Summer '99 Newsletter Page Two:

Society of Illust

Doug Schneider: Great Packaging Illustrations That Sell Written by SISD member Brandy Noon Everyone working towards an illustration career would appreciate hearing from the voice of experience. I got this opportunity recently when I met with illustrator Doug Schneider. In the last 7 years he has successfully sustained a career in packaging illustration. He works from his house in a modest north county neighborhood. Doug greeted me at the door, a tall lean man, with sandy blonde hair, graying at the temples, and we sat in his sunny living room discussing career steps he has taken since college. In 1978, with a Masters in Fine Art, from Michigan State, Doug moved to Houston to pursue a living in fine art. He quickly discovered this was not easy to do without supplementing his income by waiting tables. In the early eighties he came to San Diego, seeking career advice from his sister, a local graphic designer. She felt he could benefit from some commercial art training. When he returned to Houston he didn’t waste any time enrolling in a one year commercial art program at the Commercial Art Institute of Houston. The following year he moved to San Diego and showed his new portfolio to several graphic designers. The feedback he got was: “Have you thought about illustration?” With this new career path in mind, he met Richard Salzman, a local artist rep, and was able to acquire illustration assignments. He now had his foot in the door, yet the work he was doing did not offer financial stability. It was several years later that Doug actually got what he felt was his first real career break. He discovered the Society of Illustrators. Through his association in the Society he met other professional illustrators willing to offer advice, not just in technique but in business strategy. Within several months of attending his first meeting he met someone who would be very influential to his career—illustrator Joyce Kitchell. She became a true mentor who not only shared her artistic experience but explained, step- by-step, her approach to marketing her work. She also suggested that he seek out Delro Rosco, a fellow member of the Society, with a similar illustration style. These two inspirational mentors were very generous with their time, sharing both their experience and advice. Another source of insight is Victoria, his wife, whom he met around the same time he joined the Society. Her support and business savvy offered him great stability during those first lean years, as he worked steadily towards building his illustration career. A year after meeting Joyce and Delro, with their expert advice, he hired a rep from San Francisco. During this five year relationship, he learned how to work out pricing and develop new negotiation techniques. He now feels confident enough to handle the marketing end of his business himself. Doug’s work is geared towards packaging which he explained, allows him to express his love of botanical and food related imagery. As we began to talk more about his work, he offered to show me his studio which held the essentials: his work table, Art-O-Graph projector, reference materials, a stereo and a TV for watching the Padres. On his table was the beginning stages of a new package design. The first stage is a preliminary pencil sketch based on, in this case, criteria established by his client. His sketch then develops into a simple line drawing he can fax to his client for review. Once he gets approval on his design, he transfers it onto watercolor paper. With watercolor washes he lays down blocks of mid-range colors. Once he has established this color base, he can go in with colored pencils and define the forms with light and dark values. Sometimes he uses a little white gauche for highlights. You can see examples of his work in any supermarket or mall on products by such clients as: Bath & Body Works, Clairol, Frito Lay and Victoria’s Secret. I found Doug to be very open and giving of his time and advice, and besides recommending membership in the Society of Illustrators he mentioned three other strategies that have worked for him. To generate new clients, he invests annually in an ad with The Workbook from which he attributes at least $15-$25,000 dollars worth of business. His current marketing strategy is to send clients a single tear sheet or post card, several times a year. In the past he had sent out a folder containing all his tear-sheets. This he feels is too overwhelming and doesn’t lend itself to further follow-up. Thank you letters and promotional folders are always sent to anyone responding to an ad or mailing, even if a job doesn’t materialize. He tries to find as many reasons to correspond with anyone who has taken an interest in his work. This helps reinforce his name in their minds. The key to his financial stability though, has been his ability to have many repeat clients who regularly come to him when their product line expands. He also advises people to join the Board of the Society of Illustrators, allowing you to meet, and participate on a more personal basis with the other professional members as well as guest lecturers. His own participation has given him rewarding friendships like the one with his tennis buddy and fellow food illustrator, Ken Joudrey. Doug has worked hard and persistently to achieve a satisfying life-style. He often works long hours to meet his deadlines but he wouldn’t change it for the world. He is making a living at something he would do anyway for his own personal satisfaction.

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