An Audience with Aimee Stewart & Sarah Habershon

On the 25th of March our university held a talk with Aimee Stewart and Sarah Habershon. Aimee is a graduate of the university, now a senior designer at Scholastic, and Sarah is art director for the G2 feature in the Guardian.

Aimee Stewart

• What is important to children’s books - where it is marketed, needs to work as a small image online, stand out on a supermarket shelf be commercial, the illustrator and branding important, start to finish usually 2 - 3 months sometimes 1 month or a year for picture books.
• Finding illustrators - look on Instagram through hashtags, use them in a specific way, style important doesn’t matter too much for mock ups, ask for a sample if they don’t have any examples (not paid) them would be commissioned, look for right illustrator for right project. Look for both digital and traditional illustrators, picture books more traditional work. Use freelance designers/ typographers for their skills as they have a small team.
• Digital/ physical folios - Instagram current/ up to date, go to agencies to find illustrators, can’t reply to all emails, keeps a library of illustrators found from all various random finds. Physical folio less important yet printed folio got her the job at scholastic from D&AD event, lucky in right place at right time. Print still counts to an extent, interviews they brief a product for second round, digital more accessible to find/ connect.
• Pricing - have set prices, but can negotiate with illustrators or agencies, meet in the middle.
• Comparison of graphic designers and illustrators - similar in practice, both need knowledge of composition/ layout.

Sarah Habershon 

• Finding illustrators - keeps an eye on agencies, looks through emails but can’t respond really, may reply a year later if the work is right for the article, Instagram useful notice people that follow/like, it is more quicker to look at and most up to date compared with website, look through hashtags, put illustrators in folders with specific subjects (woman/environmental issues, colours, bold etc.). LinkedIn not as useful but uses it sometimes. You need someone to find you website (actively search for it maybe?), use illustrator in the subject of email make it straight to point of why emailing, become on their radar through social media.
• Digital/ physical folios - Looking for illustrators that can tackle subjects, on website under image use short line to say what the work is for/about, can go a long way in informing the person how you work/think. Little printed folios, quicker turnaround, mostly digital, no time to meet in person, but it is like a treat to see physical work now.
• Pricing - set prices, small budge, fair to all illustrators no one get more/less.
• How often commissioning - not every week, budget got less so less commissions, use photography where possible, only illustrators for more abstract subject matter, illustrators can have 4 days from starting to finishing the project.
• What puts you off working with illustrators - give them a try, if they have an arsey attitude won’t work again, but it doesn’t happen much, there is always someone else if that is the case, best to be collaborative, relationship important. Put yourself in the shoes of us.

Take Away Thoughts

It was interesting to hear from the clients view point and how they find illustrators through not just emails/ agencies but by looking through Instagram as well. Also how they keep in mind illustrators they have seen for a project say a year later they might contact them then.