Adam Avery

Adam is a freelance commercial illustrator whose clients include CNN, The Guardian, International New York Times, Wired and The Atlantic. Adam’s work uses bold shapes and colourful composition to create complex stories and highlight key issues.

How has your creative practice evolved since graduating?

University is a vital incubation period, but it was on the job that my practice evolved and streamlined into the process I use today. At its core, my work is still what it was – tactile, humanising and (hopefully) humorous, however over time, through trial and error, I’ve found ways to digitise the analogue aspects of my practice to save valuable time on those five-hour turnarounds!

What kind of tasks do you work on in your job?

The task of an editorial illustrator is to take broad subjects and boil them down into a concise image which serves to explain or entice an audience into investigating content further. However the tasks required differ wildly from project to project, from creating a single image, to providing full art direction from conception to finish. A typical day is quite hard to come by working freelance. Jobs can crop up at any time of the day…or night.

Do you have any tips for budding creatives in your field?

The most vital thing is to keep making work. The temptation after graduating is to breathe a huge sigh of relief but the spotlight on graduates is fleeting these days. Make the most of that crucial time. Don’t be scared to reach out to your hero’s and dream clients and be nice.

What do you think was distinctive about your university experience?

Something very unique about Norwich University is how the campus is embedded within the city. This encourages students to integrate with the community from day one. There is nothing insular about the Institution and that meant that by the time I left I had made valuable connections and built a great support system in my adoptive home city.