Impact reports are everywhere these days. Though perhaps more for businesses and organisations bigger than mine, with more stakeholders to be accountable to. It’s important stuff. Why you’re doing what you’re doing, and profits aside, what difference it makes for the planet and the community served
On a more personal level, I always find it interesting when I see fellow illustrators sharing facts and figures about their businesses - it’s really insightful to gain a sense of the reality for others working in the illustration industry. The following come to mind as great examples of annual review/round-ups - from Niki Groom/Miss Magpie Fashion Spy & Mr Tom Froese
I’ve put this post together for transparency and openness - To share where I am and what I’m doing with the aim of earning a living and continuing to grow, in an environmentally-conscious way. I’m a business of one, it’s just me, with no aspirations to grow bigger, but I obviously do need to nurture the business I have for it to thrive.
This is a combined review - looking at the financials and some general statistics relating to my business, plus how that fits with the environmental aspects and my key focus areas.
I started on a journey last year to look at the sustainability of my business - see more on that here - and starting an annual review is a key part. I want to ensure the processes I have in place minimises my impact environmentally, and that the work I do in collaboration with clients has the potential to make a positive difference for people and the planet.
My year coincides with the tax year, so these facts and figures relate to the year ending 5th April, 2024.
(Design-wise, it’s slightly annoying that my year isn’t a calendar year, but hey-ho…!)
Anyway, thanks for reading. By nature, this post is essentially all about me which I realise may not be fascinating for everyone, the intention genuinely isn’t to be self-centred! I’d be really interested to hear your perspectives…
Fellow illustrators - Do the trends and statistics I share line up with your own experiences? How have you found the illustration industry over the last year or so?
Potential clients and collaborators - Is there anything else you’d like to see an independent illustrator such as me, integrating as part of their business/offering? What else would be of value for you?
MY MISSION
I have recently updated the mission statement on my website, and I hope it resonates with the sorts of clients I love to work with, primarily in areas relating to the environment, health and learning.
I aim to align and collaborate with my clients to develop engaging visuals which help them to share a story, describe a journey, or communicate ideas with their specific audience. The ultimate goal is for my illustrations to help inspire action, for the benefit of people or the planet, or both!
I basically want to create quality, purposeful illustration work. I like working to a brief, and am super-motivated when there’s a vision for something really positive,
KEY AREAS
For a number of years now I’ve focussed my work around ‘People doing good things’ in 3 key areas, relating to the Environment, Health and Learning. These are areas I enjoy working in and like the fact that the work is motivated by a positive vision.
I’ve marked on the Venn diagram where I think all the projects I’ve worked on this year fit, and it’s great to see!
In terms of being a sustainable business, I’ve looked at the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and whilst I can't say that all the clients & projects I work on are 100% focussed on these goals, it definitely feels like I’ve been fortunate to be able to assist my clients in working towards positive objectives, in SDG-related areas.
2023-24 Client List (in no particular order):
8Notes.com WWT Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) Wessex Water Cattle Country Farm Park Our Media (The Sea Cadet) Planning Ventures Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) The Economist Educational Foundation Affinity Water SoGlos Ballasalla School
PROJECT ENQUIRIES
I have a rolling list of all the new project enquiries I receive, and keep a check on where these leads come from as well as how many do or don’t go ahead.
Many enquiries are from people I’ve worked with before, or through referrals from past clients, but a good proportion are from individuals who’ve found my work on the internet and make contact through my website.
Since I began keeping a record, the figures for projects that actually go ahead are consistently around 25% - which I reckon is frustratingly low!
HOWEVER, it’s important to note that projects may not have gone ahead for a number of reasons - there’s a proportion I didn’t even quote on. Sometimes I might turn a project down if it feels like I’m not the best fit for the work, don’t have availability, or the client may just ‘disappear’ when I’ve responded with some questions to find out more about the project. I know ‘ghosting’ is becoming more and more prevalent, and a big frustration for illustrators!
Of course, there are some that I did go for, and was disappointed to miss out on, but that’s part of the process. In this case, I will often ask if there were specific reasons I wasn’t selected for the work, and usually it’s for 1 of 2 things, perhaps as would be expected:
It’s felt that another illustrator was a better fit for the project
Cost
I’d say the first is fair enough. But for me it’s annoying if decisions are purely made on cost - If this really is the deciding factor I’d urge potential clients to go back to their preferred illustrator and discuss what could be possible to fit more in line with their budget. Sometimes there may be scope to simplify or alter the brief a little to make it more workable, and still deliver end results which hit the mark.
CLIENTS & PROJECTS
It’s encouraging for me to see that many of my projects come from previous clients, and that often there may be multiple projects, providing opportunity for ongoing collaboration.
I like to build good working relationships with those that commission me, and collaboration is key in order to deliver the best work. The client brings their vision and expertise around a specific challenge, whilst I interpret that into something that will connect with their audience.
It’s really rewarding that people choose to come back to work with me. If you’re a returning client - thankyou!
CLIENT SPEND / SCALE OF PROJECTS
The fruits of my labour! A real mix of small and bigger projects, and to be honest that’s the way I like it!
It’s great to have bigger projects to really get stuck into, but equally smaller projects can be fun and interesting to mix things up a bit, usually with quicker turnaround times.
TURNOVER
This is money I’ve earned through my business, BEFORE expenses or any tax is paid.
I’ve not stated actual figures, but the scale gives you a pretty good idea of where I am.
It feels like I’m doing OK, and I’m pleased to be making a good, honest living which sustains myself and my family, doing something I enjoy. It’s likely I’m a way off the more celebrated ‘big shot’ illustrators working on high profile campaigns, and I wouldn’t say my income allows for anything too extravagant, not that that’s really me…
It’s good to see an increase, although it’s obviously all relative with the cost of living also going up!
INCOME SOURCE
As I knew would be the case, my income is predominantly from client projects. I know other illustrators often have multiple income streams, which could be from, for example: teaching, Skillshare/Domestika online classes etc, selling products, paid for content/subscriptions (eg. Patreon & Substack).
The question is whether to diversify, or remain happy to focus on client work? For now, personally I prefer to focus my time on collaborating with clients, assuming I have enough work to keep me going…
As reference to the different source categories:
ILLUSTRATION PROJECTS - Illustration work created in response to a client’s brief, with an associated licence for the agreed usage.
SALES - In my case, these are the sale of digital downloads, via my website. Specifically, poster art pieces previously created for a school client, for kids learning around Growth Mindsets and the Inner Chimp, which I’ve been able to make available for other schools to access.
ROYALTIES - Small returns for the ongoing use of illustrations in editorial/publishing or on products.
LICENCE EXTENSIONS - Additional fees arising from work being re-used by the client for a longer period or different purpose than was initially agreed.
The fact that this is figure is relatively low is likely because the original licence agreed with the client was sufficient to meet their needs.
DESIGN - Generally more layout-based work, which doesn’t directly involve the creation of illustrations. Not the case this year, but this could also include brand identity projects.
GIVING BACK
As part of my working towards being a more sustainable business, I pledge that 2% of my income, generated through the projects I work on will be donated to charities/organisations which benefit people or planet. This adds a feel good factor into my practice, and means I commit to helping good causes a little more financially than I have previously.
I’ve chosen to make donations on an ad hoc basis, as feels appropriate each year - ideally reflecting the sorts of projects I’ve worked on commercially.
This year I donated to:
Avon Needs Trees ( to help buy the land for the Lower Chew Forest, the South West’s largest new woodland in a generation)
North Bristol Food Bank & Students Organising for Sustainability (Both via the BIg Give Christmas Campaign 2023)
Some smaller Crowdfunder/Local Giving donations to Babbassa, Make Creativity Matter and Spike Print Studio
CARBON FOOTPRINT
These are my ESTIMATED total emissions based on numbers I’ve put into the Business Carbon Calculator developed by Normative, through the SME Climate Hub.
As previously mentioned, I have made a concerted effort to look at the sustainability and environmental impacts of my business and have base levels to check against in coming years. I’m working to improve as best I can.
I have recently put together an environmental policy, which sets out the environmental considerations I’m implementing within my business. Take a look here
CLIENT HAPPINESS
I’ve always tried to gather feedback following completion of every project, and am proud to include it in the case studies on my website and on my Testimonials page.
I’ve had positive emails from all the clients I’ve worked with this year.
It feels a bit easy and overly simplistic to translate this as 100% Client Satisfaction, although I think I am justified to do so.
I intend to consider how I can gather better data in this area for next year’s review - looking at how satisfied the commissioning client is with the work I’ve produced, as well as ways to chart the success of each project, in terms of impact and/or engagement.
ROUND-UP
The key take-away for me, reinforces what I think I already knew… that my illustration business is really all about the people I work with and the positive stuff they’re trying to do. It gives me great satisfaction to be able to help them work towards fulfilling their goals.
Doing a great job, being helpful and a good collaborator is SUPER important. This all leads to happy clients and work which has the potential to help make positive change happen, benefitting the environment, individuals and communities.
Also, a happy client is one who will hopefully return when a suitable opportunity arises, as well as making referrals to others - meaning the whole process becomes self-perpetuating.
I feel that defining my key areas has been really helpful in gaining more of the work I’m interested in, so creating a niche has definitely worked for me. That said I am open to blurring the edges a little for fun and/or interesting projects which still potentially feel like a good fit.
I’m pleased to have started the process of doing an annual review, and look forward to seeing how things progress over the coming year, with tangible levels to measure against.
As mentioned at the start, I would be really keen to hear any thoughts on what I’ve laid out here…
Fellow illustrators - Do the trends and statistics I share line up with your own experiences? How have you found the illustration industry over the last year or so?
Potential clients and collaborators - Is there anything else you’d like to see an independent illustrator such as me, integrating as part of their business/offering? What else would be of value for you?
I’d love to hear what you think - Feel free to email me here
AND FINALLY - FAVOURITE PROJECT OF THE YEAR?
Not looking to alienate anyone I’ve worked with - Obviously ALL my projects are my favourites! 😊
In terms of a highlight though, the SSWAN project is one I’m particularly proud of, for the following reasons:
• The motivation for the project is to make something better - our water system, which is obviously a big environmental issue currently involving the water companies
• The artwork itself was quite a challenge, with a brief to include a huge number of details in each illustration
• I had one point of contact on the client-side, but there were a large number of stakeholders to be consulted throughout various stages of the project. Since completion I’ve heard on numerous occasions the work has been really well received by all.
• I was really happy with how the finished pieces turned out too!
SSWAN (Sustainable Solutions for Water and Nature) - is a partnership of organisations who share the same goal: to find sustainable solutions for water and nature. The partnership includes The Rivers Trust, RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Sustainability First and Wessex Water.
I was tasked with creating 2 illustrations based on different types of catchment areas - one rural and one urban. Each illustration is to highlight key points of SSWAN’s proposals, showing the difference between continuing with the current systems and ‘business as usual’, compared to taking a more holistic, catchment-wide approach, with water companies and nature-based organisations working in partnership.
If you made it down this far, thanks for reading!