Measuring Success
A brief interview with Scott Hull.
How do you measure the success of the visual?
• Illustration probably is harder to measure than standard design techniques. You know when you have a good one, (and you know when sales go up) but that intangibility – that certain quality of a piece of art that comes from a human being – does frustrate number-crunchers sometimes. You can’t duplicate the success of a great illustration because you can’t duplicate the illustration. It’s just not a science, even though some people would like it to be.
• The CEO likes the art, and tells you so.
• The marketing team uses the magazine cover or one issue as a sales tool, i.e., John Hopkins
WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF ILLUSTRATION
What changes have you seen over the past few years?
• We’re noticing the movement back to organic, hands-on design, which of course is nice for us. Agencies and design groups seem to be searching for a way to connect with their consumers, not just get their attention for a fleeting moment, and illustration is a natural fit.
• Along with that has come a proliferation of illustration styles. There’s so much out there now that designers can be very specific about what they’re after, and make sure they find the perfect art for their application. That also works out well for us, having so many really diverse illustrators to choose from.
Where do you see challenges for artists now?
• It’s in doing the best piece for the assignment while at the same time cultivating your own personal style. That’s hard. It’s not just worrying about whether your work will be perceived as art, but if it will be perceived as *your* art… and still get the message across.
• The design community really needs to be more aware of current changes in our environment. Too many of us keep operating as though it’s five years ago – or fifteen – when we need to be responding to changes in the ways people gather information. I feel like design is following, when it should be leading the way.
• In a digital-everything world, will there always be room for hand-drawn illustration?
• The digital revolution *makes* room for organic illustration. When it started, everything kind of looked the same, and people started noticing their thirst for something unique, something real. A beautiful illustration stops people in their tracks now as much as it ever did. More, actually.
Summary for Agent/ Illustrator
• Provide evidence that illustration has power industry wide
• Provide white paper with statistics for client, CFO and CMO
• Why illustration is an effective choice
• Less risk when walking sketch down the hall for opinions
• Artist provides a short paragraph describing your approach. This will get the client involved and cut out the chaos.
• Make the customer feel they know you.
• Understand the customers objections with effective communications
