Illustraatoreid

Illustraatoreid is a term used in discussions of digital art metadata to denote a potential universal, persistent identifier assigned to individual illustrators. The concept envisions a centralized registry or federated network that assigns a unique alphanumeric code to each illustrator, intended to travel with their professional work across platforms and licensing ecosystems.

Purpose and use include improving attribution, disambiguation of artists with similar names, and efficiency in rights management. A well-defined illustraatoreid could be embedded in metadata (for example, XMP or schema.org Person annotations) and appear in portfolios, stock libraries, and contract records. It would support linking to a public profile containing biographical details, a portfolio, and a list of works, while allowing the illustrator to control what personal data is exposed.

Implementation considerations include the data model, privacy protections, governance, and cross-platform interoperability. Critics point to adoption costs, risk of centralization, and the need for robust verification to prevent impersonation. Success would depend on broad consensus, open standards, and cooperation among publishers, galleries, and rights organizations.

Illustraatoreid is analogous to existing identifier systems such as ORCID for researchers and ISNI for public identities, and would ideally interoperate with them through crosswalks or shared registries.

As of now, illustraatoreid remains a concept under discussion rather than a widely adopted standard. Related concepts include ORCID, ISNI, and other author and identity registries used to improve attribution and data linking across creative industries.