A joint journey
Creating new illustrations is a journey we are in together. It will require planning, time, research, creativity and open communication.
I promise you the investment of my time to listen closely and to apply the creative talents, methods and tools I have collected over the years of my professional work.
In order to keep the project rolling along smoothly, your commitment to open communication and honest and timely feedback is much appreciated.
Before we start
Before I start with the actual creation of an illustration, we will take our time to talk about your objectives, your needs and your budget so that I can fully understand your project. I will then draft a proposal, which entails services, time frames and pricing so that you know about your options and what you can expect.
When we both agree on the proposal, we are ready to start and we can go on our creative journey together. It will be fun. Promise!
Briefing
I not only want your illustrations to look beautiful, I also want them to be successful and convey your message to your audience. Hence it will be very important — especially when it comes to the creation of business illustrations or the creation of a logo and visual identity — that I get a good understanding of your project/organization. I will ask you about your mission, your audience, your challenges, project dreams and goals. Your answers will result in a set of objectives that the illustrations need to fulfill. They will serve as a reference during the creative process and will ensure that your illustrations will successfully transport your message to your target audience.
Research & Discovery
In this phase, with the creative brief in mind, I will dive deeper into the understanding of your project, your partners and (maybe) competitors, and especially into the groups of people you would like to offer your product/service to. I will eventually collect inspiration and take notes when ideas for creative solutions arise.
Drafts
Based on my findings from the discovery phase and following the creative brief, I will then draft a number of sketches. I start out drafting on paper, using pencil sketches to explore a variety of possible solutions. Depending on the project I also use techniques like mind mapping and looking for synonyms and word associations.
Once I am happy with the sketches, I will present the strongest drafts to you (online). Regarding the project scope there usually are several solutions you will be able to choose from. If you find that some illustrations can be improved, this is the time for it.
Final illustrations
Once you’ve approved the sketches, I will take on the next step and create the final illustrations. This might be using ink, oil colors, markers, pencils – depending the techniques we agreed upon.
Depending on how many rounds of changes we agreed upon, you will be able to make change suggestions in this final phase – before I hand the final illustrations to you or to your printer.