Hanbury Symposium Recap

The event was very interesting and informative.  The speakers were very impressive and I found that all of them had a wealth of knowledge beneficial to my development, not just the ones specifically linked to my practice. They highlighted the importance of collaboration on projects and the ability and potential to work on a number of platforms in a variety of roles. Versatility is an appealing trait to a potential agent and benefits all. 

We heard about the role of agents from Blink Arts, Big Active and B&A. They were especially keen that their illustrator clients should be able build on their skills to be able to manage or direct projects. They talked about trialling illustrators before signing them to the agency to make sure that they demonstrated an appropriate level of professionalism (eg in terms of time management and reliability).  As one agent said, their role is to “make sure everybody plays nice”. An agent will make sure you are being treated fairly and it is important that you trust their opinion and ability to get the most out of your potential. Agents provide knowledge of the industry and can help you navigate contacts and disputes, but illustrators should not rely on agents for everything. You need to actively promote yourself. 

The main buzzwords from every speaker were individuality and personality. Some of the agents warned against looking at the work of peers too often, as they see a tendency of illustrators to mimic successful practitioners. They did point out that there is a place in the market for this but up-and-coming illustrators should begin by developing their own identity. Ricky Richards pointed out that if everybody had the same inputs then they would also have the same outputs. This highlighted the importance of working with your own interests and beliefs instead of trying to conform to trends. 

The industry is highly competitive and even high-quality illustration can appear generic and fail to stand out. A number of speakers said that they are drawn to work that has depth of meaning behind it, especially when the artist is able to communicate intelligent and complex themes in a clear and simple way. The main focus is on ideas and how they are communicated, and the adoption of a specific aesthetic appears to be a secondary consideration.  Agencies aren’t looking for one specific personality: some illustrators are confident and others are more anxious and reclusive.  Both personalities are evident in the illustrator’s work and both are appealing.  One is not better than the other.  What must be remembered, however, is that new perspectives and unusual visual references stand out in a busy industry.

The implication for my own practice is that I must be brave enough to work in my own way and not take too much influence from other people’s work. My aim must be to produce more narratives based on my own experiences, ideas, opinions and personality. I need to be confident in my work and be bold enough to experiment without feeling constrained by pre-existing aesthetics or my comfort zone.

All of the agents spoke about the importance of social media presence, some even saying that it can be a determining factor in whether they work with or sign an illustrator. There was recognition that some media platforms may have passed their peak but there was no suggestion that social media is fading as a powerful promotional tool. All of the speakers emphasised the importance of keeping up with the most up-to-date social media trends.

The process of establishing contact with agents and publishers was acknowledged to be challenging and potentially intimidating, especially since the sheer number of illustrators submitting work makes it hard to stand out. The importance of researching the person/company you are contacting was emphasised, as was the need for a human and personal approach. Avoid generic ‘dear sir’ emails which are often ignored.  Asking for advice is a good way to make initial contact, as lots of industry professionals are happy to give help to up and coming illustrators. Take time to edit your portfolio: a smaller portfolio full of high quality work demonstrating a range of skills is much better than one where the impact of the best work is diluted by inferior pieces. Always lead with a strong piece. Similarly, include an image or maybe two in an email to catch the recipient’s attention as they scroll through emails full of text.

We should always be proactive to create opportunities for ourselves and maintain personal projects that best demonstrate our individual personality. There no excuse for not producing quality work or complaining about not receiving good briefs when you can create them yourself. We should build and maintain a network of contacts: this is something that we can start now with other students at the university and beyond that with professionals within the industry. This will also act as good practice for communication skills and help to make us more confident communicating with professionals.

Hanbury Symposium

These are the notes I took during the symposium. In my next post I will reflect on the event to determine how the information can benefit my practice.

Website Title

I made this image to use as a page header for my website. I tried experimenting with some hand drawn text but I am not that comfortable working with text and was not happy with the outcomes. I also wanted to make sure the text was very clear and easy to read. The website is going to be very simple and clean with an all white background. I wanted the header to fit in with the rest of the aesthetic. The website is going to be simple. Split into 3 sections/pages, gallery, contact info and about. The main aim of the site is to act as an online showcase of my work that instructs potential clients on how to contact me. I don't want any complex design or bold colours distracting from my work or making the site difficult to navigate. The site is designed to be simple, functional but appealing. I wanted the page header to act as an appealing example of my work and add a feeling of crafting to an otherwise functional design. 

tumblr

Joeboonillustration tumblr

I have made a tumblr account. The idea being to include a link to the tumblr on my website and use the tumblr as a blog where I can showcase works in progress in a less formal setting to the main website. It will be easier for me to keep updating the tumblr at regular intervals that the website. I can include photos of process, influences on my work and rough sketches. This will be a good way to keep in constant contact with my audience in an informal way. 

Publisher descriptions/intro research

Its Nice That

"It’s Nice That believes passionately that creative inspiration is for everyone and by championing the most exciting and engaging work online, in print and through our events programme, we want to open up this world to the widest possible audience.

Founded in 2007, It’s Nice That has grown across many platforms and reaches over a million people each month. These include the website which is updated daily, a bi-annual magazine Printed Pages, a summer symposium Here and the monthly Nicer Tuesdays talks series."

• Education around creative industries 
• biannual magazine release summing up the previous 6 months in the creative world
• Featuring interviews and showcasing up and coming artists
• seems to be aimed more at people with an interest in the creative industries
• "part of the The Hudson Bec Group which exists to enable creativity to thrive"
• Produce publications and digital content as well as creating events.
• "These include the website which is updated daily, a bi-annual magazine Printed Pages, a summer symposium Here and the monthly Nicer Tuesdays talks series."
• Part of the same group is "Anyways, a creative agency that guides brands and organisations through the busy, broad worlds of culture and communication, and Lecture in Progress, helping the next generation of creatives make better career decisions by inspiring and informing them of the breadth of opportunities that exist in the creative industry."
  
  Nobrow
  
  "Nobrow burst into existence in late 2008 as the joint creative endeavour of two friends and ex-St Martin’s alumni: Sam Arthur and Alex Spiro. Since its inception Nobrow Ltd. has sought to make great design, ground-breaking art and narrative, luscious production values and environmental consciousness central to its mission. We have striven both to bring fresh, young talent to wider audiences, as well as to remind the world of the great talents that have been producing stunning work for many years."
  
  "We have played with concepts, narratives, genres, formats, printing methods, production processes and design in ways that have come to redefine the standards of quality in visual publishing the world over. We have also, thankfully, picked up some awards and accolades along the way."

• Independent
• started by two St martin's Alumni
• bold unique identity 
• focussed on specific publishing categories (specialists)
• childrens book and illustrated narratives

Macmillan

"Macmillan Publishers is a global trade book publishing company with prominent imprints around the world. Macmillan publishes a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and format. U.S. publishers include Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Picador, St. Martin’s Press, and Tor Books. In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, Macmillan publishes under the Pan Macmillan name. The German company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer and Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur."

"Nowadays Macmillan is one of the largest and best-known international publishers in the world, operating in over 70 countries."

• Founded in 1843
• Expanded around the globe in 1960's
• "Serious academic, educational and literary publishing was followed by significant growth in reference programmes and college textbooks as well as educational and scientific journals. New international opportunities were grasped and publishing operations were set up in Japan, Mexico and the emerging markets of Africa and Asia."
• Huge publishing company with global reach that publish books in a comprehensive range of categories fro both adults and children

Questions

Questions for publishers

General questions for all

What new trends have you noticed and where do you see trends moving in the future?

What common problems do you encounter when working with illustrators?

What advice would you give to first time authors/illustrators?

What advice would you give to new illustrators who are trying to develop a network?

Are there any common misconceptions that illustrators have about the role of publishers?

Is good use of social media important for aspiring illustrators?

Macmillan

Large publisher with a global reach that produce books in a broad range of categories
As such would have a good knowledge of trends

How has the use of illustration in publishing changed over time?

What role does illustration have in publishing outside children’s literature?

What common traits do successful illustrators share?

Nobrow 

What is it that you look for in a potential publications?

Nobrow has a very clear and unique identity, how important a factor do you think this is in your success?

Nobrow was started independently by just two people, what challenges did you face and what advice would you give to someone else starting out?

It’s nice that

It’s nice that produces and showcases work on a range of platforms. How important do you think it is for illustrators to engage their audience and produce work on a variety of different platforms?

Do you have any set criteria for the kind of work you publish?

How do feel that producing a regular publication differentiates you from other publishers and affects your relationship with your audience?

Writing about section

I want to use the formula of

- 1 sentence about who I am
- 1 sentence of what my practice is
- 1 sentence describing my practice
- 1 sentence telling the reader how to get in touch

I would like to make the writing style informal but concise and to the point.
Possibly include a joke
I am going to use the first person to make my site more personal to fit in with the emotive nature of my work, I have looked at a number of practitioners websites and find the ones written in the third person sometimes feel quite awkward.


I am a 33 year old freelance illustrator currently working in Leeds. I specialise in narrative based illustrations, in particular children's literature and comics. I like to write and illustrate children's books that are both entertaining and educational. I enjoy communicating humour, character, atmosphere and emotion through my work. Most of all I love telling stories.

Feel free to contact me by email or telephone with any questions.

About section

My website is nearly finished but I need to write the ‘about’ section before it can go live. This is not something I have much experience of and is quite daunting. I am going to look through some practitioners websites and try to identify parts of their descriptions that can help me write my own.

Tom Gauld’s website has a very small description of him. The about section is mostly made up of a long list of previous works. Even the couple of sentences about him talk about regular publications he works on. The personal information is simply when and where he was born, where he lives now and that he describes himself as a ‘cartoonist and illustrator’.

“Tom Gauld was born in 1976 and grew up in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He is a cartoonist and illustrator and his work is regularly published in the The Guardian, The New York Times and New Scientist. He has created a number of comic books. He lives in London with his family.”

I think the way I label myself is going to be key in attracting potential clients. In terms of my history before this course I have designed clothing, worked on spray paint murals and run graffiti workshops. However now my practice is focussed on cildrens book illustration and over the last year I have also been writing the narrative for as well as illustrating them. On one hand I would like to mention my background and previous experiences but I’m don’t think they benefit my practice and could very easily confuse potential clients.

Ben Kirchner’s about section mentions several illustration categories that he produces work for “producing images for editorial, advertising, design and publishing projects.”

I need to make decision as to which categories to include and labels that best sum up my practice, I could say children’s book illustration, publishing, design, narrative etc. I will have to look at more artists sites. Artists that I think work in similar ways to myself. That way I can find out which are the most commonly used terms and make my website and practice easy to understand.

Ben Kirchner goes into more detail explaining his work, “I like to create illustrations that are fun and vibrant with a surreal sense of humour and a strong emphasis on character. I also love portraiture.”

I would like to add a sentence that gives more details about what my work is and my rationale behind it. I think my humour is based around narrative, character, landscapes, emotion and humour.

Ben Kirchner follows on by inviting visitors to the website to contact him through his agency or through a built in comments form. I am not sure I can add this to my site but could still invite potential clients to contact me via email or telephone

The ‘about’ sections I have looked at contain mostly the same information in each, differing mainly in the language used and the detail practitioners use to describe themselves.

It seems to go:

Sentence about practitioner (how old, where from, studied at, current location)
Description of work (publishing, comic, editorial etc)
More detail about work (more personal, humour, fun, colours, movement, etc)
List of previous clients and awards
“Please contact through .....”

I can’t add the previous clients at this part but keeping it simple would seem like the way to go. One well thought out sentance for each subject. I would like to add a bit of personality to it without making it seem too informal or messy.

Business cards finished

I spent a few hours this week designing business cards. For the most part I seemed to be making them more and more complicated trying to add meaning or a narrative to the design. After testing about 20 designs on vista prints website I decided that the best idea was to pic out 2 of my favourite character designs. Designs that were not made for a specific narrative and don’t have a meaning that could be misinterpreted. The design of the card is simple and bold with a large character on the front and a small character on the reverse with my contact info in a bold and simple font. The design is functional but the characters add some appeal to it and demonstrate my work.

My original idea was to create a card sized book but due to me being ill for the last month and the upcoming cop deadline I didn’t think I could get the book finished and made to a quality I would be happy with. I would rather use a simpler professionally finished card that a more complex but poorly executed design. I still plan on creating the book for our second trip to Hanbury Hall.

For now I need to finish my website and make sure it is up and running in time for the symposium.