graphics for a science book

[andiwm2003]

hi there,

my GF is writing a popular science book. she plans to have about 4 pictures and graphics in there. about 36 will be quite standard. that means she knows exactly what she wants and they just need to be made nice. 4-5 are sort of undefined and need some artists impression about how to display the scientific facts she wants to explain.

she wants to hire and graphics designer for that but has no idea how much that would cost. the book is a scientific book so it won't sell in high number and money is very limited. we understand that this won't be done for free but she can't pay the big bucks either.

what is the time that a project like this takes and how much do people charge for that (rough price range would be good)?

also how do we identify a designer who is good, efficient and doesn't go overboard with design effects?

thanks for any input.

P.S.: if any of you does stuff like that then drop me a PM. but please only PM me if you have a serious interest and experience and references for science publications or equivalent.

 

[citizenzen]

what is the time that a project like this takes and how much do people charge for that (rough price range would be good)?

Without knowing more it's impossible to say.

I'd want to see some samples of illustrative styles she'd like to see in her book.

Could you post an example of the style she's interested in?

 

[MisterMe]

hi there,

my GF is writing a popular science book. she plans to have about 4 pictures and graphics in there. about 36 will be quite standard. that means she knows exactly what she wants and they just need to be made nice. 4-5 are sort of undefined and need some artists impression about how to display the scientific facts she wants to explain.

she wants to hire and graphics designer for that but has no idea how much that would cost. the book is a scientific book so it won't sell in high number and money is very limited. we understand that this won't be done for free but she can't pay the big bucks either.

...

Nobody has a rate card entitled "Illustrations for Popular Science Books." If your girlfriend can't do her own graphics, then she must work with her publisher to do the graphics. If she wants to self-publish, then she must locate and hire illustrators and photographers who share her vision for the book.

In the latter case, her best hope is to try to identify a professor at a local college or university who has written a science textbook. This person can help her to locate a graphic artist who conversant with science.

 

[telecomm]

The publisher should probably be handling things like this, or is this a self-published book?

 

[snberk103]

Make sure that the pictures and graphics your GF has settled on are licensed i.e. that she has permission to use those images. A friend of mine has a firm that clears licenses for text book publishers. Clearing licenses for text book publishers and creating photos for them is all they do...

Good Luck

 

[andiwm2003]

just to clarify: my GF already has a quite successful book out. now she's writing another. so the effort is a bit more professional than it came accross.

the publishers are usually less than useful (unless you have a million dollar bestseller coming up). she has a big publisher but in the end she has to do it herself. especially when it comes to good graphics . so she will have the graphics done by a pro but with her input of course.

the graphs should be simple diagrams (google feynman diagrams or particle collision for example), just nice. some should visualize concepts like particle collisions or more abstract things like dark matter or astronomy stuff. (i don't know much about that stuff. after i read her book maybe...).

i can't put more detail out right now since i'm at work.

 

[citizenzen]

Illustrator work. Basic.

36 of those shouldn't be much more than an 8 hours. Of course that means you need to double that figure to 16 hours... then add 8 more for the "ass-factor" (nothing personal).

Okay! 24 hours billable time @ $100 per hour. $2,400 Total.

I'll take PayPal... 1/2 in advance... the 2nd half at completion of the project.

Or you could always get your brother-in-law to do it for a six-pack.

 

[andiwm2003]

Illustrator work. Basic.

36 of those shouldn't be much more than an 8 hours. Of course that means you need to double that figure to 16 hours... then add 8 more for the "ass-factor" (nothing personal).

Okay! 24 hours billable time @ $100 per hour. $2,400 Total.

I'll take PayPal... 1/2 in advance... the 2nd half at completion of the project.

Or you could always get your brother-in-law to do it for a six-pack.

thanks for the input. well, it's not just 36 feynman graphs. the feynman graphs are just an example. and even then they should be a lot nicer than that.
there are graphs that will more look like that:

sorry, it's hard to explain via a forum post.

and we know that the prize will be far above what was asked by citizenzen

 

[MisterMe]

Make sure that the pictures and graphics your GF has settled on are licensed i.e. that she has permission to use those images. A friend of mine has a firm that clears licenses for text book publishers. Clearing licenses for text book publishers and creating photos for them is all they do...

Good Luck

Companies that specialize in custom publishing do this as part of their regular production. Copyright clearance is not a separate charge. One such custom publisher is University Readers.

 

[citizenzen]

...and we know that the prize will be far above what was asked by citizenzen

Your brother-in-law will want a whole case for that!!!

 

[bluetooth]

Well obviously the more detailed the higher the price and that second graphic needs to be done using some sort of 3-d software I would imagine. You are looking at a high price for technical drawings as it is a niche in the design industry and somewhat of a specialty so there are a lot less designers who can do these so they can charge higher prices as oppose to your general run of the mill designer who do brochures/print and web pages.

http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi

How do you know who to use and who not to? Ask for samples of past work and the cost as well as references to past clients who have had illustrative work done by the designer. That way you can get specific answers to some of your questions regarding productivity etc.

Good Luck.

 

[Consultant]

Ask the book publisher for some rough numbers for that industry.

Typically price to license an image/graphic for book depends on

-size
-placement
-print run

 

[timor]

You can post a job offer in graphic design forums or at elance.com, coroflot.com. You can review their feedback and portfolios before choosing, but very specific about your requirements...