Illustrations are crucial in marketing. More and more people are reeled in with images and then words after. With the low attention span of individuals, businesses are designing layouts that can attract more and more customers.
But most business owners can’t create eye-catching ones themselves. That’s why illustrators are one of the most in-demand online jobs today.
Illustrators draw images for books, newspapers, animation, and more. That’s from scratch. It’s your job to bring to life images that can convey your message to the target audience.
Illustrators earn roughly 25,000 PHP to 60,000 PHP, depending on the skill level. If you’re looking for opportunities in this field, here are 7 essential skills to become a sought-after illustrator.
Creativity
Creativity is the raw material for your illustrator career. Given a topic and problem, how do you incorporate your illustrations that will match the branding message of your client? And at the same time, how can you make it attractive enough?
Your creativity will come into play to bridge the gap between what your client wants and what the market will be attracted to.
Design Skills
The art of Illustrating is not just mere combining colours or sketching. You should have the design skills to make it desirable for your target audience.
It’s choosing the right colours, proportions, and style based on your company’s needs. Equip yourself with design skills to pitch the best illustrations to your clients.
Drawing Skills
Aside from design, Illustrators create from scratch. It can be a new concept, a fictitious terrain in a game, or just a caricature of their brand mascot.
With this, you should have the drawing skills to bring your design concepts to life. In this way, your imagination is just the limit to what you can make.
Storytelling
A picture paints a thousand words. With this, illustrations are the paragraphs that you narrate to the world. But do your images “speak“ to your audience?
As a sought-after illustrator, you should have the storytelling skills to convey the message to your clients. It might show in the details, in the text, or even in subtle touches in your images.
Computer Skills
With all the creativity and skills you have, it should show in your work. And more often than not, your illustrations should be done in digital form.
So you should have the computer skills to create your work from scratch. Programs like AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator are essential to your output.
And if you must be willing to learn new programs just in case your client requires you of it.
Collaboration
You will not be working alone. You will be with a team for your company’s goals. It can be from the marketing department, IT department, and even sales. What to do then?
Hone your collaboration skills to know what each of your team members’ suggestions and points of view. And then, incorporate it into your illustrations. In this way, you can create content that encompasses all their needs for their department.
Up-to-date
There are new innovations every day in illustrating. It might be a new editing software, a trending design, or even a new take on previous practices. Can you keep up with the changing times?
You should be up-to-date with the latest happenings in your field. You can follow thought leaders for their latest take on trending topics. Join Facebook groups, Quora discussions, and Reddit threads to gather sentiments for what’s up and coming. Free and paid courses and seminars can also go a long way.
Make sure to be up-to-date to be relevant for the long run.
Conclusion
Ready to become a sought-after illustrator? With the skills above, opportunities will open your remote working career to the next level. If you’re looking for some, here are remote jobs in the Philippines you can apply for. Good luck!