Victo Ngai

I felt honoured that I was present to hear Victo Ngai talk the other week. She spoke a lot about what its like to work as a freelance illustrator in the creative industry today. It was really interesting listening to what she had to say, even if it was a little (a lot) daunting.
My notes from the talk
"Fine artists like to create problems for themselves while illustrators like to solve problems given to them."

Illustration is about problem solving and puzzles, its working within limitations and its about communicating.
Ideas keep you evolving, and keep it fresh.
Be sensitive, think about your audience.

Make the most use from limitations/ layout etc, make sure you capture the best moment in the frame given.

Try to bring your own interests into commission work.

More money usually means less freedom. If you're working on a big corporate advertising job, try to keep a sketchbook for creativity to flow on the side of what you're doing. Make sure you always enjoy what you do even if you don't particularly enjoy the brief you're working on.

Advertisements online usually give more freedom because production costs are much lower.

Make things personal to you.

I absolutely love the compositions she comes up with. I need to think outside the box that is my tiny mind a bit more, because these are far more exciting to look at and interpret than a lot of illustrations I've come across. Interesting layout, composition and colour palette make these great pieces of illustration in my eyes.