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May 24 2007
Value Able
I intended to share this much earlier. A few weeks back, I was doing my afternoon walk with the dog—up the road for my caffeine fix and then back to work—when the word "illustrator" caught my eye on a nearby hydro pole. I walked over to read this poster. I wasn't sure if I should smile at this person's go-to, can-do, "I'm gonna make it after all!" attitude, or just cry. I mean, twenty dollars??
I imagined someone having hit rough times, with no clients calling up for the past several months, a broken spirit, and a shrinking bank account. Or worse: no money at all, and surviving on credit card debt. We've all been there, and we know fellow illustrators who have. We'll be there again one day.
I may be jumping to conclusions. For all I know, this is someone who decided to make a new start in life and is willing to take some lumps as they learn the ropes: "Gotta start somewhere!" Or it's someone who just discovered their PC was crammed full of wonderful clip-art which they intend to milk for cash. Who knows.
Still, it reminds me of how the value of illustration has been reduced so dramatically over the past few years. I just mentioned clip-art above, that's a perfect example. I assume it has a great deal to do with easier access to materials, (over-) exposure to our medium, an increase in magazines and publishers (compared to the 1950s, for example), and how many new young professionals are being cranked out of art schools each year. Everyone and his dog has a blog/portfolio these days. Supply, demand, etc...
Yet people usually don't understand that when they hire an experienced commercial artist, they're not just paying for a finished piece but also for the experience and knowledge and talent that come with it and help create that piece. All these abstract things that we struggle to put a price on.
A few weeks ago, John Martz posted this video below on the Drawn! blog, showing someone (I don't know who) reproducing the Mona Lisa using MS Paint, of all things. I just hope this isn't the same person who drafted that poster.
9 Comments
3 years, 2 months ago
Just be lucky you have the uber-skills to charge much more than $20 for your illustrations. But I agree these people dilute the market.
For me, I don’t charge a great deal as my artistic confidence has been lost. I had it once and it will come back - and my prices will rise accordingly.
3 years, 2 months ago
Hi Ryan
It’s not just about skills, though. I’m in the same boat as 99.9% of magazine illustrators: I take what the client offers.
I will admit there are times the client’s budget is not even close to the general ballpark of “typical street value” for an illustration. At times like these, I’ll suggest they up it by an extra $25 or $50 or even $100, and you’d be surprised how often they agree to do this. And it’s not because I’m anyone special, but simply because I spoke up about it, and they understand it’s good business. People are all just people, in the end.
I hope things pick up for you soon, buddy. Believe me, I totally know what you’re going through.
3 years, 2 months ago
It is interesting how illustration, and even design in general, does seem to be falling in value in our society.
People expect designers to be able to do and manipulate photos, illustration, layout, typography providing press-ready files… all for far less than it used to cost.
At least illustration has seemed to be utilized more lately than stock photography… I for one am happy to see it around more often then cheezy grinning businessmen shaking hands.
3 years, 2 months ago
re: Stock photos of “cheezy grinning businessmen shaking hands”
Isn’t that the truth! Those and endless photos of smiling “multi-ethnic” urbanites are EVERYwhere these days. And none of them feel remotely sincere or real either.
I think the reason stock photos really got huge, rather than stock illustration, is that a photographer can go shoot a few hundred photos in a single day, whereas the average illustrator needs a full day just to complete a single illustration. Multiply this situation by all the photographers who, ten years back, thought:
“Hey, I have no jobs right now. May as well shoot some stock pics, and sell them till the next job comes in. I’ll make a few bucks, and hone my skills at the same time.”
And you have thousands of photographers who “stocked” themselves out of work for years to come, while lining the pockets of Corbis and all those other stock houses with “cheap photos.” It’s stuff like this that continues to devalue our work in the long run.
It’s at least heartening to hear that recently, more and more designers and their clients are growing less interested in using all that lifeless stock. I don’t know to what degree this is true (it hardly feels like it sometimes), but the pendulum has to swing back the other way one day.
3 years, 2 months ago
He/she/it also does posters, flyers & menus…“You can have anything you want as long as it’s upper case Helvetica. Flipping clip art no extra charge.”
3 years, 2 months ago
That’s kinda low “Alfred.” I have no idea what this person’s story is, and I’m not going to judge. In fact, my post wasn’t about this person, but rather it was a comment about how de-valued our industry has become in general.
3 years, 2 months ago
Cool - you saw my poster. Can I interest you in an “inside joke?”
(Sorry, couldn’t resist.)
3 years, 2 months ago
I´m agree, i took that the client offers to me but always i try to sell good my job.
3 years, 1 month ago
Oh I want a pet portrait for 20 bucks, and a mural too for my living room! Maybe a mural of my pet, what a super deal! I hope this covers all the material expenses, I don’t want to get ripped off. And this better be good art.
(9) Comments