Finding and Working with Graphic Designers and Artists
Posted by Michael Mindes on January 12, 2012
To run a successful game publishing endeavor and eventually empire, requires a large number of people. Most of these people will work on a contract basis, but finding the best, working with them repeatedly, and getting their best work out of them are essential to producing a great product.
The Search For Artists and Graphic Designers
If I were starting again from scratch and needed to build up relationships with fantastic artists, I would start with the artwork on games that I find appealing. Now, this can be a little tricky, because depending on who the publisher s of those games, they could employ the artists full time. For example, you will be hard pressed to hire graphic designers that work at Fantasy Flight Games to do your graphic design work.
However, if you stick to the smaller publishers, then you are almost certainly running into artists that are working on a project basis. So, the steps here are simple:
- Discover who the artist is.
- Utilizing the power of the Internet, find a way to contact them.
- Start a conversation about doing artwork.
Get Pricing Up Front
This may seem obvious, but artwork is one area where estimations of time required and actual time spent can vary widely. Make sure you provide the artist with an exhaustive list of what is needed for the project including:
- Full final piece numbers.
- Any icons or symbols that need to be created.
- Layout required.
With an exhaustive list, they should be able to estimate their required time and provide you with a quote. You need to also speak with the artist about what is expected in the process. Do you want to see their work at the concept stage, sketch stage, inking stage, and coloring stage for approval at each step?
Be careful to provide guidance about what you want, as continual changes and ongoing work can become expensive quickly.
Address What Constitutes Reasonable Corrections
The more guidance you provide about what you want, the more you can ask for corrections to what has not been delivered. If you approve cover artwork at every stage and then want it redone, then you should expect to pay for all of the work lost. However, if your artist one day shows you a finished cover without providing work in between, then do not pay for changes that are required.
What Artists Want...
If you are dealing with your accountant, then you probably know what they want. They want quality and accurate numbers on the front end, answers to questions that they might have, and payment. An artist is somebody that spends their time creating a world for you. They labor excessively to get things to look just right.
In my experience, artist want 3 things most:
- Praise for a job well done.
- Respect for their artistic vision.
- Timely payment.
It is surprising when I hear about how long it takes most artists to be paid for projects that they work on... Pay invoices when they are presented and due. Do it without delay, and you will find that artists want to work with you and they will give you better work as a result.
Payment Up Front
For a typical artwork contract, I end up paying 25% or 33% of the total contract up front before that artwork is started. Then the remainder is due when the files are delivered to the manufacturer and accepted.
A Deal Is A Deal
Remember, that a deal is a deal. Artwork costs vary significantly from one artist to another. Typically you get what you pay for, but remember, there is no such thing as a standard deal, unless you dictate a standard to the other party.
