Note: I am using “we” and that’s because I am trying to generalize over the many ADs I know, and what we talk about all the time, and what has been said in numerous Art Director Roundtables and Panels. But of course, I don’t speak for everyone, so do your homework.
Bonus Points: ADs are a social bunch, and I bet the ones you want to work for have been interviewed on blogs, podcasts, written articles, etc. Having an idea of how they operate from their own lips is invaluable information.
It’s also a good idea to have a SMALL watermark on the bottom right corner of your piece that is either your name (if it is easily googleable), or your web address. Just something so that it’s easy to figure out whose art it is. Images on social media bounce around like mad, and often any link back to your site or profile is lost. Just make sure it’s not big enough to be distracting. I cannot even tell you how often I send or receive an email asking “do you know who made this?”
Step 3: Email
So you’ve gotten your list together of target email addresses. What do you do with it? A nice short & sweet email with a few low-resolution (a.k.a. 72dpi at a printable size, maybe 800 or 1000px wide) jpegs attached and your website link in the email is great every once in a while to keep your name in an AD’s mind. I’ve talked to a lot of ADs, and “quarterly, OR whenever you have new work”, seems to be the consensus. Not more than once a month no matter how much new work you have.
Newsletter-style email blasts are ok, but if you have a few top dream clients then I would tailor my emails and attach jpegs to fit their company. Keep explanations to a minimum, keep it positive but not desperate. I understand newsletter-style mass emails save a ton of time and I don’t think less of the artist for not writing a personal note, but I do take extra time and answer all the personally-tailored emails, so if Orbit is in your top 5 dream clients then telling me a little about yourself is always welcome.
Example:
Dear Irene,
I am a designer with over ten years of book cover experience. I have been a fan of Tor’s books for years and I would appreciate being considered for a cover commission. Please find a few examples of my work I think would for well with Tor’s look, and you can check out my full portfolio at www.LaurenPanepinto.com
Thank you for your time,
Lauren Panepinto
Lauren@LaurenPanepinto.com
www.LaurenPanepinto.com
www.facebook.com/laurenpanepinto
twitter, pinterest, & instagram: @planetpintoÂ
That’s it. Short & sweet.
Do Not: Send a follow-up email asking why they haven’t responded to your first email (Some ADs will, some won’t). Do not write more than a few lines at most. Do not email weekly.
I hate cold calls. I know that’s how the biz ran for a long time, but I generally don’t answer any phone call from a number I don’t know, I let it go to message and then I generally forget about it. I reserve phone calls for artists I am working with, while in the middle of a project, that we need to brainstorm about. Do us all a favor and email us instead, ok?
Step 5: In Person
Office visits are much less common now that we don’t need you standing in our office with a big portfolio for us to see your work. Thank god for the internet. Now office visits and portfolio reviews are often reserved for artists we already know, artists that come recommended by an AD we trust, very well-known artists, and artists being brought around for intros by their agents. If you are just trying to break in, we’re probably not going to be able to take time out of our day to see you.
Lectures, talks, industry events, and conventions, on the other hand, are a great place to meet ADs. When we’re at industry events we are almost always ready to talk to a polite artist who happens to be hovering waiting to talk to us. (How do you know what we look like? Facebook, duh. Also look for artists shuffling awkwardly trying to break into a conversation.) At conventions like Illuxcon, GenCon, Spectrum, and many more, ADs hold official portfolio reviews and you can sign up to have your portfolio looked at, and have a chat. But even if you don’t get a slot, most ADs, if they have a second, will look over your book and exchange cards/take a postcard. If they don’t have a second they’ll usually give you a card or take yours, and say to follow up by email. Make sure you have business cards and some kind of leave-behind like a postcard ready.
For SFF art, the best networking conventions are Illuxcon (Sept, Allentown, PA) & Spectrum (May, Kansas City, MO), hands down. Get there.
SUMMARY: Be polite, and do your homework before you contact anyone asking for work. Sounds simple, but I can’t tell you how many emails I get a week that I have to dismiss immediately from people who have no idea what Orbit does, or who are just outright rude.
Also, and this is a big one, if you don’t hear back from an Art Director right away, or at all, don’t immediately assume they ignored you, hate you, will never hire you, etc. Sometimes it takes years for me to find the right project for an illustrator I have literally been dying to use. Yet sometimes I’ll meet someone and have a job for them the next week. It’s very frustrating for us, and often the artist doesn’t know, or I’ve told them that I really want to work with them, and they kind of assume I’m just being nice to say so.
There’s no science to this, but I swear, in networking, as in most aspects of our industry, keeping a zen-like balance of Patience and Persistence will always win over time.
…So I’ll see you all in the Illuxcon hotel bar in a few weeks, right?
To get you guys started, I’ll make it easy. My work email is lauren (dot) panepinto (at) hbgusa (dot) com. Here’s my Facebook, my Twitter, my Pinterest, my Instagram, and my cat.
Great post Lauren 🙂
I found this post from Red Lemon Club very helpful. I think it could help with the part of sending emails.
http://www.redlemonclub.com/featured/11-reasons-important-people-ignore-your-emails-and-how-to-fix-this/
All the best, Denis Alonso
What a helpful article! Thanks so much Lauren. Sadly, the link to your cat is currently unavailable. 🙂
Great post Lauren. A lot of very helpful info.
Wow, does your inbox have a limit? Thanks, once again you and this site has made my teaching a little easier.
Another super helpful post. Thanks so much!
Yes, Lauren! I'd love to work with you!!
~ Jon
…and another stellar article
Good Link, I think they saved a very important point for last.
Very helpful! Thank you!
omg GREAT link! thank you!
fixed!
no, thankfully, but my response time waxes and wanes radically.
LOL.
Wow, fantastic post, Lauren 🙂 Extremely informative, down-to-earth and witty to boot. God, I love this blog.
I'll admit, I clicked the cat first. That out of the way though, thank you for such a straight straight forward post. Really, really, thanks.
Great post thanks Lauren 🙂
Your blog posts are great, Lauren! Thanks for all the distilled experience that you take the time to share!
Thank you once more for these great posts! I've just contacted Illuxcon about volunteering next month- hope to see you there!
I'm easy to spot! look for leggings and tattoos.
thanks so much! I'm really just writing down the collected condos ADs talk about all the time & condensing them…
*convos*
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The information of this blog is having more features and aspects and it would be essential for people who are interested in Art directions.
Industry Type Email Data
Wow what a great article, thank you for sharing that info.
Just wanted to ask if you or other ADs hire people from across the the ocean too? Would be quite helpful to narrow the search.
Very informative and honest, thanks for putting this together.
…..why don't we have collected condos? CLEARLY we need at least one. Your typo has spawned a new dream for me!
Thank You so much for this article!!
It now makes me want to work that much harder at becoming better as an artist so I can pursue my goal, and not for it to remain merely a dream.
Thanks a lot for this exhaustive article. I've read always the same blah-blah about illustrator's promotion, but this article is different and I learn a lot of things more.
It's very interesting the Art Director point of view.
I'm an Italian illustrator and it's a bit difficult to understand what's the best way to promote myself in the States: now I know more! Thx
its a great work thanks for sharing and keep it up High School Diploma
Thank you very much! It’s very helpful for me!