Hanbury Reflections

Having came back from London after the day at Hanbury Hall, here are some things I've taken away from the talks and experiences of the event...

SOCIAL MEDIA AND PROMOTION

Social media was mentioned quite a bit during the talk, with a lot of varying answers from the different professionals that spoke. Going from what I listened to as well as my own thoughts, I think it's important to maintain a tone of voice that is inherently yours. 

It's apparent that there are a lot of formulas, tips, and tricks to get more followers, etc etc etc. But I think it's important for me not to become a prisoner of instagram and the like, but to use it as a tool to engage with people and display work. This can be done in many ways!! There is not just one answer to achieving this.

Seeing as print and publications are becoming increasingly important to what I do, mailers and directly posting these things to contacts may be a valuable way of sharing work for me. Although it was mentioned that print was in decline, I think it's not something to completely throw away...and this would be a method of ensuring it doesn't diminish.

MY WORK AND SOME THOUGHTS

The event was also useful in that it helped me to see real-world examples of creative industries / illustration in practice. Seeing the people, how their companies operate, the types of projects they undertake. In some ways it's enabled me to begin thinking about how I can align what I do and what I want to do with organisations, projects, and other efforts that exist out there.

HEY, I DID A TALK

I managed to be a host during the talk with the publishing guests! This was really valuable for me as it's something I wouldn't usually gravitate to, and it all went very smoothly. It showed me that it's worth just being forward and asking questions, getting in contact with people. I want to make an extra effort to reach out and distribute work and ideas.

Hanbury | Notes 3

It's Nice That (Lucy Bourton)

• Began as a university project, a blog that featured work of creatives. Expanded into a large web platform including work from many disciplines (e.g. illustration, graphic design, film, animation, motion graphics)

• Also release Printed Pages twice a year, reflecting on the best creative work. Online, they post around 13 stories a day, 5 days a week. They hope to capture something for everyone.

lb@itsnicethat.com -> The Graduates 2018, applications

Nobrow (Harriet Birkinshaw)

• Nobrow founders noticed that in 2008, there was a real lack in physical, illustrated books in the UK market.

• They believe the books they publish are meant to be cherished, celebrating illustration as well as high-quality production methods.

• Wealth of creativity, indepedent, personal projects, left-field ideas

Advice on engagement

Social media is key. Instagram - lead with images, if there's someone you want to work for, be human and put your work first. Be selective about the work you put up.

Advice on publishing ventures, setting up

• Not particularly financially viable. But could be a way of generating work, putting it out there, experimenting. Group together, find a gap in the market. Be aware, print is expensive!

• However, experimental and lo-fi methods have been employed previously. Such as Belleville Press, who sold their publications for the price of a pint - justifying their cheap production. Unique selling point, unusual vision.

Hanbury | Notes 2

The Dots: Creative Network

• Those in creative industry jobs fall under the term "no collar professionals"
     ↳ Job hopping
     ↳ Creative-led skills
     ↳ Trust the crowd when networking
     ↳ Non-traditional career routes and progressions

• Portfolio tips
     ↳ Quality not quantity. Distill down to the strong projects
     ↳ Variety of work showing a breadth of skills

• There should be a balance between the formal and informal in terms of the content you share online/publicly.

B&A Reps (Bernstein & Andriulli)

• Currently have 45 illustrators and studios on their roster, including Tim Lahan, Studio Takeuma...

• New talent is discovered by submissions, only when they are tailored to what B&A do.

• It is important when applying to anyone, to show an understanding of what the agent/client does! That way it shows you've done your research.

• Other platforms exist such as Behance, Dribbble, Giffy

• Portfolio should strike the balance between personal and commercial work. Don't show work you dislike, personal and exciting is important.

Hanbury | Notes 1

Big Active (Greg Burn) Blink Art (Helen Parker)

Helen - Head of Illustration at Blink Art. Previously an art buyer, not really a title anymore but the job role still exists. Previously commissioned illustration and photography for print only.

• "Head of Creative Content"
• Blink Productions
• Currently have 16 illustrators on their roster, 4 more joining.

Trends

• Decline of print in the last few years (magazine ads, billboards, tangible...)
• However the likes of Anthony Burrill is still print-based, he is aware of how the media has changed.
• Now apps, websites are measurable - you can see views, interaction, data. e.g. "people spent 33 seconds on our website because of a moving image or video!"
• No longer just about static image. Industry is about creating experiences, through motion, immersive set design, installations, etc..
• Young people are a large trend-setting community
• Digital media has made the value of the image plummet! People still aren't sure about pricing for digital media, e.g. how much a featured instagram post should be

How do you find new artists?

Blink
• Individual style
• Something that hasn't already been done before
• Work that has a deeper level (ideas, humour, emotion...)
• Brands and agencies want ideas
• Blink - what they like, what sits well together, want the artists they represent to work collaboratively and not compete. Stay small. Cross-discipline

Big Active
• Use instagram to find people. Followers and exposure are important.
• Don't discount the things people AREN'T doing
• Instagram has peaked and may diminish soon, potentially making way for a new platform.
• There are so many ways of marketing yourself, so play with technology, be individual, utilise visual references that people aren't familiar with.
• Lots of people copy what's being done, what people are aware of

Relationship with Agency

• Agent used to be very powerful as they are representing you. It's a position of trust, as finance and people's careers are involved. Does the agent have the credentials?
• Now, artists are involved in their own marketing. Be aware of the industry.
• Agents tend to trial a creative before signing. They expect basic professionalism; keeping deadlines, communication, etc.

Collaboration

• Becoming more important
• Find people that have skills which you don't
• We have our own network on the course with our peers, don't let that go!
• Collaboration isn't for everyone but it keeps things fresh

Process

• Artist or agent will be contacted by client
• Will be faced with a mutual non-disclosure agreement (MDA contracts). This is where you may have to keep details of a project secret, but doesn't include copyright or intellectual property. Be aware of this.
• Agent will discuss time, expenses, etc, with artist. Break down the stages of the job into parts, so you get fairly paid.
• Image may be licensed to client for a set period. Once the period is up, charge client again.
• Agents protect artists. Check Ts and Cs on AOI website.
• Before doing any work, issue a purchase order. Include a limit for amendments e.g. "creation fee includes 2x amends" otherwise changes could go on forever - charge for extra changes

Other

• Important to ask when commissioned with a project "have you approached anyone else with the job?" so you know the odds of you actually getting the work, not competing against 12 others.

• "What is it about my work that you like? Which parts would you like to use?"

• When taking on work, consider these three things (ideally, it should cover 2)
     ↳ Is it financially worth it?
     ↳ Is it creatively worth it?
     ↳ Is it good for exposure, leading to other projects?

• Consider what you can be credited on! Even social media features, shares, mentions.

• Brief turnarounds differ from project to project, e.g. editorials = an afternoon, commercial = 3 weeks. Depends on the project itself and the work speed of the artist.

Hanbury | Self-Promotion

Although the focus of the Hanbury event is on professional talks and networking, I still wanted to put together a piece of work that could be handed out to those attending.

Since publications and zines are a large part of what I do, I decided to reprint one of my own publications as an artefact to give away. Although I think business cards are important, I thought that a larger, more substantial object would seem a little more interesting.

I chose this particular zine because I think it shows the naive, experimental aesthetic of my work as well as the values that are important to me.

The yellow slip of paper has my name and some contact details, I thought this would add a business card-like function to the publication, and it also contrasts against the booklet itself nicely. One worry of the size was that people might have found it impractical to carry around, as opposed to a small card.

But on the other hand, it makes it stand out in some ways.

I also produced a small book of samples to show that I can approach image making in different ways, using a mixture of processes and mediums.

Hanbury | Finalised Questions

After meeting today, James and I have refined the questions  and devised which order they should be asked in, so that they follow on from one another.

1. You guys clearly have distinct visual identities / tone of voice. Talk to us about how you achieve this, what is important to you in your output?

2. Speaking of your output, there is a clear difference amongst yourselves as commercial and independent publishers, could you discuss how the areas both differ, or even the similarities they possibly share?

3. Now we have an understanding of what you strive for, tell us what you look for in an illustrator, in terms of both their tone of voice, and work ethic?

4. Speaking of both your tone of voice, and the people you work with, tell us about the collaboration between the two. How do you showcase or merge both your own tone of voice, and that of the artist?

5. A big part of being an illustrator is to get your work out there. Do you have any advice on how to engage with an audience, speaking from your own experiences with social media, print, etcetera…

6. Continuing from beginner advice, do you have any pointers for starting a publication or press? What challenges and triumphs did you encounter? What to be aware of?

7. What trends have emerged within the publishing industry, and how do they impact what you do?

8. Do you have any advice for graduates, both generally speaking, and those wishing to work within publishing?

Hanbury | Refining Questions

Questions listed by me and Joe in preparation for hosting the publishing talk.

General Questions:

What new trends have emerged within publishing? Where do you see these moving to in the future?

Is there any advice you would give to illustrators who wish to author or become involved in publishing for the first time?

What advice would you give to new illustrators who are trying to develop a network?

Are there any common misconceptions that illustrators have about the role of publishers?

Is good use of social media important for aspiring illustrators?

Macmillan

Large publisher with a global reach that produce books in a broad range of categories
As such would have a good knowledge of trends

How has the use of illustration in publishing changed over time?

What role does illustration have in publishing outside children’s literature?

What common traits do successful illustrators share?

Nobrow 

What is it that you look for in a potential publications?

Nobrow has a very clear and unique identity, how important a factor do you think this is in your success?

Nobrow was started independently by just two people, what challenges did you face and what advice would you give to someone else starting out?

It’s Nice That

It’s nice that produces and showcases work on a range of platforms. How important do you think it is for illustrators to engage their audience and produce work on a variety of different platforms?

Do you have any set criteria for the kind of work you publish?

How do feel that producing a regular publication differentiates you from other publishers and affects your relationship with your audience?