What is vector art?

What is vector artwork?

Vector artwork is a term that describes any art made with vector illustration software like Adobe Illustrator. Vector artwork is built from vector graphics, which are images created with mathematical formulas rather than colourised pixels. Almost every example of my artwork you see on this website was created using Adobe Illustrator as is 100% vector artwork.

Vector images and vector graphics

I create all almost my final illustration and design work in a vector format, which can also be referred to as vector graphics or vector art. Vector graphics are designed with curved points and lines which create a clean, infinitely scalable picture. Vector graphics are based on mathematical formulas rather than square pixels, allowing for a crisper display. Don’t worry though, there’s no actual mathematics to need to be concerned about.

The main benefits of using vector art

Clean (designed with curved points and lines which creates a perfectly clean finish)
Scaleable (made from mathematical equations so easy to scale)
Infinite resolution (enlarge vector art to any size without negatively affecting its appearance)
Adaptable (changing and editing is really simple)
Functional (responsive art and designs that adapt to varying screen sizes etc)
Lightweight (less information means a smaller file size)
Easily manipulated (so easy to adapt at any stage)
Easily reusable (easy to break down and reuse or repurpose existing artwork)
Multipurpose (used in multiple ways and can be adapted for multiple purposes)
Can be animated (easy to animate)
Can be edited with code (easy to code)

What are vector graphics?

Vector graphics are made up of lines, curves and points designed to retain their quality and avoid blurring when enlarged. They use colours that are separated into different types and sizes. Whereas regular pixels in different forms of illustration, or photographs are blended together to form a colour. This makes changing colours really simple when editing vector graphics.

What’s the difference between vector and raster graphics?

In contrast to vector graphics which are made from mathematical equations, raster graphics (also referred to as bitmaps or raster images) are created with colourised pixels. Enlarge pixel-based art in a raster file too much and it looks jaggy - whereas you can enlarge vector art to any size without negatively affecting its appearance.

Why are vector graphics better than raster graphics?

This resolution independence allows vector art to be used in a variety of forms, from small illustrations to large billboards. The consistent appearance of vector artwork, at whatever size it is displayed, means it is generally used to produce the highest-quality artworks available. Any professional artwork made using vector graphics will not only have an amazing end display, but will also keep things simple during the design stage.

The rise of vector graphics.

Some of the first types of computer graphics were vectors, as the computational power necessary to create raster images was too expensive. Early computers used vector displays in the 1960s and ’70s; video games like 1979’s Asteroids also used vector graphics. This practice continued until the 1980s, by which point most displays had switched to raster graphics.

Due to the need for art that prints at multiple sizes and responsive web designs that adapt to varying screen sizes, vector files are a necessity of modern design. They create clean, scalable images that allow for exciting visual possibilities with the added bonus of functionality.

Modern typography is almost exclusively created using vectors. The text you’re looking at right now is a product of vector graphics. 3D modeling and the computer graphics (CG) we see in blockbuster superhero films are the direct consequence of developments in vector art and illustration.

Why are vector graphics and artwork needed?

Vector graphics and artwork is clean, camera-ready and can be scaled infinitely without loss of quality. Lower resolution files don’t offer the same display standard – whether digitally or printed.

Bitmap file formats are a perfect example of this. For example, whenever a .PDF, a .JPG or a .GIF file is resized for an artwork, it will generally become more jagged in its appearance. Pixels become more prominent and the result is a blurry, poor-quality end product.

By using vector graphics, you can display artwork as big or small as it needs to be. Vector graphics can be saved as .AI, .EPS and .CDR. Using these file formats will enhance the quality of your work and make design and illustration much more simple.

Vector graphics are lightweight (small file size)

Vector files have less information in the them than, for example, pixel files (such as a picture taken by a phone or digital camera). They only contain in them a bunch of coordinates instead of more complex information, like the thousands, or even millions, of pixels in a digital photo.

This comes as an advantage of vector files, since they can have very compressed drawings in them that require less information to produce. What does this mean? You can have a very complex vector drawing, with many shapes, text, colors, and gradients, and still have a very lightweight file. Moreover, you could increase the dimensions of the object and still have a light file.

The same drawing in pixel format would require much more information and, therefore, would create a heavy file (in terms of resolution).

What is illustration licensing and how does it work?

What is illustration licensing and how does it work?

This is a simple and brief guide to help explain how illustration licensing works. If you’ve not worked with an illustrator before, or have never needed to know anything about licensing in general, then understandably you will have questions and you may even be uncertain or nervous when commissioning an illustrator (btw there is no need to be nervous I am very friendly).

The way illustration fees are worked out is all about usage. There are many factors to consider when working out costs, but the main ones are - How and where the illustration will be used, and who is the client. This is different to how most other industries figure out costs, where usually there might be a standard charge for the product or service, and I therefore understand that the licensing option can seem confusing and difficult to understand.

The guide below should hopefully help clear up any questions you have and explain the options in more detail. I have conversations with potential clients every day, and it’s not unusual for me to spend a considerable amount of time going through and explaining the licensing options. My aim with this guide is to clarify the way that illustration is priced, and to hopefully remove any obstacles that may get in the way when you’re attempting to work with an illustrator. Illustrators want to create amazing work, and clients want to use those amazing illustrations to spread their message. Let’s try to break down some barriers, help the communication, and all get what we want/need in the fairest way possible.

First a quick word on copyright

Every time an artist creates a new, original piece of illustration or artwork, they automatically own the copyright. It’s that simple. They don’t need to apply for it, it’s automatically theirs. The copyright to any artist’s work is an extremely valuable asset, and the advice given to every illustrator is that they should never sell the copyright of their work. However, like almost everything, it can be sold, but when sold, an illustrator should be paid appropriately for it. If they don’t sell the copyright, they should be in a position to be able to bring in a secondary revenue stream from the work they’ve created through various sources including additional licensing.

The majority of illustrators are their own boss, and being your own boss means you have to cover all the benefits of being an employee yourself. Covering all the bills, accounting for an erratic workload and managing all the administration. Why would an illustrator give up something as valuable as copyright without being adequately compensated? Unless the compensation is generous, there’s seldom a good reason for an illustrator to sell the full rights to their work.

Selling a license to a client instead allows the illustrator to be fairly compensated as a ‘freelancer’, and for the job to proceed within what are usually tight budget constraints for most clients.

What is an illustration licence?

An illustration licence agreement is essentially a contract between an illustrator and the client. This contract should clearly set out the work that has been commissioned and the terms for its use. It is intended to make everything clear and to provide transparency, so that everyone knows where they stand in terms of usage, rights and ownership. Without it there might be confusion and assumptions, and different people trying to use the artwork in non-agreed ways over time. The fee attached to the licence covers the creation of the illustration and its subsequent agreed usage.

What does an illustration licence look like?

Once an illustrator has quoted on a potential project and the fee has been agreed, before starting any work, there needs to be a contract document created, sent and agreed upon. This document is essentially the illustration licence and most professional illustrators should be supplying something similar before starting any work. A straightforward document (usually digital these days) highlighting all the important elements and description of the work, so that we are all clear on expectations from the start.

Why are the costs different for each licence?

Illustration licensing and the pricing of a project go hand in hand. Very simply put the wider the usage of an illustration, and therefore the bigger the audience who are likely to be reached, the higher the value there is placed on that artwork (I think of it as ‘how many eyes on the prize’). The greater the reach and the larger the audience makes it reasonable to expect that this would be reflected in the illustrator’s fee in creating the work.

To give some simple examples - The fee for an illustration to be used on a leaflet for a small, local independent shop would be very different to the cost for a similar illustration being used on a huge billboard and editorial campaign for a big brand. The fee for an illustration to be used on a website by a small local business, only reaching hundreds of people per year would be very different to the cost for a similar illustration being used in the opening credits of a prime time tv show.

The amount of work involved may take a similar amount of time, but how the artwork is used and how many people see it will be vastly different. This should always be reflected in the cost.

What are the different choices of licence?

There are many ways to licence an illustration, and the specifics of why you need the work and how you intend to use it will make your licence unique. However, there are some standard options that make it easier to understand what licence will be right for your project. A lot of the time it comes down to why the artwork is needed, what is the artwork meant to be ‘doing’, and also a simple matter of budget.

You may search online and see a reference to many different terms such as an limited or unlimited licensing, an unrestricted or restricted licence, or a buyout licence. To keep things simple here is a list of the three most common licence options that I work around:

Non-exclusive limited licence

Most licenses that are purchased are non-exclusive and limited in some ways, such as one time publication, single event promotions, time-sensitive advertising, situational marketing, etc. To put it simply it means that the illustration is not exclusive to you (the illustrator can re-use the work), and the licence will allow you to use the artwork for a certain amount of time, or across a certain geographic location, or in other restrictive ways such as certain print runs, or across certain media types (online, print, TV, film etc). There will be a variety of circumstances and uses for each individual commission and the licence will need to cover any way that you plan on using the artwork. A non-exclusive licence is usually sufficient for most illustration projects, and it’s always possible to discuss further options in the future if a client wants to re-use a successful illustration. This option is always the most cost effective way of commissioning an illustration.

Exclusive limited licence

An exclusive licence is very much the same in almost all respects as a non-exclusive, but with the main difference being that the artwork is exclusive to the client. This is usually set for a period of time, although there are other restrictions that may be negotiated or needed, such as location or print types etc. With an exclusive licence the illustration can only be used by the client exclusively in the ways agreed, and not be used by any other client. When the exclusivity is finished the illustration is free to be used in any way that the illustrator chooses. Of course it is always possible to negotiate another exclusive licence before the exclusivity agreement reaches its end. If you choose this option it’s always a good idea to know your dates, timescales or other restrictions so that you can keep control of the exclusive options if needed.

Copyright or full buyout

Upon completion of a copyright transfer a client assumes full ownership of an illustration. The new owner may resell the illustration, alter or create derivative images based on it, license the image, and transfer copyright. A transfer of copyright denotes a total surrender of image ownership and all image rights. The illustrator does not receive accreditation for the image and may not use the image for any purpose, even self-promotion without permission of the owner.

As I already mentioned above the copyright of an artist’s work is an extremely valuable asset. This is obviously the most expensive way to commission an illustrator, and it’s usually quite rare that a client (a) needs the full copyright, or (b) is able to justify the budget to pay for full copyright.

How do I know what sort of licence I need?

This would really become apparent at the briefing stage. Before quoting for the work an illustrator will likely ask various questions to determine how you intend to use their illustration. It’s best to have in mind why you need the illustration, and what are you planning on doing with it. It’s natural to think that you want to have an all-encompassing licence to cover you for all possible eventualities. But, you need to be realistic and decide what do you ‘actually need’ from the artwork. There’s no point in over paying for artwork that you’ll never use in the ways you’ve agreed, or pricing yourself out of being able to commission the illustrator that you really want to work with. I’ve seen many projects fail at the first hurdle due to excessive (and unnecessary) demands for usage rights coupled with inadequate compensation.

Is a licence there for the client or the illustrator?

Both. A licence helps an illustrator safeguard their work, but it is intended to be useful for both parties. In approaching pricing and the licensing of an illustrator’s work in an open and collaborative way from the start of every project, you can remove any ‘grey areas’ as to who owns the work and the permitted usage. Everything is clearly documented and may be referred back to at a later date. This should be fundamental when commissioning an illustrator and a crucial part of delivering a professional service.

If a client has commissioned work for a specific purpose they can choose to have exclusive rights and can feel confident that the work will not be used elsewhere. it’s all about ‘protection’ and should be seen as necessary and useful for both parties.

Unfortunately, not all illustrators will bother with licences and some may be happy to charge a flat fee for their work, which might relate to the time they spend creating the illustration or be calculated in some other way. This is completely at odds with what is advised and accepted within the professional illustration industry, and as highlighted previously, makes it very difficult to sustain a career over a long period. This is definitely not the way that I work and can lead to a multitude of problems further down the line.

Does licensing mean I will need to pay more for the same piece of work?

Possibly, although not always. An illustration licence means that you only need to pay for the usage you need rather than to cover all possible use of that illustration across all media, forever. For example, an ‘All Media, In Perpetuity’ licence would be more expensive than say a 1 or 3 year licence for a specified use. When you take into account that an illustration may have a limited life with regards to it’s topic and fashions, it’s just about considering how long realistically you are likely to want to use it.

Licensing shouldn’t be seen as prohibitive, and intended to overly restrict how you can use the work that you’ve paid for, it’s simply to ensure that that the fees paid reflect the value of the work created.

What if my needs change in the future?

That's fine, it's perfectly feasible that how you want to use an illustration may evolve over time. Licences can be extended at a later date, to allow for a longer duration or to cover additional usage. There would usually be an additional fee to reflect any extra usage, which can be discussed as and when required.

The thought of unknown/additional costs can understandably be worrying and potentially problematic, especially for smaller businesses where finances may be tight or difficult to manage. Every case is different, but generally, illustrators are a friendly bunch, and wouldn’t look to hold you to ransom over additional usage that may have been unforeseen. The most important thing is communication and hopefully coming to a mutual agreement that works for both sides.

You do however need to remember that if an illustration was originally licensed as non-exclusive and you later decide you would like exclusivity, then it’s possible that the artwork is already out there being used in another way. Another thing to realise is that, for example, you commission an illustration for use on a leaflet or flyer, but once it was done you liked it so much that it was rolled out on a range of merchandise to sell, there would justifiably be an issue! Merchandise and sales is generally a very different prospect than simple marketing or promotion. The best approach is to be upfront with the illustrator, check what was included on the original licence and if it’s not included discuss it with them before going ahead and using it elsewhere. It can be very costly to have a load of t-shirts printed up only to find that you don’t have the licence to use the artwork in that way.

What about an illustrator working for hire?

The exception to when an illustrator doesn’t automatically own the copyright is when they’re under a work-for-hire contract, meaning the client automatically owns the copyright to the creations. This arrangement is typical for full-time employees (in-house illustrators) or freelancers working on a character or property where permission has been granted to create derivative work, often referred to in retail as officially licensed.

With derivative works based on an intellectual property (IP), the IP owner’s copyright extends to the derivative work, in addition to the illustrator’s copyright protection of the derivative work if the new creation is significantly different from the original work. Still, with a work-for-hire contract, it will always mean that copyright protection is automatically taken from the worker and given to the employer.

As already mentioned, when you’re talking about in-house illustrators, the employer will own the copyright to the employee’s work as part of their employment contract. And as part of their agreement, the employee will be entitled to holidays, sick pay, paternity or maternity leave, maybe a pension, and all the other things needed to do the job, like being supplied with software, hardware and furniture. As long as a person isn’t on a zero-hour contract, they’ll get a regular wage and job security, which perhaps makes giving up their copyright by working-for-hire a fair compromise.

Apart from the specific reasons above, I do not know any professional illustrators who will take a ‘work for hire’ commission. I certainly do not work this way.

But we really want to own the rights to the illustration

As mentioned, by law, the copyright of an illustration rests with the illustrator. In commissioning an illustration you would be granted rights to use that illustration for the agreed purpose/s via an illustration licence, and assuming the licence you have covers all your required usage, really there is no need for you to own the copyright.

Illustrators are strongly advised not to sign over copyright to their work, as it is not in their best interests to do so. I’ve covered it above, but to clarify again, it is because it relinquishes any control over where and how their illustration work may be used, and it removes any right they have to reproduce the work or use it in any way in the future.

If an illustrator does decide to sell the copyright for an illustration this should be put into writing. The fee for copyright assignment would justifiably be much higher to reflect the fact that it gives the owner the exclusive right to reproduce the image (or sell on to allow others to reproduce it) in any way throughout the world.

The illustration business

A freelance illustrator may only be one person, but they are a business and they should conduct themselves in a professional and businesslike way. It’s common sense for a business to exploit its assets for monetary gain, and every freelance illustrator should have the option to do likewise? It would be very tough indeed for an illustrator to have a full career without retaining the rights to their own art.

An illustrator has usually chosen this particular career because they are passionate about being an illustrator. It’s obviously not ‘all about the money’, so just to mention that an illustrator’s fees may sometimes be negotiable. We appreciate that you may have a limited budget - so it’s useful to be upfront about this so that it can be taken into account when an illustrator quotes for the work. There may be some flexibility in what can be done in terms of licensing to keep fees lower, or a fee reduction may be possible in certain circumstances. Either way the more open and honest you can be upfront, and the more you can communicate your thoughts, plans and ideas the more likely it will be that you can commission the illustrator you want to create awesome work at a price that is fair for all.

Get in touch with me if you’d like to discuss your project.

Do you need to hire a logo designer?

I get asked regularly about designing a new logo or redesigning an existing one. I tend to go through a similar process each time, asking a lot of questions and generally trying to untangle the thoughts, the plans, and what exactly is needed. I’ve created this article to help go through some frequently asked questions and to help with the logo designing thought process early on in the journey.

When you think of the big brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Facebook, and Nike, you can probably picture their logos. A great deal of care and thought go into those logos, and it’s all thanks to graphic designers.

You can find graphic designers for logo work all over the internet. But you’re here, and this is my site, and as you can see from my logos page I also design and create logos that have a certain unique style. This article is about whether you need a logo designer and I’ll cover a few questions such as:

Do you need a new logo or your old logo redesigned?
How much does a new logo design cost?
Why is there such crazy difference in logo design costs?
With a logo design you usually get what you pay for
How long should a logo design take?
Can I just design a logo myself?
How to work with a logo designer
Examples of good and bad logo designs
Some final thoughts on logo design

Do you need a new logo or your old logo redesigned?

If you’re a new business, then you probably do need a logo. This is different for every business, but if you plan on your business being in front of a customer in any way then they need to see your brand.

If you’re an existing business, you need to ask yourself the question “do I need a new logo?” Or do you just simply “want” one? Choosing a logo, regardless of what stage of the business you’re in, is an important decision and is usually part of a much bigger marketing strategy.

There are a few things to remember when considering a logo design:

It only takes a customer 10 seconds to form a first impression of a brand from their logo, but it takes 5-7 impressions for a customer to recognise the logo.
Colour can be a huge factor in brand recognition. A signature colour can increase brand recognition by 80% (like Coca-Cola red, Starbucks green, or McDonalds yellow).
Up to 90% of all purchasing decisions are made subconsciously.

Before you even consider hiring anyone to design your logo, make sure it serves a real purpose. Don’t just be looking for a new logo because someone said yours is outdated, or you feel the need to be keep up with modern trends. You may still feel you need a new logo but answer the following questions to help determine whether your need is strong enough to consider a new logo re-design.

Why do you want a new logo?
What don’t you like about your current logo?
Does your current logo stand out and is recognisable from your competitors?
Will a new logo help re-position your brand in your market?
Can a new logo potentially improve business/sales?
Does your current logo communicate what you do or who you are?
Is your current logo hurting your business?
Does your current logo fit nicely on print and digital marketing materials?
Does your team/staff like the current logo?
How much will it cost you in the long run if you keep your current logo?

Once you’ve asked yourself the questions above, you should have a better idea if you need a logo re-design or not.

How much does a new logo design cost?

The first question everyone has when discussing a new logo or rebrand is “How much is a logo design going to cost me?” Unfortunately the answer I have to give you is it depends. There are many things that ultimately determine the price of a logo and it’s somewhat to do with how much work is involved, but mainly about what type of business is the logo being created for.

Is the logo for a new business or an existing brand? What type of business is it? A one man band or huge multinational? Is the business always going to be small, or are there big expansion plans in the pipeline? Is the logo going to be seen by 100 people a year, or a million people a day?

These are just some of the variables that determine a logo cost, and the reason that a logo design can cost anything from £5 to £1 million.

Why is there such crazy difference in logo design costs?

If a designer creates a leaflet or a flyer the this is usually a straightforward thing. The design doesn’t need approval from the a board of directors, the CEO, or the founders of the company. The people who can make the decision to sign off on the design can be anyone on the marketing team. But, if there’s a mistake and something goes wrong it’s fairly minimal, and at most it may be a £500 mistake.

A logo, on the other hand, requires so much more time commitment from both the leaders within a business AND the designer. It can be a hugely labour-intensive process that requires countless hours of research, design and revisions. The logo is going to determine the future branding of a hopefully lucrative company and will to some degree govern the future successes of that company. If the branding is not right, or there’s a mistake that’s not found right away, it’ll likely be a £100,000 mistake further down the road.

With a logo design you usually get what you pay for

If you decide that you need to hire a graphic designer, then be willing to spend a bit of money to get quality. A bigger budget will mean that you can give a designer more time and freedom to embrace the project and give it the right amount of attention. I’ve seen all sorts of logos over the years, and I’m guessing it’s fair to say that perhaps not every cheap one has been bad, but every bad one was cheap.

Remember that rebranding can be very expensive and time-consuming. DO NOT go cheap on the most important piece of graphic your company will ever possess.

In the couple of decades I’ve been doing this job, I’ve seen all sorts of prices and all sorts of different ways to source a new logo. I hate logo competitions, and using cheap designer bidding services usually means that your new logo design is being ‘ripped off’ from elsewhere such as someone else's logo. From experience I’d say a new logo for a small business that isn’t expecting to take over the world should budget from around £1000 upwards. Bigger businesses with more complexity will need to be thinking much higher than this.

How long should a logo design take?

My advice is to not rush it, but keep it moving. A new logo design can take days or months. I’ve created logos that have come from the very first idea and sketch, and then others that have had countless revisions before reaching the final design.

The whole process does depend heavily on a client’s ability to provide quality and clear feedback as well as the ability to express exactly what they want and don’t want. That’s why it’s so important to put the extra effort in at the start to really think about what you need and why you need it.

If you hire a logo designer, keep in mind that they can only work as fast as you provide feedback and directions. If you’re slow at giving feedback or can’t express what you want clearly, expect delays. a project can become stale and forgotten if it’s not given the attention it needs when it needs it. Keep it moving and give it some love.

Can I just design a logo myself?

Yes. Or you can get your nephew who’s good at drawing to do it, or your friend’s daughter who’s a fashion student. Maybe your cousin has a new MacBook and has all the fancy software? Remember you usually get what you pay for (see above).

Also remember that the cost to re-design a logo is negligible compared to the astronomical cost of a business changing the logo on their building, their fleet of cars, every business card/flyer/promotional material etc. The entire re-branding of just the logo can easily cost many thousands of pounds.

Do it right and you’ll only do it once.

How to work with a logo designer

As with any other industry, every graphic designer is different, and getting to know them before you embark on your logo designing journey is essential. Some things to consider beforehand are:

What are your expectations?

Designing a logo isn’t the sole responsibility of a designer. You have to know what you want to gain from it, your objectives, goals, and expectations for the designer to do their job well. Talk to your designer about all these and ask them for their input as well as suggestions that can make the design go precisely as you want it.

Tell them about your target audience, the image you want your brand to project, and the style that you want them to use. Only when you establish what your logo needs can the graphic designer really start with their sketches and rough designs.

Share some examples

After communicating what your logo idea is, it’s always recommended to show your designer some examples. You’re not asking them to copy it; it’s telling them what you like and what you don’t. Humans are visual beings, and your designer will get a better grasp of what you want if you show them something that they can see.

Graphic designers aren’t mind readers. Although they may understand logo designing better than anyone else in your company, they need to know what it really is you want from them.

Give good quality feedback

Constructive criticism is always welcome when you hire someone to create a company logo design for you. Graphic designers thrive on getting feedback for their work. You are two distinct individuals and may see things differently, so always make an effort to give them honest feedback on their work.

The creative process takes time and several adjustments to get the perfect logo for your brand. Always let your designer know how you feel and what you think needs to be changed or improved.

It’s handy to know basic design terms

It’s not mandatory, but it surely helps to understand some basic terms that are used in the graphic design industry. Typography, fonts, colour schemes, composition, and texture are just some of the words you’ll frequently hear from your graphic designer. However, if there’s something you don’t understand, just ask.

Set realistic expectations

Don’t expect that the logo would have your expected vision. If you’re asking for a custom logo, it may take time (depending on the graphic designer’s skills) to have your expectations realised. At the start of the project, you have to voice what you want. It prevents further misunderstanding of the design you wish to have.

Don’t hesitate to ask

Maybe there’s a specific element in the design you’re not getting. Or perhaps there’s something in the design that isn’t to your liking. Don’t be hesitant in asking about the graphic designer’s work. That way, you’re able to learn more about the graphic designer’s mindset in creating your logo and the process it took to do it.

Also, if you ask about the design further, you can get an idea of what other aspects of a design you might haven’t encountered yet. From there, you will have more knowledge about design for your upcoming projects.

Examples of good and bad logo designs

A logo is are usually the first thing people notice when they see a business or a brand. A bad logo design can hinder growth, turn people off and generally set a bad reputation whether it’s in line with the actual service or not.

Meanwhile a good logo design can encapsulate the brand even if when it’s just a really simple logo. Good logos will have a long term effect on someone, and allows the brand to stay in the customers mind for a long time.

Logos from Apple, Google, and Nike capture the essence of their brand with an enviable simplicity.

Cleverly designed logos like FedEx (arrow), Amazon (smile), and Tour de France (bike) do a great job by hiding a subtle message inside the logo, thereby causing people to point them out to others.

And here’s a few logo designs (from lesser known, although perhaps now infamous brands) that failed the design test.

Some final thoughts on logo design

Having your logo designed requires you to trust in the process and have faith in the designer. Understand that designing a new logo needs time and that sometimes, what you get isn’t what you may have initially expected, but should be better and something you are 100% proud of. Know that a great logo design will take time and lots of communication with your designer to get the perfect logo for your brand.

How to hire a children’s book illustrator

I get messaged on a fairly regular basis from someone looking to hire an artist to illustrate their brand new children’s book. I do my best to help as much as I can, but it can be very time consuming on both sides to go through the same series of questions and answers every time. I appreciate that everyone is unique and the amount of knowledge, experience and prior research that someone has is certainly varied, and I would thoroughly recommend doing as much research as you can on the subject very early on in your writing journey. This will definitely save you (and others) a lot of time and energy in the long run.

In an attempt to make things easier for all involved I’ve tried to put together a series of questions and answers on the subject in general. I have tried to research all this information as much as I can, but as mentioned please also do your own research in other places too. You can never have too much information, and there are so many ways to achieve your goal of publishing a children’s book that there’s no ‘right’ way. As I said everyone is unique, and every author who is looking to bring their children’s book to life will have a unique journey. Not everyone is looking to be the next Julia Donaldson, not everyone is looking for a publisher, and not everyone is perhaps even wanting their book to be a public thing. Expectations, plans, hopes, dreams and budgets are all different.

Writing your own children’s book frequently asked questions

This list of frequently asked questions will hopefully help provide a simple guide on what should be expected on this magical children’s book journey of yours. This is not an exhaustive list, but should give you a broad idea of the journey. So, here’s a list of questions you should ask yourself before you approach an illustrator, and some answers to the questions that illustrators commonly get asked.

Do you need an illustrator for your children’s book?
How long does it take to illustrate a children’s book?
What if the book illustrations need changes or artwork revision?
How much does a children’s book illustrator cost?
How much should you budget for you children’s book illustrations?
How do you find a publisher for your children’s book?
What about self publishing your children’s book?
Will your children’s book be a success?

Do you need an illustrator for your children’s book?

In short, no ( but it all depends on what you want for your book). If you have a great manuscript then you can simply submit it to a publisher. You do not need any illustrations to submit your children’s book manuscript to a publisher (unless you are an author/illustrator yourself). If the publisher decides it’s right for them, they will normally pay you an advance (some money upfront) followed by royalties (a cut of the profits for each book sold) in exchange for the right to print and sell your book. They will source an illustrator, pay all the production costs and help market the finished book.

If you are looking to go down the self publishing route (we’ll come to this topic later), then you probably (definitely) will have to find an illustrator to work with.

How long does it take to illustrate a children’s book?

A children’s book can usually take from 3 to 6 months to complete, but this depends on the illustrator and the unique nature of what’s needed for each individual book. Every illustrator will work at a different pace, and take a different amount of time to produce their unique style of work. Depending on the illustrator’s other work commitments, a fully illustrated children’s book could well take longer than 6 months, so you’ll need to discuss this with the illustrator.

What if the book illustrations need changes or artwork revision?

Once the artwork has been finished and approved by the author/client then that is final and the obligation to create the work for a set fee is concluded. However, if changes are requested after the final approval then it’s usually not a problem, but you should expect a further fee (maybe on a per hour basis) to apply. It’s usually ok to make changes, but this will entail extra work that wasn’t considered in the initial project.

How much it will cost is dependant on the type of changes you need and the type of artwork that’s been created. For example I create my work using vector software which is fairly easy to amend even after final artwork is created. But, if an artist has created an original watercolour piece, then it may be that the artwork will have to be created from scratch. That’s obviously a much more costly endeavour. The illustrator’s other work commitments also obviously need to be considered, especially if you’re up against your own deadline for printing. Try to think ahead and consider all the consequences.

How much does a children’s book illustrator cost?

When you look for that perfect illustrator that will bring your children’s book to life, remember that you are hiring a professional. A professional illustrator will usually have a wealth of experience gained over many years of illustrating. They have bills to pay, just like anyone else, and the projects they decide to work on need to pay enough to justify their time. You need to know your budget and be prepared to pay a fair market price for the work you need. Every illustrator will be in a unique situation or point in their career when you contact them, and this can mean that costs can vary from illustrator to illustrator. But, as a general guide and depending upon the length of time it will take to illustrate your book (how many illustrations, how complicated, how detailed etc), the amount of research that may be needed, and any other requirements or requests, the cost could be anything from several thousand pounds upwards. Top illustrators with sought after work will cost many, many thousands of pounds.

Most illustrator’s can only really share their rates and accurately quote on a job after they have seen a finished manuscript or at least a detailed outline of the work. A decent illustrator will be honest and open and should be consultative when they decide if their skill and style is right for the story and that they’re a good fit and you can both work together. Illustrating a children’s book is not a quick thing to do, and the relationship between author and illustrator needs to be positive from the start.

Some illustrators may also be able to do the layout for children’s books, and the cover design etc, so will be able to provide final artwork ready to be sent straight to the printers. This may come as an additional cost, or be part of the service but is something you’ll have to do if self publishing. If the illustrator is unable to do this, you may also need to hire a designer who can turn the artwork and manuscript into a print ready product, which will definitely add to the cost.

How much should you budget for you children’s book illustrations?

The internet does throw up a few examples of costs for the illustration of children’s books and usually the figures are so broad and outdated that they often prove of little use. The Graphic Artists Guild has previously estimated that a colour 32 page children’s book will cost you between $3,000 and $60,000 USD plus royalties. The Association of Illustrators have previously estimated that it’ll cost between £3,000 and £5,000 GBP for the advance, plus royalties on top (royalties can vary but may typically be between 5% and 12.5%).

The above prices are now quite dated, and seem a bit on the low side compared to my recent experience including when this topic is discussed in forums and guides elsewhere online. If truth be told it really is impossible to put any kind of exact figure on it in an article like this, and what you will be quoted will absolutely depend on the unique specifics of the book, what illustrator you want to work with, what style you need, and the overall experience (and fame) of the illustrator.

You usually get what you pay for (but as we all know spending a fortune doesn’t necessarily guarantee you greater results). You may be lucky and be able to get an illustrator straight out of college for a decent cost, but experience does usually shine through when it comes to the finished product. Do your research first and find a style you like before approaching illustrators.

Before you start work with any illustrator you will need to create a contract with payment dates, artwork dates, and copyright restrictions for both the author and the illustrator.

Payments will normally be made at different stages throughout the project as work is completed and approved. There will usually always be an upfront percentage to pay before any work is started. This upfront fee will normally not be refundable as it’ll also be the kill fee if the client decides to scrap the project or work with an alternative illustrator after work has begun.

Here’s a couple of links to the books on Amazon:

How do you find a publisher for your children’s book?

Do your research! Different publishers may specialise in children’s books for a specific market, be it a certain age range, demographic, style of writing, or certain topics. Find out who might be the best publisher for your book by getting your hands on a copy of the Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market or the Children’s Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook. Both books will list publishers and their contact information, what their terms are, and what sort of thing they are looking for. There will also be some information about how to introduce yourself and your manuscript to different publishers.

They will also include information on the international markets, industry magazines, any contests that are relevant, agency details, and also articles from artists, illustrators, authors, publishers, and editors. Understanding expectations and gaining as much knowledge as possible before you send your manuscript will save you time, effort and money! It’s also worth a mention that it’s best to not annoy any publishers who are already super busy by only sending them the right ‘type’ of work in the correct format. They don’t have time to be sifting through every detail of every book idea they receive and your amazing manuscript may be discarded and denied before it’s even been seen properly.

Here’s a couple of links to the books on Amazon:

What about self publishing your children’s book?

Self publishing your children’s book is not to be taken lightly. It is a LOT more work than the traditional publishing route, and you will probably have to learn a whole load of new skills as you go. When you’ve poured your heart and soul into writing your book it’s easy to lose the ability to step back and fairly judge the work you’ve created. You will certainly need the opinion of others to gauge how good it is, and not just from friends and family. You will need to be very sure of your own work and willing to heavily invest your own time and money to have any chance of making your book a success.

Once you’re sure the book is good enough you will definitely need to look into choosing your own illustrator. Look for someone who’s style you like and don’t try to push a different style onto an illustrator that has a very different portfolio than what you’re after. You will need to pay for the illustrations to be created and agree the future licensing rights to use the artwork. There are also costs to consider for the book printing, for proofreading, for distribution, for marketing and advertising, and you’ll be in charge of doing all your own sales. You might be able to market your books at a craft fair or market of some kind, and a local bookstore may be happy to host a signing. Some schools may offer the chance to read your book to the kids, and hopefully provide an opportunity to sell some copies too.

Self publishing can often be sold as the easy way to get your book published, but don’t believe the hype. Self publishing is a lot of effort however you break it down, and the more work and money you invest in your book, the more chance it has of being a success (regardless of how good it actually is).

Here are some links to some useful books on Amazon:

Will your children’s book be a success?

I have to be honest and say that almost all the would be children’s book authors who get in touch with me don’t actually get their books published (well, they certainly don’t use me to illustrate them anyway). I have only seen a tiny number of the many manuscripts I’ve read over the years as a final published book anywhere, whether it be in a bookshop or online. This doesn’t mean that you should give up on your dream at the first hurdle, but it does mean you need to be aware of the realities of this very competitive industry.

Do your research and manage your expectations. Invest your time early on and you’ll save yourself and everyone else a lot of effort in the long run. Don’t give up, just know what you’re getting in to! (and enjoy the journey)

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; It is because we do not dare that things are difficult.”

— Lucius Annaeus Seneca

More sources of information that may help:

Zombie Illustration - Inspired by The Walking Dead

Gala Bingo Calendar - Bingo Call Character Illustrations

Eyes down for a brilliant bingo based Project

I've recently worked on a great project for Gala Bingo. working together with a fab design company from Leicester called Work Design. We produced a fun promotional calendar to hang on peoples walls and help promote Gala Bingo for the whole year.

I was asked to create the 12 illustrations used on the calendar, and they are all based on the most popular bingo calls. Any bingo officionados out there will know the common and quirky calls used in bingo halls all over the world, but if you need reminding of the full list you can check out this extensive Wikipedia page.

The final twelve we chose needed to be fairly family friendly as they have to appeal to a broad audience of Gala Bingo regulars. The final twelve bingo calls chosen are:

Legs 11, Knock on the door 44, Lucky7, Kelly's eye 1, David's den 10, Droopy drawers 44, Unlucky for some 13, Clickety click 66, Two fat ladies 88, Key to the door 21, Doctors orders 9, Two little ducks 22.

You can see the final calendar design in the gallery above. Work Design have done a great job with the graphics and the colours and background details really make the illustrations pop! You can see the early sketches and all the character illustrations below with plain backgrounds (lucky 7 above).

Let me know what you think if you fancy leaving a comment, or feel free to contact me about this project or any other. Enjoy :)

Suave & sophisticated fox character and logo design for Selection Fox

Sweet character and logo design project

*Selection Fox - Dapper fox in his stripy socks!*

I recently had the pleasure to work on a great new character and logo design for a fantastic new company named 'Selection Fox'.

The business is an online sweet / candy ordering service. You choose your favourite tasty treats and they'll pick, pack and post the parcel of perfection direct to you - Awesome!

The name is obviously a play on the traditional 'selection box'. Therefore with a small leap of creative genius 'Selection Fox' was born.

Our new character needed to be (a) a fox and (b) a suave, sophisticated and cool as candy old school dandy :)

The top hat and tails seemed an obvious choice, with the candy cane, sweet bow tie and liquorice pipe finishing off his sophisticated demeanour.

Purple was an obvious choice of colour next to the foxy orange hues, and all that was left was to add a giant liquorice allsort in his other hand. And lastly what dapper fox would be seen without his super, stripy socks?!

Check out the initial character sketches below, and some of the alternative poses and character styles we tried.

Lip-smackingly lovely logo

The 'Selection Fox' logo came next (which is unusual but not unheard of). The logo needed to have obvious design links with the character, but be a standalone identity in it's own rights.

We found a font that conveyed the right 'feel' for the brand, and added the top hat and fox tail to add the unique elements from the character.

A purple and orange colour scheme was used to continue the theme set by the character design. The 'classic' British sweets were added as a background with some liquorice allsorts, cola bottle and shrimp taking pride of place. The drop shadow effect was used to make the logo jump off the page a little.

A couple of variations of the logo were also created for possible alternative usage.

As usual I'd love to know what you think. Leave a comment or send me a message. Enjoy :)

Scientist Character Design - Empiribox Logo and Illustrated Cartoon Scientist

Mad Scientist - character design

If I asked you to picture a cartoon scientist you would undoubtedly imagine the white coat, big glasses/goggles and some crazy hair of some kind. Add in some bubbling, smoky liquid in a test tube and you've got your typical scientist (mad scientist) character.

This is exactly what the client needed, so who am I to argue with tradition?! I did create a choice of other scientist sketches following the similar theme, and a favourite was chosen and vectored up to final artwork. Let me know what you think or if you'd have preferred a different scientist from my sketches.

Empiribox Logo - design, animate and icon amends

Following the scientist character design, I also helped work on the company logo a little by developing the icons used amongst the text. As you can see the logo incorporates a rocket ship, a test tube and a bug. I designed a few variations of each icon and tried several colour schemes.

We also tried to get a bit of extra fun into the logo and decided to have a little play with animating the logo for the website. You can see the simple animated logo below.

If you have any thoughts, comments, suggestions or questions then please feel free to comment below or contact me in whatever way is best for you. Enjoy :)

Eye Kettleby Lakes Logo Design - Corporate Identity Branding

I created a new logo for Eye Kettleby Lakes a little while back. Eye Kettleby Lakes is situated in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside on the outskirts of Melton Mowbray. It's a family run fishery set in 150 acres which also has 12 luxury round log cabins and a tranquil touring park. A new corporate identity was needed and a whole new logo as we were starting from scratch due to there being no previous logo design for the company.

The brief was initially quite broad, and we were unsure whether to use an icon related to fishing, log cabins or caravans etc. Following several stages of design it was decided to be more broad in the choice of icon. We did not want the logo to be too restrictive with regards to the 'topic' of any image or icon used, and by being a little more open in our approach with the theme it would 'future proof' the logo as much as possible to cover all the various aspects of the business.

Below you can see several stages of the design proces, mocked up on compliment slips or business cards along with some slight variations of each theme. We actually went through many other designs, tweaks and colour schemes but these should give an overall picture of the project as a whole

The final design was chosen to incorporate a tree icon. This was felt to be broad enough in it's theme and covered the countryside and 'back to nature' ethos of the company. I've shown the final logo in black, but also a few variations with colour to show the diversity the logo has and how it can be displayed in different settings and colours etc. Let me know what you think and if you'd have chosen a different approach maybe. Cheers and enjoy!

Caveboy - Caveman Character Design and Illustration

A client needed a caveman, or to be more specific a caveboy character created. The character needed to appeal to kids and was to be used for learning and informational purposes in an environment that specifically deals with heritage and historical education.

Things to consider were that the character looked fun and friendly but not too cartoony. Also needed to be considered was that the character could have the potential to be dressed in different period costume to show the same boy in different outfits and therefore periods of time.

You can see my first stage of sketches, and following feedback from the client the final vector artwork for the caveboy is shown with and without a background. Any feedback is appreciated as always. Cheers and enjoy!