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Illustrator commission brief builder

Builds a complete, illustrator-ready commission brief for a specific story or article — including editorial context, tone and mood direction, visual reference guidance, format and technical specs, deadline structure…

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Purpose

Produce a single, self-contained commission brief that gives an illustrator everything needed to nail the assignment on the first pass — editorial intent, tone, concrete visual direction, format specs, milestones, and usage rights — so the art director spends less time in revision loops and never discovers a rights gap after publication.

When to Use

Invoke this skill when the user asks to:

  • Write a commission brief for an article or feature illustration
  • Brief an illustrator for a magazine cover or section opener
  • Package a multi-part editorial series into a consistent illustration brief
  • Turn a rough story idea into concrete visual direction for a freelancer
  • Clarify format specs, deadlines, or usage rights for an illustration assignment
  • Standardize how the team hands off illustration commissions

Inputs Required

Before starting, collect:

  • Story summary: 2–4 sentences on what the piece is about and its central argument or emotional hook
  • Placement: Where the illustration runs (cover, feature opener, inline spot, homepage hero, social card)
  • Publication + audience: The brand and who reads it, for register and taste calibration
  • Desired tone/mood: 3–5 adjectives, or a "feels like / not like" pairing
  • Format specs: Dimensions, orientation, file format, color space (print CMYK vs. web RGB) — or note if unknown
  • Budget + deadline: Fee range and final delivery date
  • Usage scope: Where the art will appear and for how long (print run, web, social, archive, licensing)

If format specs or usage scope are missing, propose sensible defaults for the stated placement and flag them clearly as assumptions to confirm.

Instructions

Step 1: Establish Editorial Context

Open the brief with what the illustrator actually needs to understand the assignment:

  • One-paragraph summary of the story and its central idea — not a plot recap, but the point
  • The single feeling or takeaway the image should reinforce
  • The publication and audience, stated in one line so the illustrator calibrates taste
  • Any hard constraints (must include / must avoid — sensitive subject matter, competitor imagery, factual accuracy on depicted people or objects)

Step 2: Define Tone and Mood

Translate abstract adjectives into direction an illustrator can act on:

  • List 3–5 mood adjectives, then translate each into a visual implication (e.g., "unsettling → asymmetric composition, cool palette, negative space")
  • Provide a color direction: palette temperature, saturation level, and 2–3 anchor hues
  • Provide a line/texture direction: clean vector vs. textured/hand-drawn vs. painterly
  • Include a "feels like / not like" contrast pair to sharpen the edge of the brief

Step 3: Give Concrete Visual Reference Direction

Move from mood to concept without dictating the final image:

  • Suggest 2–3 distinct conceptual approaches the illustrator could take (metaphorical, literal-scene, symbolic-object) so they have creative range within the brief
  • Describe reference direction in words: named art movements, technique styles, or compositional structures the art director is gravitating toward
  • State clearly what is prescriptive (must match) vs. inspirational (starting point only)
  • Note any recurring visual motifs if this is part of a series, for consistency across pieces

Step 4: Specify Format and Technical Requirements

Lay out non-negotiable production specs:

  • Dimensions and orientation (with bleed if print)
  • Resolution (300 DPI print / 72 DPI web) and color space (CMYK / RGB)
  • File deliverables: final format (layered source + flattened export), and any variant crops needed (hero + social + thumbnail)
  • Any text/logo safe zones or areas that must stay clear for overlays

Step 5: Set Milestones and Deadlines

Structure the timeline to catch problems early:

  • Sketch/concept round due date (thumbnails or roughs for approval before full render)
  • Revision window with a defined number of included revision rounds
  • Final delivery date and file handoff method
  • State the fee and what it covers, and note any kill fee terms

Step 6: State Usage Rights Clearly

Prevent the most common commissioning dispute:

  • Define the license type: exclusive vs. non-exclusive, and the specific media covered
  • Define duration: one-time use, defined term, or perpetual
  • Define territory: regional, national, worldwide
  • State whether rights transfer or licensing applies, and who retains copyright and portfolio/self-promotion rights
  • Flag any downstream uses (merch, reprints, licensing to third parties) that would require a separate fee
  • Recommend the illustrator's credit line format

Output Format

  • Structure: A ready-to-send brief document with clear labeled sections
  • Length: 600–900 words
  • Format: Structured document — headed sections with short paragraphs and bulleted specs; specs presented as scannable lists, not prose
  • Sections: Assignment Overview → Editorial Context → Tone & Mood → Visual Direction → Format & Technical Specs → Timeline & Fee → Usage Rights → Credit & Contact
  • Tone: Professional art director — respectful of the illustrator's creative autonomy, precise on the non-negotiables, warm but unambiguous

Quality Checklist

Before delivering output, verify:

  • [ ] Tone adjectives are each translated into a concrete visual implication — not left abstract
  • [ ] At least 2 distinct conceptual approaches are offered so the illustrator has creative range
  • [ ] Prescriptive requirements are visibly separated from inspirational reference
  • [ ] Format specs state dimensions, resolution, and color space explicitly
  • [ ] Timeline includes a sketch-approval milestone before final render, plus a defined number of revision rounds
  • [ ] Usage rights specify license type, duration, and territory — no vague "usage as needed"

Notes

  • The single biggest cause of revision cycles is a mood-only brief with no conceptual direction — always give 2–3 approaches to anchor the illustrator's first pass
  • If usage scope is unclear, err toward defining a narrower license; expanding rights later is a fair renegotiation, but assumed-broad rights create disputes
  • For a series, lock the color and line direction in the first brief and reference it in each subsequent one to hold visual consistency across pieces
  • Sketch approval before full render is the cheapest insurance against a costly late-stage rejection — never skip that milestone to save time

How to use this skill

This file is a Claude Code skill in Anthropic's standard format — markdown with YAML frontmatter at the top.

Installing in Claude Code:

  • ~/.claude/skills/<folder-name>/SKILL.md — auto-loads in every session anywhere on your machine (recommended for skills you'll use across multiple projects)
  • <your-project>/.claude/skills/<folder-name>/SKILL.md — auto-loads only when working in that project (recommended for project-specific skills)

Restart Claude Code or open a new session to register.

Using in Claude.ai, ChatGPT, Gemini, or other AI tools:

  1. Drag this file into a new chat, or copy and paste its contents
  2. Send your task or request as your next message — the AI will apply the skill where it fits

For Claude Code skill details: https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills