A non-profit organisation established by professional illustrators to support the development of Irish illustration, in Ireland and abroad.

Has this not been done before?

This is the first association formed specifically to promote Irish illustration in a business context.

Doesn't such an organisation exist in the form of the AOI in Britain or the GAG in the US?

These organisations serve a similar purpose within their own territories. IGI is specifically Irish in origin, and its business practices will reflect Irish conditions & legislation. IGI is developing relationships with these bodies, among others, in order to serve Irish illustrators interests internationally.

Who will the IGI represent?

Anybody who earns their living in the field of commercial illustration in Ireland.

In what areas will the IGI be active?

Promoting Irish illustrators at home & abroad, through organisation and ease of access. Establishing and formalising accepted business practices. Providing a forum for illustrators to share knowledge & experience. Protecting its members' interests in the marketplace. Educating members, students, clients & others on issues of authorship, licensing of images, copyright and royalties. The new copyright bill being a case in point.

Why the copyright bill?

As a new set of laws, it has signalled changes in working practices that illustrators, among others, cannot ignore.

Are there other issues facing Irish illustrators?

Unity of purpose with colleagues in other territories is high on the IGI agenda. Unfavourable contracts are being foisted on illustrators internationally by large corporate publishing bodies. Unscrupulous publishers, amongst others, are re-using work on the web outside the terms of their licensed usage. The control of the stock imagery marketplace by speculators other than the image creators is also an issue. IGI will be encouraging all illustrators to retain control of stock sales of their own images. (We hope to enable our members to do this through an on-line search facility on the IGI website.) All of those issues will be addressed by the IGI.

How will you deal with such issues?

Mainly through education. An informed person is a confident person. IGI will endeavour to educate on all aspects of running an illustration business, ie. copyright, understanding contracts, preparing contracts, marketing, finance, pricing and debt collection. IGI can also act as a lobby group, when necessary.

Has the rise of royalty-free stock photography and illustration had a detrimental effect on Illustration in general?

The proliferation of cheap stock on royalty-free CDs etc. is similar to the earlier infatuation with clip-art. The tide is now turning, with discerning clients reluctant to (over)use images which have rendered much visual communication anonymous. There will always be a mass market for the generic and mediocre but this doesn't impact dramatically on clients for whom quality individual visual communication is a requirement.

Illustration does not seem to be represented at the many design and advertising awards in Ireland. Why is this? Should this be changed?

The lack of a body like IGI has, unfortunately, allowed Irish illustration to be marginalised over the years. Because of this, there's a lack of organised dialogue between illustrators and their clients (and potential clients!). This has resulted in the poor representation of illustrators in ICAD, IDI, Design Week etc. These bodies aren't charged with responsibility for the promotion of illustration, other than in relation to their specific industries, so it's no surprise that illustration has a low profile at these events. IGI will apply itself not just to increasing the representation of Irish illustration in these existing contexts, but also to building new opportunities and platforms for Irish illustration in the context of a vibrant, global marketplace. An environment where creative originality is increasingly valued and high quality is constantly in demand.

For further information on The Illustrators Guild of Ireland please contact: info@illustratorsireland.com.
or visit www.illustratorsireland.com

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