT to commission bespoke illustration and offering solutions to make it a more viable option in the future
3 minute read
Have you ever considered using bespoke illustration for your brand or organisation, but decided not to?
Does it feel like commissioning an illustrator will be expensive, time-consuming, and perhaps not as reactive as you’d like ?
If so, then this is for you….Read on!
I’ve done a little research into some of the barriers that might stop potential commissioners from going with a bespoke illustration route for their brand’s marketing or communications materials. In this case, typically my contacts include marketing and communications managers for commercial and not-for-profit organisations, founders of small businesses and other designers working with these sorts of clients.
Obviously I provide illustration as a service, so it stands to reason that I’m going to extol the benefits, but my main aim really is to understand the barriers that might stop you from deciding to go with an illustration route and try to find solutions that could make illustration more of a viable option for you...
I asked some of my clients and contacts for their insights into what might (or has in the past) put them off commissioning illustration.
The main problems seem to be:
Cost. And specifically the cost of maintaining a style over time
Flexibility, or lack of
Feeling trapped and reliant on one illustration, or one illustrator
Turnaround times - the difficulty of being reactive and being able to create materials quickly
Licensing - The feeling of not being in control, and having restrictions on how an illustration may be used, even though you commissioned it and have paid for the work already
Whether illustration fully serves the purpose - photography or video may be a better option
As I’m sure you’ll agree, bespoke illustration isn’t always going to be the best solution - It simply may not be the right approach.
But for instances when it potentially is a good fit for what you’re trying to do, there are often ways to get around the perceived ‘drawbacks’.
Rather than combine all my thoughts and possible solutions for all of the above into one super-long post, I plan to break it down into a series of ‘bite-size’ posts, to be released sequentially. I have started writing these, but there is scope for you to add any thoughts or input you might have… and I would certainly value any help you’re able to give me!
Could I ask for your help with this please?
If you’re a marketer, communications manager, founder of a brand, or anyone else potentially in the market for some illustration, I’d be very interested to hear your answers to the following questions:
Has there ever been a point at which you’ve considered using bespoke illustration and decided not to?
Do your reasons for not pursuing an illustrative route fall into the categories above, or was it something else?
And if so, what did you do instead? Were there any positives or negatives to taking that option over what could have been illustrated?
Getting in Touch & Keeping in the Loop!
I’d appreciate your thoughts or experiences on why illustration isn’t/wasn’t the option for you - please do get in touch if you’re happy to share your insights with me - SEND ME AN EMAIL
And If you’d be interested to find a way of making illustration a more viable option for you, please do keep an eye out for my future posts on the subject!
They’ll be on the USEFUL FOR CLIENTS section of my website
Or you can SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER which will keep you updated on my subsequent posts relating to this (…& more!)
Thank you!
And especially big thanks to those of you who’ve answered my questions on this so far!
FOLLOW UP POSTS
There will be 6 follow up posts - 1 dealing with each of the issues identified above. I will add the links here, as they’re created…..
To be continued……
Some other previous posts that may be of interest for you…
Wondering why you’re being asked to pay again for an illustration you’ve commissioned? Let me explain…. with a few examples to hopefully make the licensing model make more sense…