AOI Lecture Notes

I'm so glad we had the opportunity to get some information from the Association of Illustrators because it answered some questions I hadn't even thought of yet!

When sending out promotional material:

• Make sure contact details are really clear on website
• Do you have a blog? Needs to be kept current and updated. A lot of potential employers like to see what you're up to, not just portfolio work
• Mailers - A6 or A5 is best, then follow up after a week with an email
• Any electronic mailers should include a PDF with no more than 3 images. Less than 1MB.

• Must register for income tax within 3 months
• Keep up to date with accounts
• Retain all claimable receipts
• Keep paperwork involved with every job
• Have a physical copy of all paperwork

Copyright:

• Does NOT require registration or a symbol to exist
• Independent of physical artwork itself - the right to copy is not affected by what you do with the original piece
• Reference fee - being paid for your work being used as a reference
• Copyright CAN be assigned to a client BUT this should cost a lot and should only be applicable to logos etc.
• Licencing means that a client will pay for the actual use of the imagery NOT possible use
• Right of paternity - the right to be recognised as the creator
• Right of integrity - artwork must not be edited etc

Pricing work:

• When pricing for a vague client, ask about:

1. Client profile - larger clients will have a larger budget
2. Usage - a little postcard or a nationwide billboard campaign?
3. Territory - UK, Europe or Worldwide?
4. Duration of licence - 3 months for an editorial illustration etc..
5. Budget - Don't undersell yourself or give a low fee before you know their budget. If you get repeat business they will always expect the same price range.