December 14, 2023
Earth Day Infographics
June 24, 2020
For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, I worked with home energy monitor startup Sense to illustrate how the typical new home in the U.S. today has evolved since the first Earth Day in 1970, and where that trend might take us another 50 years in the future.
These infographics expand on previous work I’ve done with Sense on their user installation guide illustrations. Like those, these condense a wealth of complex information into an accessible, visually engaging medium. But here, illustration is used to place the brand in the wider context of energy and sustainability. It speaks to their customer’s concerns and interests, and increases engagement with the brand.
The brand also informs the style of the illustrations, leveraging its bold colour palette, clean typography, and its emphasis on organization and simplifying complexity. Branded illustrations can be a powerful tool for communicating a company’s values, principals, and identity.
James, we all loved the illustrations […] I hope we get another chance to work together soon on upcoming content. I really enjoyed it and thought the illustrations were excellent.
These illustrations were used on the Sense blog and their social media channels. Thanks to Rhoda and Carol for their trust and guidance on this project!
Symphony of Flight
June 11, 2019
Visualizing sound is an interesting challenge, and that was the creative brief for this illustration for Air Canada’s en Route magazine earlier this year.
Aircraft make a cacophony of noises, both on the ground and in the air. It can be disconcerting to some passengers, but it’s music to a pilot’s ears.
The harmonic buzzing of the turbofan engines; the whirring of hydraulic jacks when extending or retracting the flaps; the “barking dog” sound from the hydraulic pump in the Airbus fleet during taxi; the hissing of the auxiliary power unit that supplies conditioned air and power on the ground. And, of course, the staccato of seatbelts simultaneously unclicking upon arrival.
It’s all part of the symphony of flight.
Annual Report 2018
February 3, 2019
For me 2018 felt like a year of ups and downs, personally and professionally. It’s been about a year since my Ten Year Review, so I thought I’d share and reflect on my experiences.
The Numbers
Last year I completed 81 projects with 28 clients, including some big names like Google, Microsoft, Air Canada, and BF Goodrich. 90% of my work was with American clients, 9% with Canadians and 1% with British. About 70% of my work was technical illustration, and 30% was editorial illustration under my alias Textbook Example.
Total sales were down slightly from 2017, but I took more personal time off and I was happy with my work/life balance.
The Hits
2018 started out slow for new projects. I used the downtime to organize my studio, redesign Textbook Example, and learn more about 3D rigging and animation in Cinema 4D. I think this was time well spent.
Work eventually picked up, and I collaborated with some big names, and produced work that I’m very proud of. Unfortunately, I’m not able to share some of it due to NDAs.
Last year, I declined more projects that I wasn’t a good fit for or didn’t have time to take on, and referred them on to fellow illustrators that were more suitable or available. These colleagues also did the same for me.
In the fall, my wife and I took three weeks off to visit China and Hong Kong for our first time. It was a great experience and we met some amazing people. Highlights for me were a tour of Shanghai by sidecar, a hike of an unrestored section of the Great Wall, and cycling around the hills of Yangshuo.
I also made pasta from scratch (linguine), built new office desks (wood and black steel pipe), and bought a new motorcycle (Ducati Scrambler)!
The Misses
Many of the projects I worked on in 2018 are under non-disclosure agreements, meaning I can’t use them for self-promotion. NDAs are a fact of life in technical illustration because it often deals with confidential information, but it makes for a quiet social media stream and a stagnant portfolio.
As a result, I didn’t share my work or engage with the illustration community as much as I wanted to. I was pretty quiet on Instagram, Dribbble, Technical Illustrators.org, and this blog.
Last year one of my goals was recognition, in the form of an illustration award, but I didn’t end up entering my work into a single competition.
I was thinking of attending the ICON illustration conference in Detroit, but I sat on it and missed out. #fomo.
The Apps
Notes (iOS/Mac) was a big breakthrough for me in 2018. In January I started a list on my phone and throughout the year whenever I accomplished something, big or small, I simply made note of it.
My list started with easy wins (framed some art, organized my books & magazines, mounted a TV), but these snowballed into bigger victories (having an awesome home-studio that I love spending time in). It also got me to reframe some setbacks that I suffered into challenges that I overcame.
I think it’s natural (even beneficial) to reflect on your shortcomings or failures – you can learn a lot from them – but it can bog you down. Having a list of my growth and progress over time was a great way to reset and get motivated for the next victory.
Downcast (iOS/Mac) is my new podcast player of choice. I listen to a lot of podcasts while I work, from news to education to comedy. Downcast does it way better than iTunes. Last year I listened to about 372 episodes about economics! (shoutout to Planet Money, The Indicator, and Freakonomics)
Cineware (Mac/PC) is a plugin that allows you to place Cinema 4D scene files and work with them right inside Illustrator. You can rotate and position 3D objects, lights, and cameras, and create, edit and apply materials. I used it extensively on one project to create reference views of a Jeep.
The Year Ahead
Smarter Goals The goals in my Ten Year report weren’t SMART, so I didn’t make much progress on them. My goal for 2019 is to create better goals!
Metrics Using Google Forms, I’m going to create a daily survey to better track my hours, energy level, mood, and more. This might provide some insights into my productivity, or at least make for a more interesting “Numbers” section in next year’s annual report.
Community In 2019, to better engage with the community, I will write a post at least monthly here and on Technical Illustrators.org. I’ll also post to Instagram and Dribbble at least weekly.
New Workstation I’m still happy with my 2009 Mac Pro tower, but I’m eager to see what Apple has come up with for its new generation of modular Mac Pros.
I’d like to say a big thank you to all of my clients for your business and your trust. Also to my colleagues and friends for your support and camaraderie. And of course, to you for reading!
Hello Reddit!
July 11, 2018
An animation I did 8 years ago has found its way to the front page of Reddit.com “the front page of the internet.”
It received 1.3 million views and 29,400 upvotes.
It was posted to Reddit by a prolific GIF maker and content curator with over 3 million karma (upvotes) to their name—which probably had a lot to do with the post’s success. Thankfully they credited me, and I also included my website address in the original video, so interested parties could find me if they needed to.
But I was late to claim the post on Reddit so I received almost no recognition (3 karma!). I was out of the office at the time, and couldn’t log in to my official account to take credit and engage with commenters. Most users were more interested in the omni-wheel technology than the illustration/animation itself, anyway.
Despite Reddit having 330 million users and more than 50 million daily visitors, visits to my site and Youtube videos saw only a modest bump. I received maybe 3-4 work inquiries from people who had seen the post.
Lessons Learned
Show Up Have an account on every social platform so you can be the one sharing your work, or at least be able to take credit when your work is shared and engage your audience. Use a password manager to always have your logins on hand.
Have a Strategy My business is focused on working with a select clientele to create custom solutions to solve their specific problems. I don’t currently have a strategy to engage or monetize a larger, more casual, general interest audience. This is something to consider.
Numbers Aren’t Everything 10,000 visitors to my site are less important than 10 potential clients. Getting in front of the right people is more important than getting in front of everyone.
Ten Years
December 22, 2017
This past April, my 10-year anniversary as a freelance technical illustrator came and went. To mark the occasion, I started a draft post, struggled with what to say, then closed it and forgot about it for another 10 months.
With work winding down for the holidays and the year coming to an end, it feels like a good time to collect my thoughts on the past decade and set some new goals for the years ahead.
The Last Ten Years
Graduated with honours from the Technical & Scientific Illustration BA program at Sheridan College. The knowledge and experience of my instructors, together with the talent, determination and camaraderie of my peers gave me a solid foundation for my illustration practice.
Started freelancing, actually two years before graduating college. A summer job at a locally-owned print shop exposed me to the business and production side of things, and introduced me to my first few clients. Initially I picked up graphic design work, but illustration was my passion, so I continued to build up my portfolio and clientele.
Published work. My first time having work published felt very rewarding and validated all of the time, money and effort I had put in to pursuing illustration as a career. I had 20 project illustrations in that issue of Canadian Woodworking magazine, and I continued to work with them for 7 years.
Illustrated a cover. About a year after having my first work published, I illustrated my first magazine cover. This felt like another big milestone for me. It’s an amazing feeling having your work on newsstands. Since then, I’ve illustrated about a dozen magazine and book covers.
Illustrated a book. Another first, book projects are long when you’re used to spending 2-3 weeks on a project, then waiting another 2-3 to see it in print. But unlike magazines which sit on newsstands for a month at most, books have a much longer shelf life. I’ve since illustrated 4 or 5 more books.
Moved from Oakville to Toronto, to Vancouver, back to Oakville, and back to Toronto. My wife works in animation, and we moved around Canada a bit to follow productions. Fortunately, I can work with anyone from anywhere, so this wasn’t a problem.
Founded Technical Illustrators.org I like to think of my fellow technical illustrators not as competition, but as comrades or colleagues. I started the site to unite the community, highlight our work, and discuss software, hardware, technique, business and more.
Incorporated my business. It’s a bureaucratic process and a subtle distinction for a one-man operation, but my business is its own legal entity.
Guest Speaker. I’ve been invited back to Sheridan College in 2014, 2015 and 2017 to speak to third- and fourth-year students in the Illustration program about my work and the business of illustration. This has given me the opportunity to reflect on my career and connect with newcomers to the field.
Collaborated with great people building amazing things all over the world. I’ve worked with clients in Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Germany and Korea, from one-man startups to Fortune 500 giants.
The Years Ahead
Metrics I want to quantify more aspects of my life and work, putting into practice the engineering adage, “What gets measured gets improved.”
Recognition I haven’t pursued illustration awards or competitions in the past. Quick notes from clients saying “Looks great, good work!” have been all the recognition I need. But it would be nice to earn formal recognition of my work from a panel of my peers. But you can’t win if you don’t enter.
Experimentation I want to continue to explore the possibilities presented by new software and hardware, for still images, animation and interactivity. Also to explore new illustration styles.
Community I want to engage and collaborate with my colleagues in the illustration and design community. I want to share my work, tools, techniques and resources, and to receive and provide critical feedback and inspiration.
A new Mac Pro My workstation is a 2009 Mac Pro tower (upgraded with memory, a graphics card and solid-state drives, of course). It’s a beast and a joy to work on. Apple has promised pro users a redesigned upgradeable desktop workstation with displays to match, and I’m eager to see what they come up with.
Looking back on the past decade, I feel very fortunate for the opportunities I’ve had. I’m grateful for the people in my life who have supported, guided, challenged and put their trust in me.
Thanks.
Illustrations for Air Canada
November 20, 2017
I’ve been working with Winkreative on illustrations highlighting the talent and technology that powers Air Canada. These illustrations have appeared in Air Canada’s in-flight magazines, enRoute and NAVI.
Recreational Vehicles for AAA Living
April 5, 2017
Some recreational vehicle icons for AAA Living magazine. AD Kyle Jackson.
Home Slice
December 8, 2016
In November I worked with Traffik Group in my home town of Toronto on a subject that’s near and dear to me—pizza.
They were helping Delissio create a popup restaurant to promote their Rustico line of pizzas and were in need of some illustrations to get an idea across. That idea was to use their pizzas as a starting point, to make them your own by adding your own toppings, to really elevate the at-home frozen pizza experience (it’s okay to picture Gordon Ramsay holding his head).
What we ended up with were two “exploded” pizza illustrations, showing off a selection of premium toppings that could be added to the base Rustico pizza. These illustrations were printed and installed on a 20-foot by 10-foot wall. The black, gold, marble and wood palette made the whole space feel luxurious and inviting.
I love working with clients from all over the world, but it was great to work on something in my own home town, to have a chance to see my work printed and installed in-person, and to top it all off—free pizza. Big thanks to Craig and Dylan at Traffik for the amazing project!
How To Pack For Any Trip
August 2, 2016
Earlier this year I worked with some fine folks at Lonely Planet to illustrate How To Pack For Any Trip, a 160-page pocket guide to packing, luggage, travel gear and making the most of any trip.
The book takes inspiration from model kit sprues and airplane safety cards. The 80+ illustrations are intended to be instructional and clean, but still approachable. The team was so happy with how the inside illustrations turned out, they had me illustrate the cover too!
To help promote the book, the LP team had me create some fun looping animations for their social media feeds. They were also shown instore at Foyles book shop in London.
Big thanks to Daniel, Johanna and Joe and everyone at Lonely Planet!