Sound familiar?
- Your website uses the same stock illustrations as hundreds of others
- You need to show something that can't be photographed, like a process or an idea
- Your packaging needs artwork that feels like yours, not clip art
- Your mascot was drawn once and nobody can draw it again in a new pose
- An illustration looks great on screen but blurry when printed large
- You're not sure who owns the copyright on artwork you've paid for
Key facts
- Illustration is quoted as a fixed price per job; design time is £45 an hour + VAT
- Vector illustration supplied as AI, EPS, SVG and PDF so it scales to any size
- Raster and painterly work supplied as layered PSD and flattened TIFF or PNG
- Print artwork at 300 dpi at final size, in CMYK, with 3 mm bleed where needed
- Usage rights agreed in writing before work starts, from a licence to full copyright assignment
- Illustrations built as a consistent set, so new pieces match later
- Created remotely from Mansfield for businesses across the UK
Types of illustration we create
Commercial illustration solves a problem a photo can't. It can show an idea, simplify a process, give a brand its own personality or create a scene that would be expensive or impossible to photograph. The work we're asked for most falls into a few groups:
- Website and brand illustrations: hero images, spot illustrations for services, empty-state and error-page artwork, all in one consistent style.
- Characters and mascots, with pose sheets so they can be reused in posts, packaging and signage.
- Packaging and label artwork for food, drink and gift products.
- Illustrated maps for venues, estates, trails, events and tourism.
- Technical and line illustration: exploded views, assembly steps and cutaways for manuals and product pages.
- Editorial and report illustrations for articles, annual reports and campaigns.
Vector or raster: why it matters
Most of our commercial illustration is drawn as vector artwork, made of shapes and paths rather than pixels. A vector illustration can be printed on a business card or a 6 metre banner with no loss of quality, and it's easy to recolour for seasonal campaigns. We supply it as AI, EPS, PDF and SVG, and SVG files are lightweight and crisp on websites.
Some styles, such as painterly textures, detailed shading or anything that should feel hand-made, are better as raster artwork. For those, we work at the size the illustration will be printed, at 300 dpi, and supply layered PSD and flattened TIFF or PNG files. The rule of thumb: if it'll be printed large or recoloured often, vector; if texture is the point, raster at full size.
We also check how the illustration will be reproduced. Artwork for screen printing on clothing or for single-colour engraving needs a limited number of flat colours, while a full-colour packaging print can carry gradients and texture. Knowing that early avoids redrawing later.
Keeping a style consistent
A single illustration is easy. A set of thirty that look like they were drawn by the same hand over two years is harder. We define the style at the start: line weight, corner radius, colour palette, how people are drawn, how shading works and how much detail is allowed. That becomes a short style sheet, so later illustrations (by us or anyone else) match.
For characters and mascots we supply a pose or turnaround sheet showing the character from the front, side and back with a few expressions. If your illustrations need to sit alongside an existing logo and colour scheme, we start from your brand guidelines, and illustration often forms part of a wider brand identity project.
Who owns the illustration?
Under UK copyright law, the person who creates an artwork is normally its first owner, even when a client has paid for it. Ownership only transfers through an assignment made in writing. Many businesses don't realise this until they try to trademark a mascot or use artwork on new products.
We agree usage in writing before work starts. For a logo-like mascot or packaging artwork, most clients want a full copyright assignment; for editorial or one-off campaign use, a licence covering the agreed uses is often enough. Either way, you know what you can do with the work.
Price and how a job runs
Illustration varies more than almost any other design work: a small spot illustration and a detailed illustrated map are very different jobs. So illustration is quoted as a fixed price once we've seen your brief, using our design rate of £45 an hour + VAT. We start with rough sketches to agree composition, then move to final artwork in your colours.
Illustration often feeds into other projects, such as packaging design, infographics, icon sets and motion graphics where your illustrations are animated. Request a quote with a few examples of styles you like.
What you get
- Initial sketches or roughs to agree composition before final artwork
- Final illustration in vector (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF) or high-resolution raster (PSD, TIFF, PNG)
- Web-optimised versions for your site and social media
- Print-ready versions in CMYK with bleed
- For characters: a turnaround or pose sheet so the character stays consistent
- A written note of the usage rights you hold
How it works and what it costs
Logos from £150, brochures from £295, photography from £295 a half day and CAD at £45 an hour, all + VAT. You get a fixed price before we start.
Tell us the brief
What it is for, who will see it, where it will be used and any examples you like. Rough is fine.
Fixed price
We confirm the price and what you get, in writing, before any work starts.
First designs
We design, shoot or model it and share the first version for your comments.
Refine
We make the changes, check every detail, and prepare the files properly for print, web or manufacture.
Final files
You get the finished files in the formats you need, ready for your printer, website, social channels or manufacturer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does custom illustration cost in the UK?
dijitul quotes illustration as a fixed price per job, based on our design rate of £45 an hour + VAT. A simple spot illustration takes far less time than a detailed map or a character with a full pose sheet, so send your brief and examples of styles you like for a quote.
Do I own the copyright to the illustration?
Under UK law, the creator owns copyright unless it is assigned in writing. dijitul agrees usage before starting: a full written copyright assignment where you need to own the artwork, such as a mascot or packaging, or a licence for specific uses.
What file formats will I receive?
For vector illustration, dijitul supplies AI, EPS, PDF and SVG files that scale to any size. For textured or painterly raster work, we supply layered PSD and flattened TIFF or PNG at 300 dpi at the final print size, plus web-optimised versions.
Can you design a mascot for our business?
Yes. dijitul designs characters and mascots and supplies a pose sheet showing the character from different angles with a few expressions, so it can be reused consistently on social media, packaging, signage and merchandise. Copyright ownership is agreed in writing before we start.
Can you match the style of our existing illustrations?
Usually, yes. Send dijitul the existing artwork and we'll study line weight, colour, shading and how figures are drawn, then create new pieces to match. If the existing set is inconsistent, we can also write a short style sheet to keep future work aligned.
Can illustrations be printed large?
Vector illustrations can be printed at any size with no loss of quality, from a sticker to a building wrap. Raster artwork needs to be created at 300 dpi at its final size, so tell dijitul at the start if the illustration might end up on a banner or vehicle.
Related
Get a fixed price
Send a rough brief. You'll know exactly what it costs before we start.