Association Of Illustrators Talk

AOI  NOTES 



Functional Simple Professional  Formed in 1973

• your Website, keep you blog up to date - don't keep a blog if it's slow
• DONT have a contact form, its a barrier
• Starting a collective is appealing for Art Directors, Commissioners.
• Try not to be too inspired by a certain style, do not emirate them. Create your own style.
• NURTURE personal projects, keep drawing, keep people interested.

• Answer your own dream brief (in your personal project sketchbook)
• If you're going to use a social media, twitter or instagram you need to be DEDICATED to it
• Don't post until you have permission, READ your contract

• Bechance is a project based portfolio site
• A5 or A6 physical mailers, people love getting tangible mail
• have it addressed to the art director, reference a piece of their existing art. Why do you want to work for them? a small handwritten note or doodle to make a connection with them.
• Follow up with an email 3 - illustration

How to find clients?
AOI client directories
Bikinilists.com

• do NOT blanket bomb (send out the same email to everyone)
• DO your research, who inspires you? Find their names? Who represents them?

Register your own business!

• For income tax within 3 months of starting
• retain ALL receipts
• Keep up to date accounts
• Keep paperwork with every job(so buy a folder or whatever)
• You can claim back money on many things
• Tax return once a year atm but by 2020 it will be four times a year!

COPYRIGHT

• your copyright is important over all
• lasts for 70 years after the creators death (but the whole creators lifetime also)
• It doesn't require a c or registration
• independent of your individual art work
• no copyright in a style or an idea 
• copying a substantial part of their work infringes their copyright 
• copying a key imaging from work no matter what the size could infringe. 

If you start to financially benefit from fan artwork you are infringing on a copyright. Photographers have copyrights too. 
copyright assignment is very rare definitely seek advice. They will own it. You can't put it in your portfolio. 

MORAL RIGHTS 

• right of paternity, to be identified as the creator of the work 
• right of integrate, no derogatory treatment of your work 
• Moral rights do not apply to newspapers or magazines. 

RIGHTS ONLINE 

• Protect your work online so you can always be identified as the author 
• low resolution 72 dpi and name in the file name 
• use the c symbol on every page/blog/social media 
• No watermarking 
• Read Terms and Conditions of the website 

CONTRACTS 
Every right to ask questions from clients. have confidence. Contracts are a huge deal. 

WHO is going to do WHAT by WHEN and for HOW MUCH. 
Instantly ask for a contract. Basic T+C's. Cancellation fees. 

Show professionalism be wary of clients, and start up businesses. 

Acceptance of commission 

• Normally a year for small companies
• Exclusive to the company unless otherwise stated
• Area covered by license is important

Even something little = contract 
You don't have to sign it, the last contact sent via email is the legal biding. 

Watch out for: copyright assignments, moral rights waiver, irrevocable licenses. 

CRUCIAL CLAUSE : rejection, sub-licensing (BIG NO), cancellation, termination. 

DO NOT WORK FOR FREE

1. Price accurately 
2. know the details 
3. are they uk based? 
4. How many workers? 
5. Usage (editorial, OOH (billboards) etc.) 
6. Who is the company/ clientele. 
7. License duration 
8. Look how they are visually communicating right now 

DO NOT work on a DAY RATE 
"below the line" - flyers, internet document, newsletters. 

Self Publishers are risk clients. 
buyout - all media licenses 
no copyright assignment 

always confirm that its a time specific license and not assignment. 
Sign up to AOI for student (£55) poss in third year. 



- Bernstein and Angelie?