For Otto Dettmer style is something which has always played second fiddle to the concepts within his work. Although he does have a recognisable style, decorative elements rarely make an appearance unless they are to support an idea. Because of the strong concepts within his work he is often commissioned for editorials in newspapers and magazines. This is helped by his ability to meet a short deadline, as he doesn’t spend a great deal of time worrying about aesthetics he is able to produce designs quite quickly. Andrew Pavitt on the other hand has “a love for pattern and form, and these two elements always play a key role in the images” he creates. He mentioned within his lecture last year that he also believes it’s important to show an idea or concept within an illustration, but it is his style which distinguishes him from other designers. I really like Andrew Pavitt’s style, he is one of few contemporary illustrators who have had an influence on my work. His unique visual language has led to a diverse range of clients. Similarly to Otto he also creates editorial illustration, as well as this he has designed a number of book covers and he has adapted his work to surface patterns for card designs.
Andrew Pavitt
Their way of working has led to each of the designers having different sidelines to coincide with their regular commissions. Otto’s twenty years of experience in the industry have led to a large collection of illustrations. Where possible he makes use of these when they are appropriate for an article. He also gives clients the option of buying stock illustration rather than commissioning a fresh design. There is a section especially for this on his website where he sells illustrations for half the original price, taking away the make-fee and leaving only the licence-fee. This option is well suited to a client with a small budget and it boosts Otto’s income. Andrew Pavitt utilizes his distinctive style to create surface patterns which are sold as greeting cards in art galleries. His designs also have the potential to be developed further as textile designs onto soft furnishings etc. Gillian Blease has created similar pattern designs which have been adapted into kitchenware and her own Pattern and Palette sourcebook.
Gillian Blease
Another factor which divides my two chosen illustrators is their studios. Whilst Andrew Pavitt works at Big Orange with seven other designers Otto Dettmer has opted for a private workspace. I think this decision has been determined by their different personalities. Both are confident designers and faired well in the daunting task of explaining their work to us students, but Otto seems to be more reserved so perhaps works better in seclusion (a lot like myself). In Andrew Pavitt’s talk last month he explained the benefits of being surrounded by other designers, the main perk seemed to be the support of bouncing ideas off one another. Otto never discussed why he decided against a collective studio, but his successful career seems to suggest that he works well alone. During his talk I picked up on a couple of reasons for this. Perhaps the most obvious one being the amount of experience he has in the industry. Another factor seems to be his working method, he spends half of his work time generating ideas and creating roughs so he can present the art director/editor with a number of ideas. The roughs generally look a lot like the finished design. It is likely that at least one of his ideas will tick the boxes and it is then the responsibility of the art director to make the correct choice. So instead of bouncing ideas off another designer he is essentially achieving this with the art director/editor. This takes a lot of the pressure off for the time spent tweaking the final image. Another perk of working at Big Orange seems to be sharing contacts. This is most common for the editorial work. Andrew explained that designers are more dubious about sharing contacts for bigger jobs. Also, working at a well known studio like The Big Orange carries a lot of weight in the industry, so art directors/editors are much more likely to take notice of your work. As Otto doesn’t have this luxury self promotion is very important. He talked about this a lot throughout his lecture. When he started out as an illustrator he spent most of his time on self promotional work, so much so that neglected his commissions. This mistake led to a few one time commissions but no steady work, he soon learnt that he needed to put more effort into commissions as doing a good job often leads to more work. However, he has continued to create self promotional work alongside commissions throughout his career, he shown us a number of his silk screened posters and handmade books which had a nice personal appeal. He explained that self promotional work is important to keep reminding people of your designs and letting them know you’re still available for commissions.
Otto Dettmer
Overall, I can see ways in which each of my selected illustrators processes and practices are effective in the industry. Although stylistically I can relate a lot more to Andrew Pavitt I can also see the benefits of a quick working method like Otto Dettmer has developed. I also think that I would be better suited to a more varied range of clients rather than working chiefly in editorial. Similarly to Otto Dettmer I feel that I’ll be more capable of working alone rather than in a shared studio like Andrew Pavitt. So it was great to how he has managed to pave a successful career on his own, his advice on self promotion is sure to come in useful.
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