Across the globe, illustrators earn a great living. Whether in-house or freelancing, with the right experience and skills, an illustrator can carve out a fulfilling career in this field. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ recent reports revealed that the average annual salary of an in-house illustrator is approximately $65,020, which could be expressed into hourly wage as $31.26 per hour. Whereas average yearly salary of an illustrator in Germany is around €49,652, translating into an hourly wage of €24. Illustrator’s earnings can grow with their experience level, significantly impacting their job position and earning potential.
If you are a creative individual, you can polish your skills and learn the technicalities required to become an illustrator by pursuing a BA Illustration programme. Earning a BA illustration degree can fuel the career progression of an aspiring illustrator. Throughout the course, besides developing industry-oriented skills, the students can also build a strong professional network that can help their careers in the long run.
An illustrator is a professional responsible for creating visual arts that convey a specific idea or the message of the brands or organisation. The clients typically present illustrator’s work in magazines, websites, books, and advertisements. With digitalisation across the globe, the demand for skilled and qualified illustrators is growing at an accelerating pace. Hence now is the best time to pursue a BA in illustration to break through the fast-growing industry. Since education can be a huge factor in establishing a career as an illustrator and help you earn higher pay.
Here are some other factors that affect the earning potential of an illustrator:
- Project: The illustration work or project an illustrator chooses can affect their earnings. For instance, illustrators who draw storylines for movies can earn higher average pay.
- Experience: Besides illustrators’ work, a significant factor affecting their earnings is their experience level. With five to ten years of seniority, an illustrator’s career and earning potential increase considerably.
- Work portfolio: The portfolio you present to the clients can demonstrate your skill and expertise and reflect your experience working in the industry. Thus, the work you showcase on the portfolio website can also show the prestige of previous clients you have worked with, which can affect your payments.
- Location: The compensation offered to illustrators in big cities, such as Berlin or across Germany, or any major city in the US.
- Industry: An illustrator can work in any industry, and businesses of all kinds use illustrators. Some industries may require an in-house editor, for example, advertising agencies and publishing houses. Whereas others take the service from freelance illustrators.
- Type of compensation: Some less conventional ways such as royalties, licensing, and commission can positively affect the earnings.
Illustrators are in-demand in the growing industries such as computer system designs, motion pictures, and video industries, advertising, public relations, and related architecture and engineering services. The demand for skilled and qualified illustrators is growing across the sector, thus increasing the earning potential. If you aspire to build a lucrative career as an illustrator, a BA in the illustration course can be your pathway!