illosaurus eyes theispot.com

theispot.com is one of the highest profile illustration portfolio sites on the web. illosaurus gets the lowdown from Dave Tabler, the main man behind the scenes.

illosaurus: The online portfolio market is fiercely competitive. How do you keep theispot one step ahead?

Dave Tabler: Well, without giving away trade secrets ;-) I would have to say that any business, especially one based on technology, also needs to maintain its humanity. All of us spend phone and email time each day with subscribers, providing feedback, answering questions, brainstorming. We get some of our very best ideas for developing the site directly from our illustrators. Listening, looking and incorporating what we learn is an important part of our business.

Some portfolio sites offer tiered membership, with different levels of payment securing different benefits. Why did you choose a different approach?

We've always felt that the task of theispot is twofold: to get illustrators work, and to help art directors and designers find talent as quickly as possible. Keyword searches are randomized to allow the work, rather than the wallet, to speak for itself.

Do you have any quality criteria in terms of the artists you accept?

theispot is open to both emerging talent as well as more established, award-winning artists. That said, we have been very honest in refusing illustrators who seem unready for the type of exposure we provide. We won't take money from someone if we don't see the arrangement as mutually beneficial, and we'll suggest ways for them to build a stronger portfolio instead.

You currently have over 1000 artist portfolios. Will you ever reach a point where the numbers become unmanageable?

The number of artists on theispot is regulated by several factors. Technology-wise, it's not difficult to manage and maintain a growing volume of image files with a well built search engine, so that's not the biggest issue. The impact comes from whether our current subscribers are happy with the site and decide to include us in their marketing plans year after year, as well as our ability to reach out and attract new members. Our average renewal rate for the past few years has consistently been about 75%; future subscriptions are far less predictable, based as they are on so many factors beyond our control.

theispot's income is determined by the number of illustrators who sign up rather than the number of commissioners who use the site. How do you resolve that tension when it comes to dividing up the marketing budget?

Most of the major advertising we do - the multiple ad pages in CA, Print and other international design publications - is geared towards getting the featured artists noticed by commissioners. But it is also a fact that illustrators read these magazines too and have come to appreciate the consistent, vertical approach to advertising that theispot takes. Understanding and actually seeing where and how advertising dollars are spent has an enormous impact on artists and reps who take marketing seriously.

Do you think some types of commissioner are more reluctant to search for artists online than others?

No! Ten years ago, the web was considered the exotic frontier of advertising, but it has rapidly become the number one method for marketing and locating just about anything in the world. Illustration is no exception.

How do you measure your success?

When it all comes together - commissioners finding the perfect artist within minutes of visiting theispot - we've done our job and it's a good day's work.

Finally, do you have any advice for someone who is trying to decide which portfolio site to invest their marketing budget with?

Visit the website you're interested in and do a keyword search that describes your work. Then take a careful look at the results. If the images you see are strong, if the group represented is one you'd be proud to be among and if you think you can hold your own against them, you're in the right place.