Specifically, on an exclusively digital world stage, how little time we have to make a first impression. As Johnny Carson once said, a New York Minute is the interval between a Manhattan traffic light turning green and the driver behind you honking. That’s the time you have - and that driver behind you, by the way, is the next illustrator. In an era flooded with images a book really will be judged by it’s cover so how should you curate a stand-out folio presence in an overcrowded arena?
So who are you? And how are you going to tell someone in a flash?
Being an artist and making beautiful pictures is only 50% of the job. It’s important that you know how to detach yourself from the artist by lacing up your business boots when it comes to negotiating your projects but also when it comes to promoting your work. You have to think strategically, develop a bird’s eye view of the industry and understand what agencies and clients look for.
We all know the basics of a good folio but there’s no harm in quickly remembering that you must have a consistent and unique visual language that is immediately identifiable and speaks for itself. That a variety of subject matter will lead to an equally varied selection of clients and projects. Never forget that most of the clients you encounter are creatives with the capacity to mentally project your work into a different context or form, but it's their client, the financial firm, the pharmaceutical outfit, the alcohol brand, that you need to convince. And if that client wants a picture of a hat, you better have a picture of a hat in your folio already to get the gig.
And not just a variety of subject matter, demonstrate your ability to work with different market sectors. Many clients will be looking at projects you’ve worked on as reassuring evidence of your familiarity with the commissioning process in their particular industry. So share as many projects in situ a possible - a spread in a magazine, a book cover, a textile design. And if you haven’t had the opportunity to work on a commercial project yet, just fake it with some mock-ups! Showing how your work can translate on packaging for example can really help generate related commissions if those mock-ups are seen by the right client.