Art Licensing: How to Partner with Big Brands
One of the best ways for artists to make a living is through art licensing. If you want to learn how to become a surface designer and license your artwork with large brands, this post is for you!
You may be wondering, “What is art licensing?” So before we dive in, I want to share a little background about this industry and how I’ve used art licensing to build my career as an artist.
Art licensing is when an artist sells or “licenses” a design for a third party company to sell on their products. Imagine you’re walking through Target. Every product you see with a design on it from greeting cards, to clothing, to wrapping paper, to planners, all have been created in partnership with an artist.
When I first started my art career in 2014, I had no idea that this industry even existed. I thought artists made money by selling their work at craft fairs or on Etsy. But my whole outlook changed when I landed my first art licensing deal with Urban Outfitters and learned that I could create passive income through art licensing. Now, I partner with big brands like Target, Anthropologie, HomeGoods, and more to license my artwork so that they can sell it on their products.
One of the questions I’m asked most often is how I land those big partnerships. And in this post, I’ll share the best practices that you can implement to start getting noticed by large companies!
Before we dive in, I wanted to share a free resource to help guide as you’re building your creative business. My Creative Business Bundle is chock-full of industry insights including trend forecasting tips, email templates, marketing resources, and much more! Download it for free here!
How Licensing with Big Brands Works
So, how does licensing with big brands work? It all starts with a piece of art. For instance, I created the Retro Sunshine artwork as part of my portfolio and it has easily become the star of the show! I added this artwork to my licensing portfolio and Makers Collective (one of my licensors) saw it– they loved it and they decided to turn it into throw pillows and rugs.
Makers Collectives pitched the throw pillows and rugs with my Retro Sunshine design to Target and they decided to pick them up. Now, Target sells the pillows and rugs with my design, and this is where the royalties come in. Every time Target sells one of these products, I earn a percentage of that sale as a royalty.
The best part of all this is that I can use the same artwork and license it out to other companies to earn more! The caveat here is that the Retro Sunshine happens to be the most popular piece in my portfolio at the time. But it goes to show the power that one piece can have. You create the design once and you can potentially earn for years to come.
The Importance of Visibility: How I landed my first licensing deal with Urban Outfitters
Art licensing can be overwhelming and seemingly complicated. You may be wondering how to even begin to dip your toe into this daunting industry.
When I was first starting out, I didn’t have a fancy portfolio or website. My portfolio was my Society6 shop and Instagram. I was discovered by an Urban Outfitters Art Director when they found my work on Society6. They were able to easily contact me because my contact information was in my bio.
With that in mind, one of the top things that you need to focus on is building up your visibility. You want big brands to see you. Share your work on different platforms including (but not limited to) social media, print-on-demand sites, your very own website, and more! You need to make it easy for companies to contact you.
How Print on Demand Can Lead to Licensing Opportunities: How I got my artwork in Target
There are several ways to get into the art licensing business, but working with Print On Demand (POD) platforms and building a portfolio within these websites is a good entry point to the art licensing industry.
Target is one of my biggest collaborators to date and I always get asked about how I landed a deal with them. And the answer is – through print-on-demand!
A lot of artists get frustrated with print-on-demand since it’s become very saturated with content creators which makes it challenging to gain traction and make sales.
But keep in mind that there’s more to print on demand than just selling products. If done right, it can be your ticket to getting noticed by large companies who want to license your artwork. For example, my favorite POD site, Society6, can feel a little saturated for selling artwork, but having a portfolio of designs on there has been the key for many artists (including me!) to be discovered by big brands...
In my case, I landed my first partnership with Target in 2016 because my artwork was discovered on Society6 by Deny Designs, which is Society6’s sister company for in-store collaborations. Deny Designs was browsing Society6 for artwork they could pitch to big brands, and came across my designs. They pitched it to Target, Target liked my work, and I’ve been partnering with them ever since!
Why Negotiation is Important: Buyouts vs. Art Licensing
Contracts can widely vary from one company to another depending on the type of licensing deal. The beauty of art licensing is that you can license the same artwork to be used by multiple brands on different products – it allows you to maximize your earning to its highest potential.
There are two common ways of working with big brands. You can either license your work or the company may want a buyout.
Art Licensing is when you give another company permission to use your artwork within the terms you’ve agreed to in the contract. This means you always retain the copyright to your artwork.
A Buyout is when you outright sell the copyright to your design. That means that you no longer own it and cannot use it for any future licensing collaborations.
Both options have their pros and cons. Licensing allows royalties to trickle in over time while buyouts give you a one-time big check upfront.
Licensing has a completely different fee structure compared to a buyout. The company only needs to pay for using your artwork under the very clearly defined usage stated on your contract. If your design is a massive hit, the company can request to license your artwork for more products and even add more of your designs to their list. They can also extend or renew the term of the contract depending on your art’s performance.
Keep in mind that you have a choice over your artwork. Your decision is the one that matters most. You want to learn how to negotiate to a term that feels right for you. For instance, if you want to retain the copyright to your work while a company wants a buyout– you can offer to meet halfway and offer exclusive rights for a certain period of time.
You can and should always negotiate terms and never accept the first offer. There is always wiggle room.
In 2016, Modcloth approached me about creating custom artwork for a bedding collection. I drew all the artwork by hand with India ink, scanned it into my computer, and colorized everything digitally. Modcloth wanted to commission me to create brand new artwork that they’d hold the rights to. This isn’t licensing– it’s a buyout. Now, I very rarely do buyouts– I prefer to focus on licensing where I own the copyright and those royalties trickle in over time, rather than buyouts, which is selling my copyright for one big check upfront.
So I pushed back with Modcloth and instead of a buyout, we both agreed to a 2-year exclusive deal. That meant that for 2 years, Modcloth was the only company who could use this artwork. That was fine with me– I really wanted that brand recognition with Modcloth. And the best part? After those two years were up in 2018, I’ve actually earned more money by licensing those designs to other partners than I did with the original deal with Modcloth.
So that just goes to show that you can and should always negotiate terms and never accept the first offer.
Do I Need an Agent?
A lot of people think that they need an agent to succeed in art licensing, but this is not always the case. All of the collaborations I listed above were ones that I secured before ever working with an agent. It’s completely possible to succeed without an agent!
You don’t need to work with an agent right away. You can dip your toes into art licensing on your own and get a feel of it first before committing to an agent or deciding to work with an art licensing agency.
Although succeeding without an agent is completely possible, working with someone does have its benefits. When I first started out in art licensing I didn’t have an agent.After a few years of doing it all on my own, I now work with an art licensing agency, Jewel Branding.
Working with them has helped take a lot of the work of art licensing off my plate. Working with an agent or an agency can free up more of your time so you can focus on what you love doing most– creating art and bringing ideas to life!
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To recap, the key to getting noticed by big brands is to be visible! Put your work out there and make sure that your contact information is easy to find. My strategy has always been to put out a high volume of work and see what sticks. This has led to some amazing partnerships for me, and I know it’s possible for you too! You never know what’s out there til you try! I hope that this has been a helpful introduction to working with big brands, and I can’t wait to see where it leads you.
There is a lot to learn when you’re starting out in the art licensing industry. So if you’re ready to get even more industry insights including marketing tips, art licensing email templates, contract negotiation resources, trend forecasting, and more, check out my free Creative Business Bundle here!
