Contact

illosaurus on Sourcebooks
An interview with Wendy Ray at Contact

Contact is the UK's leading commercial sourcebook. Now in its 24th year, Contact is distributed annually to around 10,000 commissioners of illustration in the UK and beyond.

illosaurus : Contact promotes the work of hundreds of illustrators each year. Dealing with so many individuals must give you a great overview of the industry. How do you rate the current health of illustration?

Wendy Ray : The illustration market is still buoyant despite all the changes within the industry. When I started six years ago many illustrators were still getting to grips with some of the new digital technology out there but this is no longer the case.

How has technology impacted on individual illustrators?

Some illustrators tell me they feel that the computer generated market has deskilled the industry and there isn't the same demand for their more traditional skills. Others have used the technology to their advantage and create by hand to manipulate further by computer aided design. If you browse through our current book you'll see that there is still a very broad cross-section of work displayed being commissioned. I believe there is room for both skills.

Is that change in skill sets reflected in the kinds of illustrators using Contact?

I really don't think the profile of illustrators has changed in the sense that we have very seasoned illustrators who've been with us many years, we also have those testing the waters and some coming in the book for the first time. They also have career breaks to have children or try other avenues of promotion. Invariably they return to us.

Contact also publishes a photography sourcebook. Are there any differences in the way photographers and illustrators approach self-promotion?

Usually photographers seem more self assured about their entries into Contact. However they are also less concerned about getting their work to us on time!

And illustrators?

Illustrators are a slightly gentler breed and more conscientious. They usually ask more questions during production and generally have a bit more time to chat. Of course many illustrators work alone and don't have a busy studio to run with assistants and stylists so they do have a rather different working day and perspective on their advertising. If I had to sum it up photographers are more forthright in approach and illustrators more diligent so we deal with them accordingly.

How has the role of the sourcebook changed in recent years?

At one time sourcebooks didn't have any other competition apart from illustrators sending out cards to agencies or visiting them with good old fashioned legwork clutching their portfolio. The web changed all this. In fact we have offered website portfolios (and run-on pages) as part of our package for over 11 years now and we find that both are complementary to the book. Recently we have further embraced technology by producing the Contact book as an E-book online which means that artbuyers can browse page by page or by selection. Being interactive, the illustrator now has links from their online page to their email and web address.

Do sourcebooks offer anything that can't be replicated digitally?

Commissioners still demand our books because resolutions can be very different online so it's important for them to view a final quality in printed form. Sourcebooks offer a sense of permanence in an everchanging world. Many other forms of advertising are far more transitory but a page in our book has the reach of named artbuyers who welcome the quality it presents and a break from the screen! They refer back to many editions for many years.

Many illustrators find selecting images for inclusion in a sourcebook a daunting task. Do you have any advice?

Daunting indeed! Contact has never believed in standing as judge and jury over work received. However I'm often asked this question and there are a few things to consider. It is a large book with much imagery. Any point of advertising is to make an impact on the artbuyer. Too much imagery causes confusion and dilutes the page so it's best to keep images to a minimum. You can't be all things to all men so it's far better to show one or two images with an individual style to capture attention. Once that artbuyer is interested they will automatically refer to your web portfolio to see further work.

Finally, what do you think is the key to success in illustration?

Overall to be a top illustrator you need to promote yourself. Just having a website or sending out a few postcards is not enough. Sourcebooks, postcards and as many links to your website through reputable portals is required. In the end it is the artbuyer that chooses so they are the people to target.