An agency is 'a business or organization providing a particular service on behalf of another business, person or group.' - Google definition.
In the creative industry an agency works alongside a creative worker to help them negotiate the likes of fees, contracts and even rights. They also help to market and promote the artist(s) in their books (as they can represent more than one creative worker) and can provide guidance and management within the artist's career. In return they usually take an approx 30-40% cut from all commissioned work in return for their services.
Here is an example of an Illustration Agency.
Here is an example of a (branding/web design based) Graphic Design Agency.
What is a collective?
A collective is 'a cooperative enterprise.' - Google definition.
Essentially, in the creative industry, a collective becomes a group of creative workers, usually of the same type (e.g graphic designers, animators, illustrators) who work together on equal creative footing. Each individual is open to using their own, personal style but all work collaboratively with one another.
In the case of Graphic Designers, there is the aspect of working 'in-house' which is effectively the same as a collective ('done or existing within an organization' - Google definition) but can often mean working to a particular style rather than your own.
Here is an example of a Graphic Design Collective.
Here is an example of an Illustration Collective.
Here is an example of In-House Graphic Design.
Collectives/In-House vs. Agencies
The question remains: which is best and why? I personally believe the answer to this relies on the individual you're asking. Both in-house and agencies will have their pros and cons, some which come with what each has to offer whilst others will emerge with personal opinions.
PROS OF WORKING UNDER AN AGENCY:
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In the creative industry an agency works alongside a creative worker to help them negotiate the likes of fees, contracts and even rights. They also help to market and promote the artist(s) in their books (as they can represent more than one creative worker) and can provide guidance and management within the artist's career. In return they usually take an approx 30-40% cut from all commissioned work in return for their services.
Here is an example of an Illustration Agency.
Here is an example of a (branding/web design based) Graphic Design Agency.
What is a collective?
A collective is 'a cooperative enterprise.' - Google definition.
Essentially, in the creative industry, a collective becomes a group of creative workers, usually of the same type (e.g graphic designers, animators, illustrators) who work together on equal creative footing. Each individual is open to using their own, personal style but all work collaboratively with one another.
In the case of Graphic Designers, there is the aspect of working 'in-house' which is effectively the same as a collective ('done or existing within an organization' - Google definition) but can often mean working to a particular style rather than your own.
Here is an example of a Graphic Design Collective.
Here is an example of an Illustration Collective.
Here is an example of In-House Graphic Design.
Collectives/In-House vs. Agencies
The question remains: which is best and why? I personally believe the answer to this relies on the individual you're asking. Both in-house and agencies will have their pros and cons, some which come with what each has to offer whilst others will emerge with personal opinions.
PROS OF WORKING UNDER AN AGENCY:
- Creativity isn't restricted. The pieces and projects you work on usually only come in ones or two's so you can devote more time to them and make them prestigious final pieces for your portfolio.
- Essentially get's the work for you. Agencies can get you opportunities you may not be able to snag on your own.
- Effective way of figuring out pricing for your work. This does, however, come at a price and could be considered a downside also.
CONS OF WORKING UNDER AN AGENCY:
- Job insecurity. With regards to how many other artists work under your agency you may lose out certain job opportunities to the other creative workers your agency has.
- They take a cut from your commissioned work. They do, after all, need payment for their services. Sometimes these cuts can be potentially harsh on lower paid jobs.
- Your agency represents you. This inherently depends on your personal opinion/views but having somebody else represent you can be a daunting aspect if you're wanting to show a potential client your best side.
- Lack of routine. Jobs can spring up on you via agencies and if you're hit with a last minute job you may have to pull a few unhealthy all-nighters in order to finish which can be a bit of a creative burn out.
PROS OF WORKING IN-HOUSE:
- Job security. Working under an established corporation, whether collective or in-house, gives you stability as you're working in partnership with the other creative workers. It's also more cost-effective for your employers to have you in-house or collective so there's less chance of being laid off.
- Company benefits. One downside to working for yourself of the loss of health insurance, disability claims and retirement plans. Not to mention if you should fall ill and can't complete a job. Working in-house or collective gives you the best of both worlds, allowing you to reap the benefits whilst maintaining your own individual, freelance style.
- Set hours. As you're working under a company you tend to have the standard rule of working 9 until 5 and there is little to no need for overtime unless you're reaching for a deadline.
- Worthy pieces and projects. Working in-house or as a collective has the potential to bring in big brand jobs - making perfect and respectable pieces for your portfolio.
CONS OF WORKING IN-HOUSE:
- Restricted creativity. Although not always the case, in-house and collectives have a tendency to bring in less creative challenges which restrict the artist to more generic and stylized projects or pieces. There's also a chance that, when working in-house, you may have to work to a specific style, losing your originality.
- Limited range of products. This links in with restricted creativity and shows how working in-house or as a collective could potentially get a bit dull.
- Lack of flexibility. In-house and collectives often have a restrictive budget and a sense of restraint when it comes to branching out with new ideas and methods, something agencies tend to instead welcome.
As evident from the examples above, both areas of the creative industry have their respective pros and cons. However, there is no clear way to derive which is 'better' with regards to which area to apply yourself. This all depends on your personal opinion as a creative worker. For me, personally, each have appealing qualities that would make me consider working under each. However there are also qualities that make me want to stray away from both. That being said, if I had to choose, I would most likely opt for the in-house route as I feel I work better with routine. Both would be an experience and I think it's important to consider each as an opportunity.
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