Average # sketches to Art Director:

Arnold Roth................... 0

Craig Frazier................. 1.5

Christoph Niemann.... 7.3

Are we in a service trend or has the

deign/illustrator genre simply changed?

And how so for the better?

Typically, we get one sketch before we receive the final artwork at the magazine I work on.

If the illustrator's concept doesn't gel with what we were envisioning for the story, only then would we go for a second round. We like to put trust in our illustrators and find that the less direction we give the better results we get. Also, we may have a unique situation in that we tend to use the same few illustrators.

Recently we worked with a new (to us) illustrator for cover art. It took three rounds of sketching. I credit this higher number of sketches with the fact the article was a little complex to illustrate and pinpointing an appropriate concept was challenging.

The results after some concept tweaking turned out rather well, though.

Craig, when illustrating for a magazine how much direction to you prefer to receive, aside from the story that is?

Congrats Craig. The book is an awesome achievement.

I'll have to go get it. Until then, no comments other than to say hi and that I'm still a fan of your work.

Like any assignment, I prefer to discuss the messaging of the story and point(s) that we are trying to convey. I don't like to get any direction on as to how I might express it. Seems to make for the best solutions.

Hi to Tan. Rush right out and get that book!

Craig,

First off, hello to you. I've always admired your work.

My question is, does it bother you to see your style imitated (sometimes very closely), or do you feel flattered, secure in the knowledge that most people will recognize it as an attempt to mimic your style?

Jesse, unfortunately, there is nothing particularly flattering about imitation. I am pleased to inspire others to do good work. When they do it that looks stylistically like mine, I haven't really inspired them. Anyone interested in developing a career knows its a dead end to imitate another's style. An illustrator never wants to hear from another illustrator's attorney.

How about that? I get a chance to check my email and Craig Frazier is chatting with us. Wish I could spend more time in this lovely chat, but there is still lots of stuff to see around here. Not sure if I have a question for Craig, well maybe I would just like to point out how cool the animations you did along with Hillman Curtis are... and maybe I´ll ask this, was it hard giving motion to your illustrations? I think you brought them to life very nicely.

Here is the Link

Armin, you get a free book if we get over 36 comments before I go on vacation tomorrow. I will answer 4 at a time. I'm busy packing my snorkel.

It was a blast making the animations. The hard part is getting those stiff legs to move.

I know this is tough given that most of you haven't even seen the book. Felix said it would be ok if you came over to his place for a reading this afternoon.

Per Jesse's quiery, this guy, for example, is an illustrator who I believe has- on occasion- been referrencing Craig's work. Trouble is, hes also referrencing 12 other ilustrators!

In Craig's unique case, the illustrator has had ample time (18 years) to tinker around in styles before making better statements on his own.

In 1996-7, as a designer, I swam in Craig's wake and ended up gasping air. But later, (and no small thanks to his work) I eventually learned to swim on my own.

Well, sort of.

I do have a Frazier-preserver around here somewhere...

--Armin, you get a free book if we get over 36 comments before I go on vacation tomorrow.

Damn it! C´mon people, help me get a free book! Don´t be shy, ask Craig more about his vacation if we need more comments.

My hour of internet caffeing is up, so this is my last comment.

I will help you get a free book Armin.

Craig, I think you have wonderful wonderful work. What a nice opportunity we have here to chat with you, I will most certainly order your book up here in Canada next time I visit the local bookstore.

Anyhow, I am sure the book will answer many of the billion questions I have about the illustration industry. I have been working away trying to build illustration work for the past forever & I guess my question is how did you know when your work felt right or a reflection of you? Did it just kind of happen, the style just developed on its own over time or was a thought out plan involved? I play and I draw and I make pictures and people seem to like them. I worry though that when I do actually start being aggressive with marketing it that my work will seem under developed, or that there will be no niche in the market for my style. Is that just typical artist insecurity?

Well that turned from one question into a bunch. Answer whatever will take the least distractions away from packing your snorkel.

Personally, I can't wait to see the book. It's always nice to get insight on how others approach creative problems. Everyone's different.

Craig, I'm curious about your approach to corporate jobs and client relationships. You seem to continually produce top-notch work for a variety of outlets. Yet I imagine that it's a little more difficult to sell a concept when doing corporate work, rather than editorial (I could be wrong, not having worked in editorial myself). How do you balance the needs/wants of the art director, creative director, and most of all the client and still produce something you are happy with that is true to your concept? As designers, there are always projects where we feel the end result is not as good as we would like, because the client has watered down or killed our ideas for whatever reason. Have you had similar experiences? How have you been able to deal with such situations?

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us!

Amanda and Patrick both have good and universal questions. Both are answered in great detail in the book. Order at graphis.com. The short answer to Amanda is to draw what you like. If you have a passion for detail, draw it. if you love simple graphic stuff, draw it. If you are attracted to certain colors, use them. Trying to make work that attempts to satisfy a particular market tends to look like it and satisfies no one very well, especially the illustrator. I have found that the hardest part of the job is defending my ideas, especially in the corporate work, Patrick. To that end, it is much easier to defend something that I am committed to because it was my idea, not an art director's. I can speak to the rationale of an idea because I can track the cognitive process. By not taking art direction in the traditional sense, the debate is over the tone and accuracy of the idea rather than how well I interpretted their vision. It requires a client to address the relationship from an angle of trust and ambition rather than control and worry. The problems you ask about Patrick all stem from a client's expectations. If you want someone to judge your work and in effect direct your decisions, you had better have a great deal of trust in their knowledge and expertise, because they are making decisions about your career for you. See pages 81 and 172.

Craig, Why a PDF preview of the book? I mean, maybe a few images of the pages could do the job of carrying readers to it, isn´t? of course the PDF is nicer ;)

Wax on, my friend. Wax on!

If I told an art director they couldnt

direct me I'd be livin in a van down by the river.

Wait, er, I do live in a van by the river.

Craiky.

It's all in the definition of direct Felix. Your not going to tell me that art directors have been coming up with all those clever little drawings for you are they?

By the way, some people like and take art direction very well. Less conceptual illustration fits that bill fine. If you particularly like inventing ideas, you probably don't like someone else asking if you wouldn't mind drawing their interpretation of what they thought you might come up with on your own. You have to take some ownership for your own point of view. That's more than aesthetic. The only protection of your style Felix is your own twisted little ideas that you put in those drawings. Those are yours, now get out their and start paddling, my friend.

Thanks for stopping by today and sharing with us, Craig!

My pleasure, back soon. Store up the questions.

> Armin, you get a free book if we get over 36 comments before I go on vacation tomorrow.

I cant resist commenting for two reasons, at least:

1) I think your illustrations are great

2) I would like Armin to get a free book (who wouldnt)

and these are extra ones:

3) I feel proud when I can say just by looking at it: Ah!!! that's a Craig Frazier illustration!!!!

4) I envy Armin for being able to get a free book (if the comments reach 36 before Mr. Frazier going snorkeling)

and last but not least

5) if the book is given will it be autographed too?? (or that requires an extra 28 comments?)

Congratulations Craig

How could anyone not like someone who is a Springsteen fan? ;-)

Craig, do you ever feel too bound to your style and the hat guy? It's obviously one of your trademarks (and always in service of a nice concept) and what ADs come looking for. I wonder at what point do you decide that, as an artist/illustrator/designer, you want to evolve and/or just move on to a new realm. Have you hit this point before and managed to get past it? Or, do you just see an endless supply of metaphors and concepts to keep it fresh?

Craig,

In the last decade, the general market for illustration has changed in your favor: towards the conceptual, 'craft' and iconographic. would you talk about how the way this has effected, if at all, your work and your clients.

And also, specifically because this is a Design forum, how formally do you approach the composition of the work and your color choice?

congratulations with the book.

So much of your work involves relating to text. As a typographer, I'm wondering whether you have any input into the text used with your illustrations ... typeface choices? type placement?

Are you generally allowed to make suggestions? Do you wish you had more power? Are you glad it's not your decision?

I'm wondering what kind of relationship you have with the words that accompany your illustrations and also what relationship you wish you had!

It's a beautiful book. I'm recommending that our corporate resource center purchase the book for our libraries. Thanks for participating in this wonderful forum.

OK, since no one has asked:

What's with all the small heads?

(Just kidding... ;o)

Seriously...looks like a great book...not just a bunch of pretty pictures, either. It could make for an ideal art-school text book. You're going to have special Speak-Up reader discounts, right? ;o)

As a foreword, I'm not an illustrator. I don't know the business or market. I don't mean to play devils advocate here or disrespect Craig in anyway whatsoever with the following but I associate this type of illustration with business magazines. The likes of Fast Company, Inc., Business 2.0, and Fortune. I think they all look the same, come from stock houses and are done in Painter in 10 minutes. Even my friends work that seemed unique to me at first, now immediately reminds me of the Wall Street Journal or a Veer catalog.

Why is this? Is it because of the .com era? The proliferation of crappy business magazines? The fact that apparently people rip Craig off? That I'm an idiot?

I certainly respect the talent but don't see the uniqueness for some reason as I do in other creative fields. Help me appreciate Craig's apparent greatness.

I think Craig has elegantly conceptual solutions. Yes, it's all in his style, but they are appropriate for the context.

Hey, if you got a style, and people like it, go with it. Milk it all you can. That's called good business.