Illustrators are responsible for creating images that provoke a range of thoughts and emotions. They use drawing, color, composition, and a long list of digital and analog image-making techniques to capture ideas that cannot be conveyed by photos alone.
Along with using paper and pen, illustrators should be highly proficient in digital design tools and they should be comfortable working with high-end screen and stylus pairings (like the iPad and Apple Pencil).
Speed and clarity are exceedingly important in today’s digital environment, where people are bombarded with brand messaging and endless walls of copywriting. Thankfully, illustrators are the key to capturing diminished attention spans. How so?
Illustration has the ability to reimagine reality in a way that is familiar yet delightfully uncommon, and it’s particularly useful when an idea is difficult to explain. Illustrators help businesses stand out in a world of distraction by relating complex thoughts, concepts, and emotions quickly.
Illustrator Job Description and Ad Template
Copy this template, and modify it as your own:
Company Introduction
{{Write a short and catchy paragraph about your company. Make sure to provide information about the company’s culture, perks, and benefits. Include office hours, remote working possibilities, and anything else you think makes your company interesting.}}
Job Description
As our illustrator, you will use your skills in drawing, color, composition, and storytelling to create engaging images that enliven product descriptions, technical data, and key brand messages for our customers.
You will work closely with our design team, creative directors, and marketing experts to generate illustration concepts for print and digital, and you’ll be responsible for bringing those concepts to a high level of polish that elevates our brand.
{{Add any specific experience here.}}
Responsibilities
You will meet with clients, collaborate with the design team, and take direction from upper management in an effort to create engaging illustrations for print and digital. You will be responsible for generating illustration concepts, executing revisions, and meeting deadlines.
More responsibilities in detail:
Design on-brand illustrations for print and digital.
Enhance our brand illustration style and actively look for ways to extend our storytelling reach.
Gather key messaging points for each project and ensure that all illustration concepts convey the right information.
Ensure that all illustrations meet technical requirements.
Generate ideas and concepts that are clear, communicative, and engaging.
Work collaboratively with other members of our creative team to ensure a consistent, integrated brand perception.
Collaborate with a cross-functional team that includes marketers, creative directors, and product managers in order to create compelling illustrations.
Stay on top of the latest standards, processes, and trends in the illustration field.
{{Add other relevant responsibilities here}}
Requirements
Bachelor’s in illustration or a related field, or significant equivalent experience
A compelling portfolio that showcases aesthetic awareness, high-caliber drawing skills, and command of multiple illustration styles
A high level of proficiency using illustration tools like Illustrator, Photoshop, Procreate, and Affinity Designer
A keen understanding of vector graphics creation, including mastery of the “Pen” tool
Capable of generating hand-drawn illustration concepts quickly and precisely
Able to generate thoughtful and engaging illustration concepts that go beyond 1-to-1 representation
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to clearly explain creative decisions in words and writing
The ability to receive, interpret, and implement constructive feedback from project stakeholders into your illustration work
Able to learn new tools and processes quickly and work in a fast-evolving environment
{{List education level or certification you require}}
Recent Illustrator Design Articles by Toptal Designers
Toptal is a marketplace for top Adobe Illustrator experts. Top companies and startups choose Toptal Adobe Illustrator freelancers for their mission critical design projects.
Felipe is driven by his passion for making. As a creative consultant, he supports purpose-driven businesses by designing experiences that enhance people's lives. With 16 years in the creative innovation industry, he uses a combination of effective strategy, human-centered design, and strong relationships to build brands and bring products to market. Felipe offers expertise in digital product design, UI/UX, service design, visual design, and creative mentorship to software and design businesses.
Daniela is a product designer with several years of experience creating products and interactive environments. Working closely with clients, she creates innovative, responsive solutions with the user always in mind. She also builds visually stunning solutions on a solid foundation of research and UX. Daniela loves a good challenge and learning anything that could potentially have a significant impact on people's lives.
South AfricaToptal Member Since September 25, 2019
Si Maclennan is a designer living in Cape Town, South Africa. He has extensive experience working alongside international brands and publications across various disciplines in the creative field. Si primarily works in brand development, visual design, interactive media, and illustration. Vibrant, geometric compositions mark his work, and he has an eye for meticulous detail in design.
Cande has over a decade of experience creating digital promos, designing games for Cartoon Network Latin's site, and building UX for startups and tech companies in the finance and rental industries. Her work is influenced by a passion for illustration, color, and typography. She won the Award of Excellence from The Interior Designers Institute of British Columbia (IDIBC) for a branding project.
With over a decade of experience in product UI/UX design and brand experience design, Kim has had the opportunity to work with a diverse range of teams and companies from Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, the UAE, Europe, and the USA. In addition, Kim is well-versed in design principles, color theory, and typography and leverages these elements to create consistent and effective design solutions.
United StatesToptal Member Since February 26, 2019
Radmila is a creative problem solver with 10+ years of experience. She focuses on developing projects from scratch and creating solutions that combine brand value, experience design, and storytelling to help companies acquire and delight customers. Radmila's clients range from small startups and nonprofits to large-scale companies such as Zillow, Samsung, Williams-Sonoma, and McKinsey & Company.
Micah uses brand design and illustration to tell stories on behalf of his clients. He believes that design must identify a need, stir a desire for change, and shed light on a path that is uniquely helpful, hopeful, and human.
United StatesToptal Member Since September 12, 2019
Chris is a UI/UX designer with over twenty years of experience in consumer and enterprise applications. He worked with Google to restructure and design their help system, created Clarizen’s enterprise mobile apps, and designed a white-label consumer mobile app for Accesso, now deployed at parks and resorts across North America. Chris specializes in structure, user flows, wireframing, and design for both mobile and web. He is especially suited for complex enterprise SaaS projects.
Varant has over ten years of experience in branding and product design. His passion is to design meaningful products with great user experiences. Positive customer experience and natural interaction are at the core of all the projects he takes on. Varant believes that a catchy, easy-to-use, colorful design provides timeless visual practices that enable clients to connect with their own customers more effectively.
