Going through my Q&A I will answer two questions from a fabulous illustrator Sapphire Shiohwan from http://www.sapphireillustration.com/.
Thank you so much for your lovely complement! Now to your answer!
- The best advice I can give you regarding how to land jobs with big companies is this: Dress for the job you want to land. Or in our case, draw for the job you want to land. If you want to work with beauty companies, draw beauty related items. Couture fashions? Draw that! You have a lot of bridal and super hero illustrations. I also see that you have done work for companies in those industries. You have a very set developed personal style and will work for you!
- I also believe in something called brand targeting. Not many people know how to do this the right way. This isn’t about begging in their Instagram accounts for attention or madly tagging brands just because. There is a science to this and it can work against you if not done well.
- Do you have a editorial calendar? Something you have pre-planned, that revolves around fashion events, award shows, etc? This calendar should coincidence with your blog posts, Instagram and Twitter. Sometimes there are no events, so I pick on a designer. I try to create illustrations as an ode to this creative and feature him or her in my artwork as if I were working for them.
Now for the warning!
Tag your designer at least a couple of times on the week you featuring them. Don’t get discouraged if you feel they haven’t noticed. They eventually do. They key is not to over do it. Also take in consideration the fact that most companies have a protocol on how they deal with artists and freelancers. This differs from company to company. Getting spammed on the web is a huge NO-NO.
Learn and research the company you want to work for before you post anything. I recently saw an illustrator posting and tagging art to a specific company. Though beautiful, the art was out of touch with this company style. You don`t want to waste time. Be laser targeted and win that account.
Also the younger the company, the more likely you are to get a response. This is the easiest way to work your way up and start adding client names to your list. If they repost your artwork, make a big deal about it in your blog and offer to send then the original or a copy of the piece to the social media manager and a copy to the target designer.
Consider writing a letter that you actually snail mail with a USB with your work in it or URLs where they can download your PR kit and other goodies. Find out who the bosses are and make connections.
Also, before anyone says; “this sounds like spec work” or “this is working for free”, it is neither. You obviously want to put the correct artwork in your portfolio. Consider it a portfolio building exercise.
If all else fails, get a rep. They take 30%, but they get you the jobs that may be the best fit based on work you have already done. Which takes us back to the first piece of advice I gave you- draw for the job you want to land. Create a portfolio of new artwork based on the jobs you want to get and clear the old stuff.
XoX, Elaine Biss
