Business of Illustration (Practical Design Books) [Paperback]

Steven Heller (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823005453
• ISBN-13: 978-0823005451
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Heller, author and editor of over 130 books on graphic design, satiric art and popular culture, is the co-founder and co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts, New York. He is also co-founder of the MFA in Design Criticism, MFA in Interaction Design, MFA Social Documentary Film and MPS Branding programs. Although he does not hold an undergraduate or graduate degree he has devoted much of his career to fostering design education venues, opportunities and environments.

On the editorial side, for over 40 years he has been an art director for various underground and mainstream periodicals. For 33 years he was an art director at the New York Times (28 of them as senior art director New York Times Book Review). He currently writes the "Visuals" column for the Book Review and "Graphic Content" for the T-Style/The Moment blog (http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/author/steven-heller/). He is editor of AIGA VOICE: Online Journal of Design, a contributing editor to Print, EYE, and Baseline, and a frequent contributor to Metropolis and ID magazines. He contributes regularly to Design Observer and writes the DAILY HELLER blog for Print Magazine (http://blog.printmag.com/dailyheller/). His 135 books include "Design Literacy, " "Paul Rand," "Graphic Style" (with Seymour Chwast), "Stylepedia" (with Louise Fili), "The Design Entrepreneur" and "Design School Confidential" (both with Lita Talarico), "Iron Fists: Branding the Twentieth Century Totalitarian State", and the most recent, "Born Modern: The Life and Design of Alvin Lustig."

He is the recipient of the 1999 AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement. His website is www.hellerbooks.com and his blog, The Daily Heller sponsored by Print magazine is http://imprint.printmag.com/daily-heller/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential book for starting your illustration career., July 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Business of Illustration (Practical Design Books) (Paperback)

I hate to disagree with the other reviewer but, frankly, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Mr. Heller has written a wonderful book explaining the ins and outs of the illustration industry and it's crucial that ALL illustrators read it. The illustration industry is going through a terrible time at the moment with large corporations preying on the lonely illustrator, so it doesn't surprise me that the businessman below feels that illustrators shouldn't know their business!! Illustration IS a business, not a hobby and should be treated as such. Business and art can co-exist and illustrators can be some of the most creative business people I know.

Mr. Heller is a well respected Art Director/Author and you would do well to head his advice.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Highly recommend it!, November 5, 2003

By 

Kel (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Business of Illustration (Practical Design Books) (Paperback)

99.5% of illustrators are now self employed. At one time there were full-time employed illustrators on staff in most advertising agencies, but now that has drastically changed, and an illustrator has to learn how to start his/her own business just like any other entrepreneur. This book is great in giving you realistic advice and guidelines. I strongly disagree with the person that wrote that an illustrator needs a rep for their business. Your statement was correct, you are not an illustrator. I am a career advisor that also helps students with placement at an art college. (As well as being in the art field as a graphic designer and illustrator for 20 years.) The business of illustration is supply and demand. You must promote and market yourself, just like any other business. You also have to be good, fast and learn how to develop good communication skills. Yes, an artist can learn those skills if they choose to. Art as a profession demands the same respect as any other field. It is not a hobby when you are making a living at it. A rep is always an option, but never a must. My advice to any student who wishes to pursue illustration as a career is, you have to be serious, dedicated and willing to put your heart and soul into it. The art field as a profession is probably one of the most demanding fields. It is extremely deadline oriented and does not have 9-5 hours. As a self-employed business, you will have peaks, sometimes working 7 days a week, 12 plus hours a day. You have to learn how to deal with different personalities, understanding you may not have ownership of your work. Not every artist is cut out or willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make art their career. It is very rewarding though, if you don't let your ego get in your way.

3.0 out of 5 stars Recommended for recent illustration grads, November 27, 2011

By 

K. Coles "cooperkk" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Business of Illustration (Practical Design Books) (Paperback)

As an independent Creative Director and Illustrator, I would still recommend this book to entry level folks just starting out. I wish I would have read this book back in the mid-90s when I was first starting my career at an ad agency. In 2011, as you might guess, this particular version of the book is pretty outdated regarding how a typical Art Director searches for and engages with Illustrators these days. However, the book still contains valuable and timeless information about how Illustrators need to have good business sense and professionalism in order to find and keep financial stability.

While it must have really resonated with young Illustrators at the time of publication, I'm not a fan of the section that showcases the individual experience interviews. After doing some recent research online, some of the Illustrators interviewed in this book haven't kept up with the times. It was disappointing to see some of the poorly designed portfolio websites that still utilize text as graphics. This in itself seems to contradict the original purpose of the book... to show that the business of illustration is business... and that even veterans need to know as much about current marketing trends as any wholesaler or retailer.

As far as recommending books on the business of illustration, I would include this particular book as a general overview. But I would likely suggest that they read the "Graphic Artists Guild Handbook" since it is updated yearly with timely advice and contains relevant business templates.