Catell Ronca

We've been very lucky having so many people from out in the industry coming to visit us. One of which was Illustrator Catell Ronca who in her talk gave us advice on how to work freelance and also to talk about her own work. She gave a presentation showing her 12 points to look at whilst working freelance, i took brief notes of them so here they are:

1) How to start your business:
2) Define your market:
-know where you fit in (editorial etc)
3) Research your clients:
-Go to bookshops/libraries
-find out art directors and see what is currently being produced
4) Address the right person:
-Correct spelling of names
-know who they are
use directories
5) Self Promotion:
-create a piece of work that is completely original
-make it memorable
-demonstrate your thinking
-what is special about your work
-be opinionated
-when you send mail make sure names are spelt correctly
-respect that art directors are busy and will get back to you
-send a feedback form
6) Show your portfolio:
-portfolios must be impecable
-only include work you are proud of
-A4/A3
-no more than 20 pieces
-no sketchbooks
-bring business card
-ask who they can recommend (other art directors)
-Create a Website (even if it's just a blog)
7) Network:
-with other illustrators/designers
-people who you studied with
-regular contact with clients (past and present)
-exhibitions
8) Get Commissioned:
-confirm in writing stating agreed price and copyright
9) Copyright:
-do NOT give it away
-offer a license for a year perhaps
-read ALL the small print
-only sell it when it makes sense to
10) Pricing:
-what it is used for
-how big the client is/how big the budget is
-circulation? 100 or 100,000 copies
-area and duration of license
11) Invoice:
-get it done straight away or it wont get paid!
12) Agents:
-will do everything for you
-will take commission for every piece of work you do (normally 25-30%)
-you pay for promotion costs

I've never really planned to go straight into freelance work after finishing the course but she has some quite good points that i will keep in mind if i do ever do any freelance work. She also gave us a few useful links that might help us getting started and networking:

own-it.org
theaoi.com
moonfruit.com
spraygraphic.com
illu-stration.com
illustrationmundo.com
coroflot.com