How To Hire An Illustrator

How to Hire an Illustrator
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As a business owner/entrepreneur, why should you be interested in knowing; how to hire an illustrator?

Well, for obvious reasons.

For one thing, communication through visual aids is now a very acceptable means of communication, and illustrators play a vital role in this.

Whether you are a book author or a business person in any other industry, no doubt you should be interested in an illustrator’s role and how they affect your business.

This article will consider who illustrators really are and how you can get the very best ones in the industry to work for you.

Also, just if you are not sure yet, we will show you what roles they can play in your business.

Get an illustrator on Fiverr today.

How To Hire An Illustrator- Who is an Illustrator?

Simply put, an illustrator is someone who we would also refer to as an artist that represents the content of a text or idea in visuals or pictures.

These images are often used to clarify certain texts or messages that are not clear in written form.

This would probably explain why illustrations are commonly found in children’s books.

Of course, you know that children generally understand messages better in pictorial than they do in words.

However, that doesn’t mean that only children’s materials should have illustrations, as even adults consume information better in visuals.

Such illustrations are done so that they only compliment a text that they are meant to explain and do not conflict with the texts in any way.

Also, illustrating meant to add beauty to a text, to make them attractive and engaging.

Illustrations have been used in so many areas, such as:

  • Books
  • Novels
  • Magazines
  • Games
  • Advertisement
  • Business Cards
  • Newspapers
  • Tutorials
  • Websites
  • Videos e.t.c.

Without a doubt, there are many areas in which hiring an illustrator can help your budding business.

What Hiring an Illustrator can do for your Business 

As a business owner, you might wonder just what impact an illustrator can have on your business.

We will run you through some of the main roles and responsibilities that an illustrator can play for you.

Email Marketing

Do you remember the last time you received an email and didn’t read it to the end?

Most likely, the mail wasn’t interesting and therefore didn’t get you stuck into the content.

With a professional illustrator on board for your business, you can be sure to get higher open rates for your emails.

Also, the opt-out rate or bounce rate will reduce greatly because people now find them very interesting.

An illustrator can help you handle the best graphic illustrations, which will wow your customers and make them want to read to the end.

Therefore, if you want to get those newsletters that hold attention and convert greatly, it’s time to hire an illustrator.

Logo Designs 

A good logo is very good for your business, as that is one of the most important elements of your brand identity.

When it comes to logo designs, many businesses employ the services of a graphic designer.

While this is not bad in itself, you can get better results with an illustrator.

The reason being that an illustrator goes out the way most times to create the logo from scratch.

This is unlike many graphics designers who are limited in creativity and might use online resources.

With the right illustrator at arm’s length, you are sure of getting that bespoke logo for use on your website and other marketing materials.

Trust us, it’s a nice investment, as that is the first point of contact with your business.

Graphics for Social Media 

In this modern age and dispensation, the importance of an active presence on social media cannot be overemphasized.

That being said, the graphics you use to present your content on social media is just as important as the content itself, if not more important.

This is where an illustrator comes in.

An illustrator will help analyze the business needs and target audience and prepare the needed graphics.

As a professional, he/she will give you custom-made designs unique to your brand, one that your target customers can relate with.

Not only that, but an illustrator can also make varieties of the same design so that they can fit into the different social media platforms.

Business Cards Design

Another essential component for your brand’s uniqueness and identity is business cards.

When you go for those meetings, marketing, or even when a customer walks into your office, business cards should be on hand.

With this, you ensure your brand’s name and what it stands for remain indelible in the prospects’ and existing customers’ minds.

Because of how important this is, you cannot just settle for anything when it comes to business cards.

You definitely would need the best design for your business cards.

Who best to saddle with the responsibility for this if not an illustrator.

With their attention to detail and creativity, you will be turning heads with your business cards.

Thankfully, heads would not be the only thing you are turning, but you will surely turn their minds towards your business.

Creating Infographics 

Because visuals are the new normal, infographics are fast gaining popularity among online marketers.

If your business is not converting your blog posts and other contents into infographics yet, you need to act fast.

From experience, many businesses who have a system for generating infographics to communicate with their customers report greater success than blog posts.

Of course, the reason is not far-fetched, as people love to interact with visual representations a lot.

An illustrator would help you with the best infographics for your products and services.

Images and representations that will keep your existing customers and convert many new ones in no time.

So what are you waiting for?

Brochures, Flyers, and Posters Design

Another form of marketing you would need for your business, or which you might be doing already, uses flyers, posters, and brochures.

These have proven very effective in bringing new customers to a business with the right plan and strategy.

However, as with all marketing materials, the design is essential.

You might have the best marketing punchline and texts on your printed flyers or posters. However, it’s a waste if the design is not well done.

This is where you need the services of an illustrator.

An illustrator will carefully and concisely plot a design that would make nobody say no to your flyers when you distribute them.

Yes, a design that will make people stop and gaze at your posters and banners.

Branded T-Shirts 

This is yet another way of marketing your business and getting words about your brand out there.

When we see a well sewed and well-designed T-Shirt on someone, it is only natural to want to pause and take a long stare.

However, when the design is boring or bland, or common, there is no reason to be intrigued.

An illustrator can get you those branded t-shirts for your company with the choicest designs.

That would do your brand a whole lot of good.

Souvenirs Design

No doubt, customer reward is an integral part of your business structure already, and if it’s not, you must be thinking about it.

During these customer reward processes, souvenirs are very useful, as they remind your customers that you value them.

Another benefit that souvenirs give you is to market your products and services without saying a word.

Wherever your customers take them to, whenever they use them, it’s marketing for your business.

Of course, you will need a good illustrator to come up with the designs for these items.

Otherwise, the goal is defeated.

Benefits of Hiring an Illustrator – Why Hire an Illustrator?

Get an illustrator on Fiverr today.

So why is it beneficial to hire an illustrator to perform all of the duties outlined above?

Why not just use available online resources to tweak them here and there and get them done?

Or why not get a graphics designer for probably cheaper to get it done?

The reasons why an illustrator is needed for carrying out those functions for your business are as follows:

Stand out Among Competitors 

An illustrator is a professional who gives you unique and custom-made designs.

The downside of using graphics designers or doing it yourself is that you might want to use an easy way out.

Now, this will involve making use of available online resources or stock images and graphics.

While these are not bad in themselves and can be cheaper alternatives to hiring an illustrator, there are downsides.

One of the downsides is that you will struggle to stay unique and stand out among the competition.

Chances are, there are a thousand and one individuals and businesses that would be using the same images you downloaded online.

This will not do your brand identity any justice at all.

With a professional illustrator, you are sure to get designs that are bespoke and easily identified with your brand.

Hold your Brand Identity and Unique Story

When you hire an illustrator, you will get the needed results to define your brand identity and tell your business story.

No doubt, you will converse with that professional on your type of audience and demography of your customers.

After such conversations, the illustrator now makes designs that fit in with these and tells your brand’s story.

That way, he is not using the same approach for every business, but rather one that suits yours perfectly.

Make Products’ Ideas and Concepts Simpler for your Customers 

Have you ever had to patronize a business, and you felt confused about how some products and/or services work?

Very likely, you got fed up and started looking for alternatives.

If you do not want that to be a lot of your own business, you definitely need to make ideas and concepts surrounding your products easy for your customers.

That is where an illustrator comes in.

Having a blog with content is not just enough, as images have been proven to be more successful in communication than texts are.

In this area, having an illustrator make custom designs is more important than using pre-made images.

This is because the illustrator can attune the design to address your products and services specifically.

Business Growth and Development

Invariably, when you get an illustrator to perform those tasks and duties aforementioned, the benefit is growth for your business.

For one thing, you won’t be doing things the same way everyone does it.

Because of that, you are setting up your brand for success and immense growth.

That is the dream and goal of every business owner. Isn’t it?

Get Needed Creativity on your Team

One certain thing about illustrators is that they are creative, very creative.

Sometimes, if you struggle with coming up with new ideas at meetings, the illustrators’ contribution might do the trick.

What more?

You are getting a new member on board, and that can only mean you get more ideas and creativity flowing around.

This will definitely do your team a whole lot of good.

Meeting up Deadlines is no Longer an Issue

Because most illustrators work on a freelance basis, it is perfect for your business, especially when you have to meet deadlines.

These professionals set their own time and work with their own schedule.

If you settle for a freelancer for this role, he/she doesn’t have to work 9-5 pm.

You will need this when you have projects that need to be completed within a deadline.

How to Hire An Illustrator – Qualities and Skills to Lookout For 

As with hiring any professional, there are certain skills and qualities that the best illustrators must-have.

When you begin the hiring process, it will help to use these skills as a guide.

This will ensure you are getting the right person for the job and making the right investment.

Here are some of the most important skills and qualities to look out for:

Passion for Creating 

This is one of the most important qualities of the best illustrators, if not the most important.

He/she must be passionate about art and creating things.

When considering which illustrator to hire, it is important to find out how passionate they are about art creation.

This will show how many projects he has done and how often he shares his work.

It is good to get someone who loves the job and not just doing it to get paid.

Have a Unique Style

This is equally very important when choosing your next illustrator to work for you.

The last thing you want is to hire an illustrator who does not develop his own designs and style but steals other people’s concepts.

Of course, the goal is to stand out as a company and also drive brand identity.

You can only do this when you hire an illustrator who is creative enough to develop his/her own style.

Creativity

The above point brings us to yet another important quality of an illustrator, which is creativity.

It is only a creative person that can conjure up a unique style.

Also, because the industry keeps changing and new trends arise every day, the illustrator must have creative skills.

This will help him adapt to changes and still get the best out of the situation.

Flexibility

Similar to the need for creativity is also the need for flexibility and adaptability.

As mentioned earlier, there would always be changes, either in your organization or the industry you belong.

Sometimes, there might even be some regulations that are imposed in the country where you work.

If these would affect your illustrator’s work, he/she must be willing and able to adjust.

A good illustrator is not rigid but very open to making changes too, and flexible.

Always Wanting to Improve

If an illustrator claims to already be at the apex in his industry, then that is a red flag on its own.

Because the design and illustration industry is extensive and encompassing, there is always room for improvement.

Great illustrators are humble enough to admit that they are not quite there yet, and they are a work in progress.

Therefore, they are always looking for ways to improve their current work and get better day by day.

You should be actively looking out for this in your illustrator.

Research Skills

In a bid to get better and keep at pace with changing trends, an illustrator would need to do a lot of research.

He should be ready to use all the available online resources to see how best to take the business forward.

Therefore, you should ensure you are contracting someone who has an affinity for research and do it perfectly.

Skilled in CAD Techniques and Applications 

It is also essential that the illustrator is skilled in computer-aided design techniques and applications.

There are many applications and software for this, and at least he should be conversant with a number of them.

He/she should be able to work well with the essential ones.

After all, that is what makes him a seasoned illustrator.

Excellent Drawing Skills 

Drawing! That is what illustration is all about in a nutshell.

Therefore, it goes without saying that the best illustrators need to have excellent drawing skills.

These should be able to make sketches or draw on paper.

This would be a pointer into whether or not they can transmit the ideas on the software or applications for that purpose.

Where to Find the Best Illustrators to Hire 

It is worth noting that most illustrators do not take a fulltime job but work as a freelancer.

This enables them to take up several roles with different firms at the same time.

Therefore, if you are looking at hiring an illustrator, your best bet will be online platforms that offer freelance services.

Some of these places where you can hire illustrators are:

  • Freelancer
  • PeoplePerHour
  • Indeed
  • Guru
  • Fiverr
  • Upwork
  • Toptal
  • Google for jobs e.t.c.

On these platforms, you will find an overwhelming list of choices, from which you can then make a selection.

Be sure to review their portfolios and reviews to guide your selection process.

Hire an Illustrator on Upwork now 

Steps to Take on How to Hire an Illustrator 

When it comes to hiring your illustrator properly, you can certainly take easy and simple steps.

Here are some of them:

Determine the Scope of Work 

First, you need to determine what the scope of work for the illustrator is.

That is, what and what you will want him to do for you.

This will equally assist you in drafting the job description, which will be posted on job sites.

Outline the Skills and Requirements you are Looking for 

Only when you determine what skills you need in your illustrator can you get the perfect fit.

In this area, you can use some of the ones we outlined above as a guide.

Setting requirements will also help you be straightforward and plain during the hiring process.

Set your Budget 

Trust us on this; you will see many candidates during your search process, all offering different rates.

It can get quite confusing if you have not set the budget for this in advance.

Look at your business structure and account books and determine how much you are willing to pay your illustrator.

This will guide your selection process.

However, remember not to compromise on quality also.

Post the Job Advert

Once the above steps are completed, it would be time to post the advert for the job.

For this, you can use any of the online platforms listed above.

Be sure to use more than one to get as many applications as possible.

Also, include the job description and skills needed to help streamline the applications to qualified candidates only.

Shortlist and Interview Illustrators 

As the applications and proposals start coming in, you need to make a shortlist of the ones that fit your goal and description.

You would want to consider their portfolio, skills, expertise, and experiences.

Then, you can now schedule an interview with the shortlisted candidates.

Here are some of the questions you can ask during the interview:

  • What is the source of your inspiration to produce a piece of art?
  • When did you start illustrations and drawing?
  • Can I see your portfolio?
  • What’s your favorite work on your portfolio, and why?
  • What software and resources do you work with?
  • How do you manage times when you have a creative block?

These questions and more will give you a good insight into the candidates you are interviewing.

You might find more beneficial points on the hiring process on how to hire freelancers.

Conclusion on How to Hire an Illustrator

By now, we are sure it’s no longer a question of if to hire an illustrator for you, nor how, but when.

Also, for when to hire one, you should know better now not to waste time on that.

The benefits and advantages of this are very clearly defined and massive.

Decide to get an illustration today, achieve your marketing goals and grow a successful business.

Or is your business at the top already?

Brilliant! Then hiring an illustrator can help you stay there, better than all the competitors.

Get an illustrator on Fiverr today.