SCBWI Exclusive with... Emily Harris, Art Director, Lerner Books

What was your path to becoming an art director?

I originally graduated with a BA in Psychology and was planning to pursue a path in Art or Educational Therapy and decided to change direction. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go back to school and study Graphic Design and I graduated with a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. After graduation, I worked at a nonprofit arts organization for a while before I got my first job in publishing as a graphic designer and worked my way up from there. 

The path to get to where I am today was long and winding, but definitely worth it. I love working in children’s publishing and as a huge reader and library advocate, it feels like the perfect fit. Plus, my maternal grandfather was an Art Director in advertising, and my paternal grandfather was a Psychology professor. I guess they both had a strong influence on me and my two degrees work together quite well. I am so grateful to have spent the last 17 years creating eye catching books for children and young adults! 

When a manuscript comes across your desk, how do you find the perfect illustrator and how do you work with them during that process?

Like most aspects of publishing, selecting an illustrator is a very collaborative process. After we read the manuscript the designer/art director creates a list of potential illustrators that they think might work well for the story. This involves spending a lot of time looking at agency websites, talking to agents, or going through the “Illustrators_Ideas” folder that I have in my email. I flag and save promo emails from both agencies and individual artists and come back to them when I think there might be a good opportunity or fit. 

Once we have an illustrator shortlist, we share that with the editor and depending on the project, the author may weigh in as well. After the illustrator is hired/signed on we send them the storyboard with some initial art direction, but we really like to give the illustrator room to bring their voice to the project as well so initial direction can sometimes be very loose, depending on the book and subject matter. 

The designer/art director is the main point of contact throughout the process, we gather and deliver all feedback on sketches, revisions, and final art. It is such a joy to look at art every day! 

What do you look for when you review an illustrators portfolio?

-A strong sense of narrative or storytelling throughout their work.

-Details like eye-catching colors, patterns, and textures 

-I appreciate it when illustrators include some sketches or black and white line work in their portfolios, as it's helpful to see how they can develop those initial ideas. 

What three tips can you give illustrators to make their portfolios pop?

-Show a nice mix of full scene illustrations as well as examples of spot art.  

-It’s great to see illustrators that can work in different styles, however, showcasing too much variety can sometimes be confusing and doesn't necessarily give us a clear sense of how an illustrator would handle a project. Showing more isn’t necessarily better. 

-Include a variety of subject matter. For example, a nice mix of people/animals/places so we know what an illustrator can handle.