Communication and understanding commissions

As an illustrator you need to be aware of what is happening in the world and how it could effect any commissions or briefs you are set. From politics to finance everything has an impact on the overall market for commerce. 

In terms of communication within a comission it's never truly straightforward as there will always be conflicting ideas and thoughts about what brief you have been set and it is your job as the illustrator to smooth these out and try to achieve what your customer wants from you. Which is why, if possible, you should always keep written confirmation and sign off points on the agreed agenda at all times. Through doing this  it will solidify the commission you have been handed and will ultimately keep you in the money as you have met all of the parties needs within the brief. 

A lot of time the commissions received will tend to be editorial and if you want the money you have to come forward with an interesting concept. For example whilst researching for this post, I came across an article in which an art director was talking about how he goes about commissioning an artist/ illustrator for a project that was for an article on supply chain management. Not necessarily the most exciting subject but this gave the artist he commissioned a challenge. 

(http://www.redhouselane.com/blog/how-commission-art-industry-illustration) 

As you can see the finished illustration is interesting and serves as a well thought out editorial to work alongside the article. Tony Beresford who wrote the article gave a list of tips at the end of his post: 

Know your subject – it's no good trying to illustrate something you don't understand.

Get the brief right – illustration is an art form and depending on the medium your illustrator is working in, changes at a later stage might mean a lot of work for them and a high cost for you.

Do your research – check out an illustrator’s portfolio and assess whether or not they're right for the job.

Check the details – illustrations can be quite complicated so take the time to visually proof them for mistakes – make sure they're just right.

Be digitally aware – you may wish to use the illustrations online or in tablet versions of your publications. Do they work in these spaces? Do you want to animate them in some way?

- See more at: http://www.redhouselane.com/blog/how-commission-art-industry-illustration#sthash.zYmqrvB7.dpuf

I think the bottom point is most important when looking for commissions in this modern industry as it is commonplace now that illustrators and graphic designers will have a comprehensive digital skill.