Koto’s in-house illustrator Niall Unger on embracing feedback and imperfection in brand design
Meet Niall Unger, in-house illustrator at Koto – a global branding agency with offices in London and worldwide. Nearly three years in, his role is all about creating impactful visual identities that help brands stand out, fuelled by a long-held passion for drawing. Here, Niall shares the qualities that help him succeed in his role, the importance of embracing feedback and the advice that keeps him grounded.
What I do
Can you tell us more about your role at Koto and what the agency does?
I'm an illustrator who works in-house at Koto. Koto is a branding agency, meaning that we do all things brand. We're based in London, but we have offices worldwide – in the States, Europe, and one that just started up in Australia.
What’s the best thing about your job?
I wouldn't be an illustrator if I didn't absolutely love drawing. I really love that it's my job – being an illustrator is very fun. Specifically working in branding, I think there are a lot of really interesting opportunities for illustration to be part of the wider design system. Branding is exciting because it’s a bit of a puzzle; there are lots of different moving pieces that you have to put together.
How I got here
What three qualities do you need to do your job?
Number one, I'd say you've got to really love drawing. You've got to be willing to put the hours in because it is a lot of hours. Number two, you’ve got to be imaginative. It also helps to be able to relax into your work and not get too stressed about everything being perfect. And number three, particularly in branding, you've got to have good people skills as you're working as part of a team.
“You've got to be willing to put the drawing hours in, because it is a lot of hours.”
My advice
Have you had any setbacks in your career so far?
Client feedback is quite a big thing to learn to adjust to. You might think something’s going really well, and then you get asked to change direction. It’s important to remember it’s not about you and focus on the feedback they’re giving you, as opposed to the work that’s already been done. It’s never personal.
“Client changes are not about you – focus on the feedback rather than the work that’s already been done.”
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
In terms of broad advice, illustration is a job, so treat it like a job. If you're responding to something, even if you don’t make anything good that day, sit down in front of a piece of paper for eight hours, and then, at the end of the day, leave it. Don’t worry about everything being perfect. It’s about just getting ideas out, and something will spark a bigger idea later on.
Illustrations for Rightmove
“Don’t worry about everything being perfect. It’s about just getting ideas out.”
What resources would you recommend to illustrators?
Obviously, Creative Lives in Progress does great work! Also, It's Nice That is also a great resource for illustrators to see what's happening popular right now and who's working on what projects.
Also, I think if you get the algorithm right, Instagram is such a good place for illustration at the minute. You can train the algorithm to show you loads of new illustrators. It's an exciting place to be at the minute.
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