Art directors: what are you looking for when an illustrator emails their portfolio over?
Looking for advice on what art directors are expecting from a 'cold call' email. Do they want a PDF portfolio? A website portfolio? What should you NOT do? What is the best way to grab their attention and most importantly, what will make them hire you?
Replies5
- @Nicola Humphreys Hi Nicola, thank you for such useful information!Really interesting to know that it's worth including the process behind work. It's also nice to hear that variation in style is a positive - I've often been warned against that so have cut certain pieces from my portfolio for that reason. I'll definitely be rethinking that.Thanks so much!
- Hi Ellie,I've worked with a lot of illustrators over the years, some through agents and some directly. For me the most important thing to see is how your style can be applied to the story accross different media. Great to see if you can change up your style for different tonal messages too. Also lovely to see your workings - clients love to see sketches!I'd also say a website is probably best then you can see how many different nuances you have to your style(s) and then how that could work with a potential project. Also knowing your process and that you can be flexible is helpful.Hope this is helpful. DM if you want to chat more.Good luck!
- @Marina Frederico Hi Marina, thanks so much for your insight. That is really useful to know! Really appreciate you taking the time to answer.
- Personaly I prefer a website portfolio. It's easier to save, share with the CD and the client, and doesn't occupy space in my computer :) For most projects which will need me to hire an illustrator, I'll look for work that shows personality, a recognizable and unique style - even if you navigate among different techniques. The good use of colors is fundamental and having at least a few commercial projects helps me to know if you have experience working on non-personal projects (which involves deadlines, client's feedback and sometimes a bit of compromising).
- I would love to know the answer to this!
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