Illustrator

The Company: 

Sketch Group (sketchgroup.com.au) is an award-winning visual communications agency based in Melbourne. We help clients tell their story by sketching it for them in animated videos, posters, and by drawing live in meetings and at conferences. It’s wonderful, creative work, and our clients are all brands that you’ve heard of. We’re small, but we punch above our weight and regularly win industry awards.

We believe that our sketches have a huge impact on our clients and their audience. We work with corporates, not-for-profits, government agencies, startups, universities, hospitals, event managers, and everyone in between. We also believe in giving back, and donate a percentage of our profits each month to a range of worthy causes.

The Role: 

Note this is a contract position, suitable for freelance illustrators, not someone looking for a full-time role. We act as an agency, and present our clients with a selection of illustrators to choose from; illustrators are remunerated on a per-project basis. 

We are looking to expand our team of illustrators to work on sketch videos (also known as whiteboard animations). Experience with video or animation is not a requirement, but is very welcome. While we can’t give an absolute guarantee of consistent projects, we do have a large number of videos in the pipeline, and several of our contract illustrators have been kept very busy for years—including during lockdown—so there absolutely is potential for the right person to succeed in the role.

We follow a specific process for creating videos in which you will be trained. Note that as part of the interview process we will also request that you complete a short storyboard activity.

Key accountabilities include: 

• Following our process for creating sketch videos, which includes: 
  • creating storyboards based on a written script
  • folding in customer feedback and delivering several iterations of a storyboard
  • drawing each image from your signed-off storyboard on camera in our studio, following guides
  • creating additional images and colouring for our videographer to include during post-production
• Creating finished poster artwork, building on a rough layout draft and a client brief

 Critical to your success:

• Local: live in Melbourne (our studio is located in the Northern suburbs)
• Responsive: answer promptly when contacted by email or phone
• Creative: your ideas for how to visualise different concepts and phrases are welcome!
• Adaptable: you must be able to shape your style to suit the client, or the Sketch Group house style
• Independent: you have your own paper, pens, and home studio
• Storyteller: you should possess the ability to create a character and take them upon a visual journey with each video
• Confident: your drawings should reflect a strong command of the craft
• Reliable: proven ability to hit deadlines
• Portfolio: we would love to see the range of projects you have illustrated, whether it be for children's books, magazines, websites, or something else.
• Pragmatic: able to take constructive comments and client feedback and fold it into the work
• Easy-going: excellent interpersonal and rapport building skills
• Communicative: you should have excellent spoken and written communication skills
• Competent with design software: able to use photo-editing tools like Photoshop, Affinity Photo or GIMP
• Fun: our community catches up regularly for coffee, professional development sessions, and an annual Xmas party!

Bonus: experience with an iPad Pro and the Procreate drawing software, or animation software like Adobe After Effects is welcome, but not a necessity.

Who this is not for? 

This job would not suit people who:

• Are looking for a full-time job—it is for freelance illustrators who are comfortable juggling other clients and our projects
• Already have a full-time job—this is deadline-driven work, and having a full-time job as well would make it hard to hit deadlines
• Can’t actually draw, or come up with ideas for what to draw, based on a script
• View illustration as a hobby, or are more interested in creating their own art than fulfilling the client brief
• Have poor spelling or written communication skills
• Have difficulty hitting deadlines
• Do not have a home studio setup
• Are not a people person
• Are not self-motivated or need consistent monitoring
• Are not open to learning new skills or collaborating
• Are unprepared to take on feedback or suggestions

What you can consistently expect from us:

• Values-driven organisation with a strong vision
• Authentic and ethical business practices
• Fun and exciting environment
• Support throughout the journey
• Flexible work conditions
• Autonomy and purpose
• Openness to new ideas

This is a great opportunity for a talented illustrator looking to bring their drawing skills to a dynamic and exciting company with fascinating, diverse clients in a range of industries. With room to explore, experiment and let your creative juices flow, we are a truly unique organisation making a big impact, and destined for future growth. We will give you the guidance and support you require to succeed—all you need is your commitment to make it happen.