IGI features
Rough Guide to UK Illustration Rates
Mar, 11, 2002This article, which appeared in latest issue of Artists & Illustrators Magazine, outlines their research on UK prices in various different markets. However, the IGI does not stand over some of the information contained within the article concerning rights to illustrators work. The rights to an illustrator’s own work should never be relinquished without adequate remuneration. Re-published by kind permission. To subscribe to A&I Magazine, call +44 1858 435307.
How much should you expect to be paid for illustration work? Laura Long discusses a few guidelines with some top illustrators.
Over the last 30 years, the UK has become an increasingly visually literate country, with hosts of opportunities now available for those wishing to pursue a creative career. That is the good news. The not-so-great news is the money. All too often it is mediocre, even poor, especially in light of the tremendous levels of skill, time and often sheer pressure that is involved.
We have put together an overview of the illustration market to get a picture of the industry as a whole and to see what rates of pay one can earn. You shouldn’t expect to become a millionaire, but you can expect to make a living - in an area where job satisfaction and morale tends to be very high and where there is also plenty of variety.
Cards and wrapping paper fees: £150-£350 per design
This area of illustration is especially suited to decorative work, with designs either commissioned or chosen from a ready-made selection. It’s not terribly lucrative but can be reasonable if you secure royalties. It is best to try to avoid giving the copyright away - perhaps limiting the licence to two or three years. Illustrator Sheila Moxley warns how ‘it can be a minefield as far as rights are concerned, but it is a nice area to work in’.
It can be particularly good when starting out, Moxley says, because, ‘it’s a bit like having your business card in the shops. It led onto other work for me - that’s how I got into illustrating children’s books’.
Educational books fees: £300 for full page/ £600 for double page spread.
This area, which includes such publishers as Oxford University Press, is less lucrative than traditional publishers. Since there aren’t many educational publishers, it’s possible to contact them all to arrange to show your portfolio. Commissions often go direct to illustrators rather than through agents, as these publishers tend to work from source books, mainly Contact and Images. It’s wise to limit the licence so work can’t be used as stock illustration, and while some publishers will insist on obtaining copyright, others are more flexible.
Children’s books fees: Royalty payments with advances in the region of £2,000-£8,000.
Fees may never be any more than the advance. The fee doubles if you write the book as well.
Advances can often seem to bear no relation to the actual amount of work done, i.e., the same sum might apply regardless of whether it is a 32 or 96 page book. Sheila Moxley specialises in this field, and can spend up to four or five months on a picture book, making remuneration for her efforts extremely modest. This forces her ‘to squeeze other bits and bobs of work in between’. But job satisfaction is high, particularly since ‘you know it’s not going to end up in the bin like most editorial pieces’.
Book jacket fees: £500-£850.
Book jackets can be another gratifying area in which to work -often with long deadlines. Here, illustrators are briefed to portray particular elements within the book or are simply asked to produce an image from reading a synopsis or the actual text. As with any commission, it can be tricky if the client doesn’t think the image is appropriate or representative, and this can be especially awkward in the case of requiring the approval of an author whose work is very personal. It’s best to try to limit the licence to only the publisher’s own hardback or paperback edition. Fee exception for a small independent non-mass market publication, one can expect around £200.
Editorial fees: £150-£600 (Quarter page rates £200-£300).
Editorial is a vast area and can form the backbone of an illustrator’s work. This is the case with Stuart Briers who, among his many commissions, produces a weekly illustration for The Express. Although money for this kind of regular work can be rewarding, deadlines and stress levels can be tough. Stuart can be given text for an illustration just one or two days before the finished work is needed. ‘If they don’t like your idea you’ve got to come up with something fresh and finished within a couple of hours.’
There are hundreds of magazines to approach so one can cast the net far and wide. Beyond the obvious consumer titles one can visit reference libraries and research trade magazines, free publications, charity magazines, etc. Larger magazines will probably ask for all rights (copyright and artwork), but remember there’s no obligation.
Below the line advertising and design groups fees: Very variable and negotiable.
Below the line advertising involves design for agencies whose clients do not pay for the advertising space they are using, for example brochures, point of sale material and packaging. Design Groups, on the other hand, offer work on any printed material to include corporate logos and literature, letterheads, packaging and retail design. As a general rule, commissions tend to he more tightly briefed than in other areas, hence it doesn’t always provide the most freely expressive and creative work on offer.
George Onions, who covers the spectrum of the illustration market, says although the money for an annual report or corporate brochure is quite reasonable, he prefers doing something like editorial where you can put across your own slant and ‘get to flex your brain cells a bit more’.
Advertising fees: £500-£15,000.
This is potentially the most lucrative area of all. All commissioning is done by specialist art buyers, who are good to work with, making for a very illustrator-friendly situation. However, short deadlines tend to be the norm, as Jason Ford discovered on a billboard campaign for American Airlines in 1998, for which he was given just four days to produce a series of images for 96ft posters. Normally finding illustration rates ‘pretty poor’, he was the first to admit that ‘£13,000 wasn’t bad at all for four days’ work.’
Short deadlines can work really well for some people, as Ali Pellatt, illustrator and chair of the Association of Illustrators says, ‘it forces you into thinking and acting quickly and creatively’. But fees in this bracket vary a lot, especially since there are still no set industry standards, and costs vary enormously depending on the client and size and length of the campaign. Agencies mostly don’t ask for copyright.
Web site illustration.
Since this is a relatively new area and can’t always be clearly defined it can be extremely hard to price for. It’s best to follow this general rule if possible: charge for usage, not for the amount of work done or how long it takes to do.
