How much do illustrators charge?
How much do illustrators charge?
$200 - $500 average cost
Average illustration rates
Illustrators charge $150 to $500+, depending on the type of artwork or project, the design complexity, the usage rights, and your location. Illustration rates range from $25 to $100 per hour.
Illustrators offer an array of services, including logo design, book cover design, traditional or digital illustration services, business cards, custom letterhead, newsletter design, murals, drawings, paintings, and more.
Traditional vs. digital illustration
Traditional illustration involves sketching and coloring or painting the design or artwork directly on paper, canvas, or another medium.
Digital illustration involves creating the design or artwork in a software program, often with the use of a graphic tablet. Digital illustrations can be printed on business cards, brochures, or other medium or used on a website or social media.
Illustration cost by project type
The total cost for illustration depends on the type of project. An experienced illustrator will be able to discuss your project requirements and give you an estimate for the work that needs to be done and how much time it should take to complete. Consider these examples:
Logo design costs $200 to $2,500.
A newsletter design will typically cost $1,000 and up.
A corporate package costs $250+ and includes business cards, letterhead, and envelope design.
Promotional illustrations such as brochures cost $150 to $1,500.
Rush jobs, even if they are not that complex, usually cost more than a job that is given plenty of notice.
For other jobs, such as a painting or drawing for personal use, the illustrator will be able to give an estimate before the work is to be done.
Revisions
Some illustrators include a specific number of revisions, or changes to the initial design, in their fee, while others charge extra for each revision. When choosing the right illustrator to work with, it's important that they are up front about costs for revision requests right from the start.
Making revisions is usually easier in a digital illustration. However, these changes still require the illustrator's time. Requesting multiple revisions may increase your total cost.
Illustration and artwork usage rights
There are two types of usage rights when it comes to illustration for hire: "rights managed" and "royalty-free". These two usage rights affect the total cost of the project.
Rights Managed: The client may use the illustration with specific restrictions on the medium, format, location, length of time the use is allowed, and even the size of the illustration. Depending on your agreement with the illustrator, this option may grant you exclusive use of the artwork. A Rights Managed license typically costs 20% to 50% more than a royalty-free license.
Royalty-Free: The client pays a fee for the use and reuse of the illustration without limit while the illustrator retains the rights to the project or images. A royalty-free license does not give you exclusive use of the artwork.
Using our proprietary cost database, in-depth research, and collaboration with industry experts, we deliver accurate, up-to-date pricing and insights you can trust, every time.