Hiring Questions to Ask Patent Illustrators: Discover the power of our Patent Illustration Services! As an intellectual property attorney, finding the right illustrator is vital for a successful patent application.
Humans have evolved from scarcity to abundance.
Be it a product to use or persons to hire, you’ve got plenty of options.
But…
It has become more of a concern rather than a solution. Most times, you’re stuck in the ocean of analysis paralysis.
Imagine you’ve been working with an illustrator for over a month just to identify the candidate you’re working with isn’t the right one.
It sucks, resulting in a delayed application process, additional costs, and heavy reworks. In the worst cases, it leads to the rejection of patent applications. This is why you should be more careful while hiring the right patent illustrator.
As a seasoned intellectual property attorney, you should take informed decisions and choose the best illustrator to support your patent application.
But how do you choose the right candidate?
What questions should you ask?
How do you determine if the person can provide precise and clear patent illustrators?
In this article, you’ll learn essential questions to ask the candidate before hiring. Simply ask these questions to reach out to highly skilled patent illustrators.
Are you ready to get started?
Let’s start.
Hiring Questions to Ask Patent Illustrators
If you’ve already hired a patent illustrator, you might have asked questions such as: –
- How long have you been working in this field?
- How many days does it take to complete the drawings?
- How much do you charge?
Most attorneys make these questions their priority. However, they only partially reveal the proficiency of the illustrator. The best thing is they tell you about the illustrator to some extent but don’t necessarily help you make an informed decision.
So, what other questions should you ask to understand if a patent illustrator is perfect for your work? Let’s uncover each of them in this section.
Ask More Than A Portfolio
As a reputed intellectual property attorney, you want to provide the best possible work so your client can receive a successful patent for their invention. This is why it’s important to understand the expertise of an illustrator before hiring.
Portfolios help you assess the quality of illustrations to some extent.
Ask for the candidate’s portfolio followed by the below-given questions.
- What’s your favorite piece of work and why?
- How long did it take to complete the “X” design?
- What techniques did you use to draw this piece of work?
- Which is your latest project(Describe your role, responsibilities, and results achieved)?
These questions help you understand the drawing style and thought process of an illustrator. But that’s not enough.
A portfolio gives partial insights on the candidate’s ability. On the other hand, there are chances that few people can even manipulate portfolios.
So, what should you do to understand more about the patent illustrator?
We’ve got you a solution.
Ask the patent illustrators to draw one illustration for your invention like we always provide for our clients. This sample illustration test helps you assess if the candidate is worth hiring for your invention. It’s also one of the quickest ways to filter out the most suitable illustrators.
Technical Experience
What is the most skill required for an illustrator?
Drawing.
However, the key to a successful patent for an illustrator extends beyond mere drawing skills. It frequently resides in possessing technical expertise as well. A proficient illustrator must adeptly represent the diverse aspects of the invention from all perspectives. So, he/she must have some technical knowledge to
- Understand the invention
- Make the patent reviewing team understand all the features of the invention without the issues of prior art
So, make sure you hire a candidate familiar with the relevant field.
Here are some of the best questions to ask if the illustrator has prior technical knowledge.
- What is your educational background?
- Do you’ve any experience creating patent drawings in this field? Also, have you worked on similar patent applications in the past? If so, can you provide examples?
- Are you familiar with this field’s relevant technical terminology, symbols, and conventions?
- How do you ensure that the drawings accurately represent all the components of an invention?
- How do you handle complex inventions and technologies that you’re unfamiliar with or require a high technical understanding?
- How do you stay current on this field’s latest developments and innovations?
USPTO Guidelines
Drawings play a vital role in the patent application process. They either contribute to a successful patent application or leave it in the rejection bin if it doesn’t comply with the USPTO guidelines.
This is why it’s essential to understand the guidelines of the USPTO.
Here are some questions that will help you understand the illustrator’s knowledge of USPTO guidelines.
- Are you aware of all the USPTO guidelines for patent illustrations?
- Can you quickly list out some of the USPTO guidelines right now?
- How do you ensure the illustrations comply with all the required rules and regulations?
- Are you familiar with the USPTO rules regarding labeling and numbering of patent illustrations? What file formats are accepted by USPTO for a patent application?
Communication For Seamless Working Experience
Simple patent drawings don’t require much communication between the attorney and an illustrator. However, if the invention is extremely complicated, it might require frequent communication between both parties.
Even a minor miscommunication can lead to delayed applications. Hence, strong communication skills are required to ensure a seamless working process. However, here are a few questions to ask to prevent this issue.
- How do you maintain a productive working relationship with your clients?
- How frequently do you communicate with clients?
- What details are required to start the project as soon as possible?
- How do you handle the revisions, if there are any?
- Have you ever worked on a patent application that was rejected due to patent illustrations? If yes, how did you address the issues and rework them?
Bonus:
So far, you’ve got plenty of questions to understand the candidate’s skill and depth of knowledge.
However, if you still want to make a more informed decision, here’s the most underrated strategy.
Let’s say you wanted to hire a car driver.
What’s the foremost factor that you look out for? The only thing to confirm is if the person can drive well despite the rugged terrain, muddy land, or slopes.
Similarly, if you wanted to hire a seasoned illustrator, you wanted to confirm if they can draw good illustrations so that the patent application outshines the rest.
How did you know if the candidate could draw well?
Simple. Ask the candidate to take a 15-minute quick drawing test. Tell them to hand sketch the regular consumer product.
Then, analyze if the sketch
- Reveal a good perspective
- And show a good proportion.
These clues ensure you work with the exceptional patent illustrator and contribute the lion’s share for patent success.
A few other miscellaneous questions you can ask an illustrator include:
- What does your process for creating illustrations look like?
- What softwares do you use?
- What kind of patent applications have you worked on so far?
- Did you encounter any challenges while creating illustrations? If yes, how did you overcome them?
- What is the nearest possible date to get started with the project?
- Can you complete the drawings within “x” days?
- What are your charges for the complete illustrations?
- Can you provide some testimonials from your previous clients?
Hiring An Expert Patent Illustrator Has Become Easier Than Ever Before
Hiring an expert patent illustration is tedious in the era of abundant choices. However, asking the right questions helps you choose the best candidate. All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into an excel sheet and ensure you ask them before hiring an illustrator.
It’s not mandatory to ask every question. The major goal of this questionnaire is to understand the proficiency and work ethics of the candidate. Furthermore, these questions help you analyze two important factors of the illustrator—— Do they only follow after money, or do they have time for you and are willing to help you personally?
Quick Tip: Work with the illustrator who is ready to help you instead of merely focusing on earning a few bucks.
Work With The Elite Patent Illustrator For Your Patent Success
Are you in need of a patent illustrator company that not only provides high-quality patent illustration services but also supports you in enjoying a successful patent? Are you searching for someone who values the success of your patent as much as you do? Do you want an illustrator committed to YouTube success of your patent, even if the application faces rejections and setbacks?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, look no further.
We at “Invention Patent Drawings” value our customers and go above and beyond by providing critical feedback, interacting with clients more often, and sharing valuable suggestions. We communicate, support, and assist you in getting the best possible patent illustrations that meet USPTO guidelines.
The best thing is you can avail of our free trial. Our junior illustrators ensure you provide the best quality patent illustrations. If you’re someone who wants to boost the patent application and eliminate the delays merely due to poor patent illustrations, contact us today.