Illustratoren Organisation E.v.

Name

Illustratoren Organisation E.v.

Legal name

Illustratoren Organisation e.V.

Website

https://illustratoren-organisation.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services for Illustrators

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH)

Keywords

• Professional illustrator association
• Illustration advocacy services
• Online portfolio platform
• Copyright legal advice
• Creative industry membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The IO generates revenue through annual membership dues paid by professional illustrators. Membership tiers include full members (€240/year in Germany/Austria, €180 abroad), junior members (€120), senior members (€120), and members with severe disability passes (€180 in Germany/Austria, €135 abroad). Contributions are described as genuine membership fees (echte Mitgliedsbeiträge) fully tax-deductible as professional expenses and exempt from VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Illustratoren Organisation e.V. is a nonprofit professional association for German-speaking illustrators offering tiered annual memberships that bundle advocacy, free legal advice, professional legal protection insurance, standardized contract templates, fee/usage-rights calculators, online seminars, mentoring, and access to the largest German-language online portfolio directory used by publishers to commission illustrators. It also operates an e-commerce shop selling the Honorarwerk and Tagewerk reference publications, and represents members' interests in German and European copyright and cultural policy bodies.

Product overview

Illustratoren Organisation E.v. is a professional association for German-speaking illustrators, not a software product company. Its offering consists of membership-based services including an online portfolio platform (the largest German-language portfolio directory for professional illustrators), legal and tax advisory services, professional insurance, and publications. The core product is the portfolio platform which serves as a marketplace connecting illustrators with publishers and clients. Supporting offerings include fee calculation tools (hourly rate calculator, usage rights calculator), contract templates, seminars, and mentorship programs. New members receive a welcome package with practical guides (Tagewerk Illustration, Honorarwerk Illustration, Urheberrechtsbroschüre). The organization also operates an e-commerce shop for publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online-Portfolio (IO Online Portfolio Portal) The largest German-language online portfolio platform for professional illustrators, functioning as a searchable directory and showcase used by major publishers and clients to find illustrators.
• IO Membership Tiered annual membership in the IO providing access to legal advice, professional legal protection insurance, contract templates, fee calculators, online seminars, mentoring, regional groups, and the IO portfolio portal. Available with reduced rates for juniors, seniors, members abroad, and members with severe disability passes.
• Rechtsberatung (Member Legal Advice) Free legal consultation service for IO members covering illustration-specific questions, fee disputes, contract clauses, and copyright violations.
• Berufsrechtsschutzversicherung (Professional Legal Protection Insurance) Integrated professional legal protection insurance for IO members in Germany and Austria, providing coverage in case of legal disputes relating to the illustration profession.
• Honorarwerk Illustration Comprehensive reference guide providing transparent overview of compensation models and fee structures for illustration work, established as an industry pricing standard.
• Tagewerk Illustration Practical book for orienting in the illustration profession, with worksheets and tips for managing daily work life sustainably.
• IO-Shop Online shop selling IO publications, guides, and resources for illustrators, including the Honorarwerk and Tagewerk reference books.
• IO-Forum (Member Forum) Protected members-only forum (io-chat) and online community for professional exchange and networking among IO illustrators.
• Online-Seminare (Online Seminars) Webinars and online workshops for IO members on topics including tax law, negotiation, business development, and illustration-specific expertise.
• Mentoring-Programm Mentorship program connecting experienced IO-member illustrators with newer professionals entering the illustration field.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Deutscher DesigntagcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IO is a member of the Deutscher Designtag, through which it participates in specialist committees of the Deutscher Kulturrat. This provides the IO with a direct line to cultural policy making and design sector advocacy at the national level.
• Initiative UrheberrechtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IO holds a seat in the Sprecherrat (speakers' council) of the Initiative Urheberrecht, a coalition advocating for authors' and creators' rights in German and European copyright policy.
• VG Bild-KunstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IO holds a seat on the Verwaltungsrat (administrative council) of VG Bild-Kunst, the German collective management organization for visual artists and illustrators. This gives the IO direct governance input over licensing and royalty distribution structures affecting its members.
• European Illustrators Forum (EIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IO is a member of the European Illustrators Forum, which secures international exchange and European networking for German illustrators, connecting national interests with broader EU-level illustration policy and collaboration.
• Spiele-Autoren-Zunft (SAZ)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe IO co-exhibits with the Spiele-Autors-Zunft (SAZ) at the Spielwarenmesse Nürnberg, sharing a joint presence in the Spiele Café, Hall 11 Foyer. This partnership extends the IO's reach into the board game illustration market.
• AID Berlin Akademie für Illustration und DesignminorOthersAID Berlin Akademie für Illustration und Design is listed as a Fördermitglied (supporting member) of the IO, providing financial or in-kind support to strengthen the association's work.
• KombinatrotweissminorOthersKombinatrotweiss is listed as a Fördermitglied (supporting member) of the IO.
• Kunstschule WandsbekminorOthersKunstschule Wandsbek is listed as a Fördermitglied (supporting member) of the IO.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• D&AD: UK-based global organization promoting creative excellence in design and advertising, including illustration. Comparable to IO as a professional body elevating and standardizing creative practice, though broader in scope and education-led.
• Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI): Prestigious international network of leading graphic designers and illustrators. Operates as an elite rather than mass-membership association but shares IO's mission of representing illustrators/designers at a global, high-influence level.
• Art Directors Club (ADC): International creative industry organization with awards and member programs for art directors, designers and illustrators. Broader than IO in scope (covering creative direction, design, illustration) but comparable as a creative-industry professional body.

Others

• VG Bild-Kunst: The German collective management organization for visual artists (including illustrators). The IO already holds a Verwaltungsrat seat here. Not a direct peer but the principal rights-licensing counterpart whose royalty flows and policy directly affect IO members.
• Deutscher Designtag: German design industry umbrella organization in which IO holds a membership. Functions as a peer-level umbrella body in adjacent design advocacy, sharing cultural-policy representation with IO through Deutscher Kulturrat.
• European Illustrators Forum (EIF): Pan-European forum of national illustrator organizations. IO is already a member; it is the supranational coordination body that IO engages with for EU-level policy. Functions more as a peer alliance than competitor, but useful as a structural peer reference.

Direct peers

• Society of Illustrators (US): Long-established US professional society for illustrators, providing community, exhibitions, advocacy and member services. Comparable in mission (representing illustrators as a profession) though more US-focused and event/exhibition-led rather than digital-portfolio-led.
• Illustrators Guild: US-based professional illustrators' advocacy organization focused on fair fees, contracts and copyright. Highly comparable to IO's professional advocacy role and fee-standard setting, but operates in a different geography with less emphasis on portfolio directory services.
• Association of Illustrators (AOI): The UK-based professional association for illustrators, offering membership, advocacy, contract advice, an illustrator directory and portfolio platform. The closest international structural analog to IO, operating in the English-speaking market with the same membership/advocacy/portfolio combination.

Regional players

• Bundesverband Kommunikationsdesign (BVD): German professional association for communication designers. Closest German peer to IO with overlapping membership demographics (creatives, freelancers) and similar advocacy/standards/portfolio activities, though its focus is broader communication design rather than illustration specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/illustratoren-organisation-e-v

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Illustratoren Organisation E.v.