An effective creative brief is the most critical factor in ensuring your get the best results from our illustrators.
We’ve included the basics in our brief form. However, if you are still in need of a bit of guidance, here’s the guide on what to include:
1. The Project Provide a clear description of your project.
2. The Style Give us a crystal clear idea on illustration style – this ensures we’re picking the right illustrator for your job. You can do this in two ways: a. Get it across visually – upload your references or send us links / a Pinterest board to the type of aesthetic you’re after. b. Can’t find any references? In that case, give us five keywords that summarise the feel you want to achieve, e.g., clean, contemporary, corporate, loose, quirky, vibrant, warm, slick, vintage, edgy, etc.
3. The Audience Who do you want to target? Provide the key insights, e.g., age range, income, gender, education and any other relevant information. With the target information we’ll be able to guide you on whether your requested style is the best one to pursue. Alternatively, if you have been unsure on the style direction and find that part a bit overwhelming we can suggest a few options which will suit your target audience.
4. The Deliverables What exactly do you need at the end of the project? Is it PSDs, AIs, Jpegs, GIFS, etc… If you’re really not sure and all that sounds like mumbo-jumbo then just let us know what you intend to use the illustration for. We’ll be able to suggest a suitable format. 5. The Copyright Usage terms need to be agreed upon upfront so that both you and the artist are happy with the end use, period and terms of use.
It can be a confusing element but it doesn’t have to be. We just need to know how long you wish to use the illustration for and where it will be featured. Then it’s a matter of confirming with the artist and arranging something which is fair for the period of time and exposure.
In some cases you might want to buy out the illustration rights completely, if that’s the case we just need to know upfront and then we can arrange this for you.
6. The Budget The budget you have for the project is really important because illustrators fees are based on their skills and experience. If you have a figure you plan to spend then let us know, we’ll make sure that our artist recommendation fits within your budget.
7. The Timings Our illustrators work on various projects, plus have other commitments, so timings are important to include upfront. We can check their availabilities before recommending them for your project.
If ever in doubt, please don’t hesitate to give us a call and we can talk you through it.
Interested in commissioning an illustration, or hearing more about what we can do for you? Fill in our form with as much information as you possibly can — and we’ll get back to you with a recommendation and quote within 24 hours.
Read our FAQs first for answers to your questions.
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Simon Barrett
Simon’s illustrations ‘tell it how it is on the tin’ with typography, characters and a blatant use of bold colour. Enormous consideration is taken to use as few elements as possible to convey often complex messages.
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As Co-Founder of both The Drawing Arm and sister design agency, The National Grid, Simon understands the ever-changing creative scene, donning different hats and moving seamlessly between branding, design and illustration. His work has recently been used to rebrand the world famous New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles and can be seen across a variety of global brands.
