Professional delivery

When it comes to professional delivery there are lots of things that you need to know from your client before you send the work over. 

What do you need to know?

• The size/s.
• The format.
• How they want it delivering to them e.g E-mail, dropbox, post.
• Bleed sizes. 
• Colours e.g RGB, CKMY.
• Black and white or colour.
• Deadline. 
• File size.

there are other things that are important for you to do when delivering work to a client, reliability plays a huge part in your reputation as an illustrator. You have to be consistent with hitting your deadlines and with your art work, as if you are not you will look unprofessional and it will put the company off hiring you again. getting all of the delivery specifications correct first time plays a large part in looking  professional and reliable so make sure that you get this right. 

Whether it's through keeping to deadlines or ensuring the quality of your artwork, weaving reliability into your profile is essential for building and maintaining professional relationships. [1]

Communication is the main skill that will ensure that your professional delivery runs smoothly as you will have to keep in contact with your client to make sure you both know what is happening and you get it right first time. 

You  have to maintain good communication between yourself and your client so there are no mixed messages along the way. people will communicate to you in their own way for example, some clients might be more friendly and relaxed in their way of speaking and others may be more corporate and professional. As an illustrator you will have to adapt to their way of communicating and reply accordingly. It is important to read over what they have said a few times (or think it through if its a phone call) and take your time to reply to them.  

Each client will communicate with you in their own way. It's likely that the phone call or email offering you a commission may seem casual and informal and the dialogue friendly. Your aim as an illustrator is to respond appropriately whatever the approach and to develop an ongoing professional rapport with each client.[2]

Being confident and calm are also two very important parts when it comes to communication you have to sound like you are a professional that knows what you are talking about because then your employer will automatically have more confidence in you. 

Overall it is very important to constantly refresh your memory on all of the correct specifications for your professional delivery. If you are unsure about something or if you haven't received a piece of information good communication skills with your client are vital. All of these things should ensure that your professional delivery runs smoothly.  

[1] J DAVIES, D BRAZEL, Becoming a Successful Illustrator, p. 50

[2] J DAVIES, D BRAZEL, Becoming a Successful Illustrator, p. 50