footballheroes.org
jerzovskaja.com

illosaurus on Self-promotion
An interview with Jerzovskaja

Football Heroes was one of the most imaginative and ambitious self-promotional projects of 2006. A full colour hardback book running to over 160 pages, Football Heroes drew together 50 artists from 17 countries in a unique celebration of football and illustration. To date 10,000 copies have been sold worldwide and the website has welcomed over a million visitors.

The project was conceived, designed and entirely funded by Swiss illustrator Jerzovskaja.

illosaurus: You must have balls of steel to take on a project like this! Was there ever a point when you thought you might have taken on too much?

Jerzovskaja: I always aim high so I knew from the start there would be problems somewhere along the way. I try to face them with the calm of a zen painter and the determination of an athlete :)

How much work was involved?

A lot. For almost a year I worked 8 hours a day as an illustrator and graphic designer during the day and then another 8 to 10 hours each night on Football Heroes: planning the concept, sorting out the text and translations, finding all the reference photos of the players, setting up the website, managing the prepress, overseeing the printing. And of course all the PR stuff like advertising the book, taking it to book fairs, finding distribution partners and so on.

Did you do everything yourself?

Not quite :) I worked with a Swiss illustrator called Ashi on the design, and my brother Ken helped with the exhibitions. I also got a lot of support from the other illustrators. Without their immense contribution the book would never have been possible.

Why did you decide to set up your own publishing company to produce the book?

I would have preferred not to but nobody else wanted to take on the project. I contacted a lot of publishers, but all I heard was: "Oh no, not another football book for the World Cup." I was surprised. Companies spend so much money during an event like that and yet there are so few good ideas out there.

Has becoming a publisher changed your view of the illustration industry?

Yes - although I never saw the illustration market as an industry. For me it's a collection of talented and creative minds, the best of whom have the power to change the way people look at the world.

Did being a publisher change your view of illustrators?

In a way. When I was looking for illustrators I was surprised how unhelpful many of their websites were. I couldn't view some portfolios because the javascript wouldn't run on a Mac. Or the site would rely on the latest Beta version of Flash, and without it all you saw was a blank page. And even if I did find a website I loved, it was amazing how difficult it was to find a contact address that worked. I lost count of the number of times my emails were bounced by over-aggressive spam filters!

In effect you became a client on this project. How did you find working with illustrators?

Illustrators are great to work with! They know how to focus on a goal and surprise you with details in their work you never even dreamed of. It's beautiful to find top class illustrations in your mailbox every morning when you start work. It gave me a miraculous feeling of being part of a worldwide network of passionate people all enriching the world with new flavours.

In many ways Football Heroes is like a sourcebook, albeit an unconventional one. Was that your intention?

Yes. And that's one reason so many professional illustrators were prepared to work so intensively without the financial reward they would usually get for a job like this. The book and the website are a great showcase for their work.

Do you know if the book has been successful in generating commissions for any of the participants?

Absolutely. I know of many illustrators who got work with Football Heroes. A great example is Ashi who drew the cover image. His iconic illustration of Ronaldinho helped win him half a dozen regular newspaper jobs. A lot depended on how strongly each illustrator used the project to promote himself. People like Jon Burgerman (UK), Ian D. Marsden (USA), Christian Lindemann (Germany), Gaston Caba (Argentina), Jorge Alderete (Mexico) and Glauco Diogenes (Brazil) put the effort in and generated some good publicity.

Do you think the book has changed people's perceptions of collaborative projects within illustration?

I hope so. I hope we've shown publishers that illustration books can be more than just the uncoordinated graphic design collections that have saturated the market for the last decade.

As well as the book there have been several exhibitions throughout Europe showcasing contributors' work. What do you feel the exhibitions have added to the project?

The exhibitions were very important. It's not enough just to publish a book nowadays. You have to create a buzz with events, websites, press materials and so on. People have got used to the polished promotion of Hollywood blockbusters! So you need to create an event that will be discussed on radio, on TV and in newspapers. Exhibitions help generate interest and excitement.

What was the hardest part of the process?

Having to explain to people that having a bestseller hasn't made me rich! I spent everything we earned with the book on promoting the project. Plus as a newcomer to publishing I ended up signing a few contracts that in retrospect were not the best. We signed with an international distribution partner called Actar D in Barcelona. They sold the book everywhere from Japan to Tenerife, but 10 months on I still haven't seen a penny. And now I'm having to spend huge amounts on lawyers to try and get them to behave honorably and pay up.

And the best part?

Seeing the hundreds of people who visited the exhibitions responding so positively to the artists' work. After the early struggle to get the project off the ground it was superb to see it all take shape and meet so many people who loved what we did.

What's next on the horizon for Jerzovskaja?

We're going to do it all again! But this time trying to avoid some of the mistakes we made first time round. Football Heroes see RED will be out next year to celebrate the European Championships in Switzerland and Austria.