Podcast Summary: The Good Ship Illustration – "Is There Enough Work for Illustrators? The Truth About Illustration Jobs in 2025 - A Rising Tide Floats All Boats 🚢🚢🚢"

Release Date: March 7, 2025
Hosts: Helen Stephens, Katie Chappell, Tania Willis
Podcast: The Good Ship Illustration

1. Introduction: Debating the Illustration Job Market

The episode kicks off with a continuation of a previously heated debate between Katie Chappell and Tania Willis regarding the availability of work for illustrators. Tania references a clash of opinions where Katie asserted, "there's loads of work for illustrators," while Tania contended the opposite, noting a quiet year and widespread dissatisfaction among illustrators.

Tanya [00:25]: "It's been a really quiet year. Lots of people are really cheesed off."

2. Katie’s Response: Introducing the Jobs Board

In response to the criticism of her earlier stance, Katie introduces her innovative solution—a dedicated jobs board tailored for illustrators. She recounts her initial experiment in 2024, where she attempted scaling her operations akin to an agency model with a team of 24 illustrators. Although successful in securing ample work, the endeavor proved unsustainable, leading to burnout.

Katie [01:29]: "I have had the weird problem of still having more work than I can do... it was very fun, lots of jobs, but really, really, really stressful."

Determined to provide a more sustainable solution, Katie launched a jobs board in early 2025. Her approach involved sharing available illustration jobs without disclosing client details, thereby respecting client privacy while offering illustrators direct access to opportunities.

Katie [01:34]: "I was like, if I can figure a way to share the work, share the job without giving the client's details away... it was genius."

3. The Success of the Jobs Board

Katie's jobs board quickly gained traction, with listings appearing almost daily. Illustrators appreciated seeing available budgets, which not only informed their pricing strategies but also fostered a community-wide uplift in rate standards.

Katie [02:56]: "It's been like a job every other day. A job a day sometimes."

Cassandra [02:56]: "Price to see what people are charging, what people are paying."

The platform facilitated transparency in pricing, allowing illustrators like Cassandra to adjust their rates significantly.

Katie [14:04]: "A lady, a nice lady called Cassandra, said she'd upped her day rate by hundreds. Just by seeing it."

4. Variety of Illustration Jobs Available

The discussion highlights the diverse range of illustration jobs listed on Katie's board. These include data visualization projects, such as visualizing survey results, and large-scale print projects for institutions like the Australian university and the British Library.

Katie [03:25]: "One was like to visualize the results of a survey. So it's data visualization."

Katie [09:42]: "Google. I had a nice stint at the end of last year. It was the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shakespeare Globe Theatre."

5. Live Illustration: Opportunities and Challenges

A significant portion of the conversation delves into live illustration—a dynamic form of illustration performed in real-time at events and conferences. Katie explains the demanding nature of live illustrating, which often involves extended periods of drawing, punctuated by short breaks.

Katie [04:54]: "Sometimes it is a bit like that. If it's a big long conference... it'll be like two hours of drawing and then a little coffee break."

The hosts discuss the technical and creative challenges involved, such as producing time-lapse animations of the drawings and managing client expectations regarding edits.

Katie [05:15]: "You rub them out. So you do have to tell them like it's chronological... it's just not working out."

6. Managing Client Expectations and Technical Setup

Katie emphasizes the importance of clear communication with clients, especially regarding the technical aspects of live illustration. She notes that clients typically have their own AV teams to handle broadcasting, reducing the technical burden on the illustrator.

Katie [07:22]: "The client usually has an audio, visual and AV team to sort all that... you might have to do a tech check before the event."

7. Skill Development and Repetitive Tasks in Illustration

The hosts touch upon the repetitive nature of certain illustration tasks, such as drawing common symbols or themes like viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic and AI-related imagery in recent projects. This repetition underscores the importance of developing a robust library of assets to streamline workflow.

Katie [08:15]: "It used to be a virus image because Covid do loads and loads of them. Now it's AI things."

8. High-Profile Clients and Career Growth

Katie shares her experiences working with prestigious clients, including Apple, Adobe, Google, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the British Library. These collaborations not only enhance her portfolio but also validate her expertise in the industry.

Katie [09:42]: "I had a nice stint at the end of last year... British Library."

9. Future Endeavors: Live Illustration Course

Looking ahead, Katie discusses her plans to launch a live illustration course. This initiative aims to equip aspiring illustrators with the necessary skills and confidence to pursue live illustration opportunities.

Katie [10:22]: "I'm working on it now. I made a big list of what's going to go in it."

Tania expresses enthusiasm about the course, recognizing its potential to bridge gaps in graphic visual communication.

10. Final Thoughts: Community Support and Resources

The episode concludes with Katie promoting her jobs board, available on her Substack for a nominal fee. The platform not only provides job listings but also serves as a resource for illustrators to benchmark their rates and secure meaningful work.

Katie [13:54]: "If you Google Katie Draws... Jobs Board pops up, it's only £7 a month."

Katie [14:09]: "It ups your rates... just by seeing it."

The hosts reinforce the idea that a supportive community and accessible resources are crucial for illustrators navigating the evolving job market.

Notable Quotes:

• Tanya [00:25]: "It's been a really quiet year. Lots of people are really cheesed off."
• Katie [01:34]: "...share the work, share the job without giving the client's details away."
• Cassandra [02:56]: "Price to see what people are charging, what people are paying."
• Katie [04:54]: "Sometimes it is a bit like that... two hours of drawing and then a little coffee break."
• Katie [10:22]: "I'm working on it now. I made a big list of what's going to go in it."

Conclusion

This episode of The Good Ship Illustration provides a comprehensive exploration of the current state and future prospects of illustration careers. Through candid discussions, practical solutions like Katie's jobs board, and insights into live illustration, the hosts offer valuable guidance for illustrators seeking to navigate a competitive and dynamic industry landscape. The emphasis on community support, continuous skill development, and strategic career planning underscores the podcast's commitment to empowering illustrators in their creative journeys.