Illustrations are no longer a graphic design trend. It’s a must-have to establish and develop a memorable brand. But when sourcing illustrations, buying them won’t tailor it for your brand. Instead, you need to hire an expert illustrator or a dedicated illustrator team to design custom illustrations. Stop your search here, as we’ve listed the best custom illustration services to hire for 2024!
How Much Does a Custom Illustration Cost?
Prices for a custom illustration vary for different services. For instance, graphic design services would have a separate bundle or include it in their plans. Illustrations could also have different prices because of illustration styles and their purpose. Some services will also include the turnaround time and number of revisions in the price. Here are the starting rates for various illustrations:
- Sketches (black and white) – starts at $10
- Line art – starts at $10
- Book illustrations – starts at $10
- Web illustrations – starts at $15
- Merch illustrations – starts at $20
Top 8 Custom Illustration Services
1. Penji
You won’t run out of options for custom illustrations with Penji. We have a dedicated illustrator team to craft custom illustrations for your brand. Our illustrators specialize in various illustration styles, including fantasy, caricatures, line art, books, mascots, and more! And if you need handmade illustration styles, you need to subscribe to our Marketer and Agency plans to get the best bang for your buck! Plus, our plans offer unlimited revisions, too!
But that’s not the only option Penji offers for custom illustrations! You can also get single illustrations from Penji Express! Here, you can find our top illustrators with various illustration styles. Once you find an illustration style that fits your brand, choose your illustrator and proceed to checkout! It’s that easy!
Oh, before we forget, here’s a promo code you can use: GETPENJI25. Get 25% off on your first month!
Pricing:
- Marketer – $995/mo
- Agency – $1497/mo
- Penji Marketplace – starts at $75
2. Minty
Minty is a good platform to check out if you’re looking for a freelance illustrator. It’s suitable to use Taste Minty if you have a prepared design brief to submit to any illustrator. You need to sign up for their Recruiter’s Club plan to contact artists. From there, you can submit your design brief along with other details. Once you have these details, you’ll get illustrator suggestions. Finally, you can talk to your illustrator once you collaborate with the best illustrator for the job.
Minty can be pricey, especially if you want to build a designer team and need more than one illustration monthly. It’s a year-long commitment, but you get a free Recruiter’s Club membership.
Pricing:
- Free forever (no hiring features included)
- Recruiter’s Club – 15€/mo
- Picture Desk Plan – 470€/mo
- Art Studio Plan – 2074€/mo
3. Creative Pool
If you’re looking for a dedicated freelance site that offers custom illustration services, check out Creative Pool! You can find creatives and agencies for custom illustrations. To find illustrations, you can use the search function, allowing you to browse profiles. However, Creative Pool requires you to sign up to browse more profiles.
Besides that, you can advertise your job and gig to attract talent. They offer multiple options for finding freelancers, which can overwhelm a new user. However, if you’ve made up your mind on how to hire a freelancer, it’ll be easier to find freelancers or agencies to hire for your project or long-term work.
Pricing:
- studiogig posting – Free
- Standard posting – Free
- Premium Featured posting – starts at $95
- Talent Pass – $49/mo
4. Fiverr
Fiverr is a good option to consider if your illustration project is for a short-term period. The freelance site emphasizes gig work, allowing you to find freelancers with low rates. The easiest way to find a freelance illustrator is by searching them and browsing their work. Since it’s Fiverr, you’ll find a diverse selection of illustration styles. Plus, you’ll see low prices with limited features.
However, if it’s not to your liking, you can find Fiverr Pro illustrators instead. This allows you to connect with highly rated freelancers. But they don’t disclose prices, unlike other freelancers on the site. You need to contact them about services offered and pricing.
Pricing: Starts at $5/gig
5. Dribbble
Dribbble got its start as a graphic design portfolio website. But it has also evolved into a marketplace. You can also post a job for your projects or long-term work. Dribbble is a great place to start browsing your preferred illustration style.
However, Dribbble is ideal for hiring if you want to build an illustrator team in the long run. They have a monthly job posting subscription where you can attract talent.
Pricing:
- Job board – $99
- Hiring suite – $199
6. Toptal
If you’ve tried browsing the other freelance sites mentioned here but have no luck finding one, you can also consider Toptal when finding freelance illustrators. Most designers on Toptal specialize in UI/UX designs and branding. Plus, most illustrators have worked with big brands and top agencies. However, Toptal comes with a hefty price tag compared to other custom illustration services on this list. Plus, it’s ideal to hire from Toptal if you have a long-term and more demanding project.
Pricing: Depends on the freelancer you hire, but expect premium prices of $60 to $250/hr.
7. 99Designs
You can get custom illustrations two ways with 99Designs. First, you can start a design contest based on what illustration you’ll need. You have various categories to choose from when starting your illustration contest. Here’s what you can pick:
- Illustrations or graphics
- Book illustrations
- Web illustrations
- Business illustrations
- Character or mascot
- 3D
On the other hand, you can invite an illustrator to create custom art for your business. This requires you to submit a design brief before the illustrator accepts the job. You can browse the marketplace to find various illustration styles.
Pricing:
- Design contest – starts at $299
- Freelancer – $299 to $1499
8. DesignCrowd
Our final pick for the top custom illustration services of 2024 is DesignCrowd. It’s like 99Designs, where you can start a contest and get multiple illustrations based on your design brief. Plus, they have a money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied with the designs.
However, like 99Designs, you won’t get the best designs on the lowest tier, and the quality of most illustrations doesn’t look professional. You will need to pay more to get various illustrations, and it can take time to pick the best illustration.
Design contest prices:
- $79 – 1 to 3 designs
- $169 – 6+ designs
- $229 – 15+ designs
- $329 – 50+ designs
- $449 – 75+ designs
