It is common belief that it's tough for a fresh college graduate to walk in with a portfolio and land into advertising directly. Common notions are that one needs 'contacts' and 'references'. That's not true. A good portfolio is the key into this exciting world, provided that the work contains not only cool designs and illustrations, but strong and unique ideas behind them as well. Once you make your way in, the world is yours. And for an illustrator, it's a very exciting place. There is a bit of illustration in everything you create, whether it's a logo design, typography, calligraphy or even a photo shoot.
Pablo Picasso once said, "God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on trying other things". Once a new style is cracked, the job is done. Then it's all about moving on to explore something new. It's important to go for the best style that suits the brief rather than retro fitting what you are good at. It also depends on the brief, if the best solution is a minimal vector graphic then why waste energy and time in creating intricate miniature art?
Whatever is the result, it all starts with a doodle. Never sit on the computer directly. It is always better to think, let your subconscious work on the problem then transfer your thoughts into paper and use that doodle as a building block. Remember that even though we've got incredible programs and software at our disposal, they can't do the thinking; they cannot generate ideas. Surrounding yourself with interesting and creative things can help inspire. Whether it's things you collect from your travels or simply dig deep into the rich Indian culture, design and artistic forms are all around us.
Short deadlines, overnight work, client's not so friendly feedback and budget issues are few things that, sometimes, stop us in doing great work. But it ultimately depends on the kind of brand you're working with. There are clients like Vodafone who love illustrations and there are other clients who are more focused on photo shoots or stock images. Can you imagine Amul advertising without those funny illustrative ads? Once you figure out that illustration is the best answer to this brief then the real job starts to convince the client on the benefit of using illustration in that particular case. Illustration in advertising is very different from illustrations elsewhere. Here, every single line must serve a purpose and should add to that overall message.
