Creatives from around the world will find themselves drawn to San Francisco this July for ICON4, the fourth annual illustration conference. For the increasingly diverse industry of publishers, artists and designers, the ICON conference has been instrumental in providing resources, inspiration and a solid sense of community. Plus, we hear it's one hell of a party, so we're offering two discounted tickets for AIGA/LA members. ICON president and Los Angeles-based illustrator Ann Field has served on the conference's board since 1999 and oversaw the selection of this year's speakers and panels. The hand behind Nike Goddess, Barneys, Target and Starbucks talks about illustration on the west coast, electricity and the delicate balance between Love + Money.

The illustration industry has undergone some pretty dramatic changes since your first conference. What issues will be addressed at ICON 4?

The entire conference theme of Love + Money addresses these issues. How does one stay true to one's creative pull and education yet continue in or start a thriving business? It seems as though more and more we-illustrators and designers-are working and compromising. When the board got together to debate the conference we all agreed that this fundamental issue of being creative yet earning a living was the most important issue we could deal with. Each session is rated for its Love + Money content and deals with an aspect of the struggle-if you want to call it that.

Do you think this conference has helped stabilize the market and decrease the industry fragmentation so widely reported a few years ago?

I think the conference has done this. We wanted to invite media figures from outside our industry, like Elvis Mitchell from NPR, to address the idea of creativity in a bigger picture. The idea being to promote illustration, promote its potential and inspire the illustration profession in general. ICON is definitely utterly unique and the sense of community there is positively electric! Illustrators make a point of meeting at ICON every other year to reunite and move things forward.

This is the first time ICON will be held on the west coast. Does that represent a geographic shift in the industry?

I have no exact data on this but the traditional illustration market is anchored by publishing in the east and all of the organizations around the industry originated there. However, there are illustrators' groups all across the country. With the advent of the entertainment industry and the artist communities in Los Angeles and up and down the coast, the mix of illustrators, artists and animators has created a vast community in the west. I would bet this is equal in number to the east-and frankly, it is an innovative market to boot. The rise of the illustrator as gallery artist and toy/product designer originated in the west.

You mentioned film critic Elvis Mitchell as your keynote speaker, then you start the first day with Eggers for breakfast and a side of Heller, kicking off quite a line up. What are some of the highlights?

Speaker Eric Kessels of Kessels Kramer in Amsterdam-he worked on Diesel-was voted Europe's top art director in 2004. That isn't bad. Seymour Chwast will be interviewed by Steven Heller. We have people from Pixar and DreamWorks; Bryon Glaser, Gary Baseman and Tim Biskup discussing product design; Milton Glaser's "A Moment with Milton" where he interviews illustrators and asks them to give visual answers. Kit Hinrichs will close the conference.

You said the conference feels electric-hundreds of illustrators definitely make for one very unique community. Can you explain the sketchbook and trading stamp projects?

At ICON4 we wanted more attendee involvement. These two projects were the result of that desire, devised by board member and designer/illustrator Craig Frazier in conjunction with our sponsors. Each attendee will be a part of the sketchbook, printed and given to each onsite. The stamps are part of a sheet each attendee will have of their own work, it will be the job of the attendee to trade stamps with fellow illustrators!

Any illustrators' stamps you're looking forward to collecting this year?

Jody Hewgill, Mark Ulriksen, Craig Frazier, John Hersey, Michael Mabry...

What do you hope attendees will gain from ICON4?

Ideas, inspiration, a greater sense of community. Professional insight, new friends.

And you stress that this conference is not just for illustrators, right?

Absolutely, the emphasis on design at this conference makes the case for it. This event is a dialog about the entire creative world and what it is like to have a career dealing in the business of creativity.

How do you personally strike the balance between love and money?

I have always stayed true to my personality and the creative forces that drive me. I have become successful because I listen to those things. I also happen to love what I do.

-Alissa Walker is VP of Communications for AIGA/LA.