Announcing: NEW U25 Membership discount

Supporting illustrators in the first vital years of their freelance careers.

Illustration by Martyna Gradziel

We are excited to announce a brand new Membership discount designed for new starters in the illustration industry.

Being a non-profit from the very start, our mission has remained the same since 1973: to empower all illustrators with the direct information, advice and support they deserve to grow sustainable careers.

We know that no two illustration careers are the same, and none are built overnight either; it takes time and hard work to hone skills, build a network and get a consistent level of work. As new Illustrators navigate this crucial part of their journeys, we want to equip them every step of the way, and to provide our tools as accessibly as possible.

After listening to our community, we are excited to introduce our new U25 Membership discount – giving all the benefits of our popular Illustrator plan for half the price, at only £90 p/year (with the option of splitting in 12 monthly Direct Debit instalments).

Join today

Who is it for?

This membership discount takes into consideration:

  • Graduates from an Illustration or related university course.
  • Self starters and self-taught illustrators.

No matter your experience, this membership discount is for all self-starters navigating the first few years of their freelance illustration career. We only require that you are aged 25 years or under.

Why 25 and under?

The last few years have been economically challenging for all illustrators, including those looking to kickstart their professional careers. 

According to the recent report from the House of Commons, from July to September 2024:

  • there were 627,000 young people aged 16 to 24 who were unemployed, 128,000 more than the previous year. 
  • The unemployment rate for young people was 14.8%, up from 12.1% from the year before.
  • In September 2024, 296,200 people aged 18 to 24 claimed unemployment related benefits. This was around the same as the previous month and an increase of 22,400 from a year before.

Illustration, like other creative careers, is largely a freelance-based discipline where Illustrators are expected to operate their businesses fully independently. It can be especially hard for art graduates and self-starters to receive the necessary training or direct support to establish themselves as sole traders. This can ultimately lead to lower confidence and practices such as working for low pay or for free, taking commissions without a business agreement in place, or having rocky client relationships due to a lack of clear communication.

With our new Membership, we aim to provide a more accessible way to access vital information and resources that will help new freelancers to not only build a strong foundation for their illustration careers, but to also strengthen the illustration industry overall.

What benefits do you get with this new Membership?

With the new U25 Membership, you get all the benefits of our Starter Illustrator package (priced at £183 per year) for the same price as our Student package!

That’s right – for only £90 per year you can get:

New Resource and Articles

In line with our new U25 Membership, we have released a new business practise resource sharing our top tips on how to build a sustainable career into the long-term.

We also have new articles featuring AOI Members aged 25 and under, who generously share their insights into their early career years, including how AOI Membership has helped them on their journey and their advice for those treading a similar path.

NEW Resource: How to Build Career Longevity

NEW Article: The Art of Breaking In: Real Talk with Early Career Illustrators – Part 1 ; The Art of Breaking In: Real Talk with Early Career Illustrators – Part 2

Take advantage and join us.

This discount will be available for a limited period until 19 May 2025.

Join today

Find all AOI Membership options, including our U25 Membership, here.

Got any questions? Find all the answers in our FAQs section.

Illustration by Martyna Gradziel


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