Why strong portfolios aren’t enough to hire strong illustrators

What kind of illustrator do you actually need? 

Most illustrator mishires don’t happen because their work isn’t good. They happen because organizations don’t consider the simple question, “What problem do you want your illustrator to solve?” 

Are you buying a style, or asking someone to execute one? 

Some teams hire illustrators because they have a distinctive voice or style. Others want strict rule-followers who can work quietly in an existing brand system. It’s important not to blur those expectations and to know exactly what kind of illustrator you need for your role before you demand specific contributions. 

For example, a marketing illustrator with a wide stylistic range might slam dunk one-off campaign visuals but airball long-term projects where consistency is key. A product-focused illustrator may thrive in tight design systems but avoids work that demands a strong personal voice. 

As Head of Creative at Mindful Chef, Richard Brownlie-Marshall, says: “We all have illustrators whose work we love, but the real question is whether that style will work across the required deliverables. And is the illustrator interested in adapting or do they prefer to stay firmly in their lane? Both parties need to know their thoughts on this and be honest upfront.” 

When you’re not explicit about what kind of illustration you actually need, would-be strong illustrators can seem like they’re underperforming because they were hired for the wrong reasons. 

Are you hiring a portfolio or a partner?

Hiring an illustrator can go wrong regardless of talent. This is especially true when you don’t consider where the illustrator fits within your team. 

A freelancer with a portfolio full of hero pieces might love short, clearly mapped-out projects. But that same illustrator can feel suffocated in an in-house role where the work is ongoing, repetitive, and prodded by a thousand small decisions. 

Hybrid roles can also pose challenges if the new hire treats their in-office time like a quick appointment they have to make once a week. If you expect each member to feel like a part of the team, those mismatched expectations can sour the relationship. 

So, before you start shopping portfolios, decide what you’re actually hiring for: a short-term contributor, a long-term partner, or something in between. 

What portfolios can’t show 

Portfolios are good at showing what illustration looks like when everything goes right. The conditions are inherently friendly to the illustrator because they picked them. In a real organization, those conditions – like deadlines, communication channels, and project handoffs – are set by other people. 

So, you risk a mishire when you base your decision on signals that portfolios just aren’t designed to capture. 

Portfolios are good at showing what illustration looks like when everything goes right. The conditions are inherently friendly to the illustrator because they picked them. In a real organization, those conditions – like deadlines, communication channels, and project handoffs – are set by other people. 

So, you risk a mishire when you base your decision on signals that portfolios just aren’t designed to capture. 

Can they stick to tight deadlines?

There’s no way to tell by looking at a portfolio project how long it actually took to get it right, because portfolios can't show consistency under pressure. 

David Ratmoko, owner and director of Metro Models, learned this the hard way while working on a book project: 

“The artist’s portfolio was beautiful and had just the right amount of surrealism for me. But once the contract began, she didn’t show up for days and missed all of the due dates. When she finally sent the drafts, they didn’t look like ones from her portfolio because they were rushed. I had to cut ties and find someone I could trust to do the job right.” 

Nothing in the portfolio suggested this outcome. That’s because it was a reliability issue, not a talent one. 

How flexible are they? 

Portfolios often shine when an illustrator’s specialization is clear. And if you happen to need that specialization at the outset, you’re not wrong for wanting to go for the hire. But what happens when the brief shifts, formats multiply, or different feedback pours in? 

For example, a portfolio with a series of strong, standalone hero illustrations shows that the candidate can likely nail your landing page or your magazine cover. But it offers no proof that they can be creative across formats or work inside a pre-existing brand system 

As David Ratmoko explains, “an illustrator's samples might show a clear and impressive style, but they may struggle if your project requires them to pivot or match a different brand aesthetic [...] A ‘one-trick pony’ employee may not be able to help you with your project if the goals change.” 

Portfolios help answer the question “Can this illustrator do good work?” But they rarely answer the more important question: “Can they keep doing good work when conditions evolve?” 

Can they handle feedback and communicate effectively? 

Communication skills are a critical tool in an illustrator’s arsenal, and they can be the difference between a successful collaboration and a painful one. 

And, as Lacey Kaelani, CEO and co-founder of Metaintro, has found, “a portfolio [...] does not demonstrate how [illustrators] receive feedback, manage timelines, or communicate with the client.” She adds, “When teams treat a portfolio as proof someone will succeed in a working environment, they’re making a mistake.” 

Further, portfolios can’t show whether a candidate can: 

• Apply feedback they receive without diluting the idea

• Make multiple rounds of changes without the work getting weaker or disorganized 

• Keep the details consistent throughout the revision process

Do they have good file-sharing capabilities? 

Portfolios also fail to answer some simple but often overlooked questions: 

• How am I actually going to receive these illustration files? 

• How will they be labeled? 

• Will the layers be organized in a way that other people can work with? 

Hone John Tito, co-founder of Game Host Bros, describes his experience hiring illustrators for a Counter-Strike tournament in 2025:

“We hired an illustrator with an incredible cyberpunk character portfolio. The designs looked perfect. But when the final files came in, everything was unusable. All the layers were flattened, nothing was labeled, and a custom font used in the logo wasn’t included or outlined.”

The ensuing back-and-forth meant that the launch schedule was delayed by a week. In contrast, TIto describes another illustrator whose portfolio wasn’t a knockout, but whose files arrived clearly labeled, layered logically, and accompanied by a short readme explaining fonts and effects:

“That second person doesn't have the flashiest portfolio but we keep on hiring him because he understands that the work doesn't end when he exports the file,” Tito says. 

So, keep in mind: File hygiene is invisible until it becomes everyone else’s problem. 

What comes next after the portfolio

Finding the candidate who can actually do the job well means hiring for skills. And, according to TestGorilla research, 85% of employers report that skills-based hiring trumps traditional methods like resume screening. 

But that doesn’t mean simply scanning portfolios and sending skills tests to your favorites. 72% of employers also reported that hiring holistically – assessing candidates’ skills, personalities, and cultural alignment – leads to stronger hires and more productive organizations. 

Let’s take a look at how holistic hiring works when assessing illustrators. 

Start with the technical

Measuring and assessing actual illustration skills is important, of course. That’s why TestGorilla offers technical skills tests for popular illustration platforms like Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Figma. 

These tests give you proof that those impressive samples in a candidate’s portfolio are actually replicable through specific platforms that your organization uses. Whether that means testing their technical skills in print and web illustration or UX/UI, implementing technical skills tests early gives you a crucial heads up about whether your candidates can handle the nuts and bolts of illustration. 

For example, two candidates may have equally strong portfolios, but differ in consistency, accuracy, or structure under test conditions. 

Those differences don’t mean one is “better.” They tell you how each person is likely to work and whether that matches your role. TestGorilla’s multi-measure assessments help with this decision-making, comparing each illustrator on the same criteria with hard evidence of their actual skills. 

Get holistic 

But tech skills aren’t the be-all and end-all. You also need to learn whether your candidates can manage deadlines, communicate ideas, implement feedback, and mesh well with your current teams. That might mean stacking a quick, 10-minute Attention to Detail test with Culture-add, DISC Personality, and communication skills tests. 

As David Ratmoko says, “I need people to work with me who are willing to listen to changes and make adjustments to their work instead of defending their original idea. Everyone can get things done more easily when things are flexible. Clients won't hire you again if you fight every edit.” 

Focus on collaboration

But prioritizing flexibility doesn’t mean you’re looking for the candidate who will say yes to everything. Your candidates should know how to absorb input, ask clarifying questions, and keep quality intact as the direction changes.

Keva Epale, founder of Keva Epale Studio, describes effective illustration work as a shared process: 

“I see client work as a duo dance. A clear brief is essential, but ongoing conversation is what keeps everyone aligned. Sketches, mood boards, and checkpoints help assess whether we’re moving toward the right message, vibe, and emotion.”

TestGorilla’s visual designer interview questions can help you tap into what that shared process might look like with a potential hire. Try asking:

• “When has a design challenge gone wrong? What happened, and how did you fix it?

• Describe a time when you received negative feedback on a piece you worked hard on. How did you implement this feedback into your next project?

• How do you prioritize your task list to achieve tight deadlines?

Remember, at the assessment and interview stages of illustrator hiring, you’re not looking for perfection. You’re looking for alignment with your open role. Whose mix of skills, working habits, and communication style best fits your needs? Answer that, and you’ve found your illustrator. 

Move from portfolio to proof with TestGorilla

Hiring a strong illustrator isn’t a portfolio no-brainer. A candidate’s greatest hits are a helpful gateway to a conversation, but they’ll need to back it up with positive skills test results and insightful answers to structured interview questions. 

Ready to put the whole picture together? Book a free demo or create your TestGorilla account today.

Sources

1. https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/17vhch7/why_do_i_get_badlooking_art_when_hiring_artists/

Contributors

• Richard Brownlie-Marshall, Mindful Chef, Head of Creative

• David Ratmoko, Metro Models, Owner & Director

• Lacey Kaelani, Metaintro, CEO & Co-Founder

• Hone John Tito, Game Host Bros, Co-Founder & Game Hosting Expert

• Keva Epale, Keva Epale Studio, Founder & Illustrator