Industry Structures

As an Artist, there are many twisting, winding paths too choose from. Parents may frown upon your choice of career and say 'Art? Art, there's no goddamn money in art!' Well they are bastard liars or idiots. Every company you can think of, has commissioned an artist (if its not an art company in itself) to design a logo, create the typeface for the company, or advertise the company through that specific artists style.. Something like the coca-cola font is now recognized world wide, though its had minor tweaks to the font over the decades, to suit the moving culture and modern times, the type face has never changed so massively that you wouldn't recognize it.
Design houses are a massive money maker within the creative world (if successful) they can have hundreds (maybe thousands) of clients and be a world wide company, with houses in every big city, and you could be making big money.. But there is a catch, just like how the devil would want your soul for that Lamborghini Sesto Elemento you've always lusted after. In design houses you are very rarely given creative freedom and have to work in the style that house is best known for, which restricts your creative flow and is utterlyyyyyy boring in my oppinion. Having said that, it might appeal to you, to work in a design house, you might feel comfortable boxed in to one particular style of artwork, where as I, I like to be as free as a bird, and do what I want when I want #swag #yolo which leads to Freelance work.
As beautiful as the word 'Free' sounds it comes at a cost. How fucking ironic! Because the price you have to pay for freelance work is if you're not working you don't get paid. But the plus side for being your own man (or artist I am not gender bias ladies) is that people commission you to work for them because they like your style!

Here's some design houses, to have a look at
http://ilovedust.com/
Based in the south of england, near the sea side. These guys are really cool for a design house, bikers for the win, they look mean and their artwork is even meaner, their artwork has a very rock and roll vibe! Its fresh, cool and totally down with the kids.
How about this bunch...
http://www.vault49.com/
These guys are based in New York, one of the most enticing cities in the world, because if you can bet known in New York, you can get known anywhere.

For Freelance, there are two options, you can join a well known website, where your work will be cataloged, with many other illustrators. If a company approaches this website or that catalog and they then decide they want you, the business that has hosted you will want a percentage of earnings from the work.
An example of this is..
http://www.jellylondon.com/illustration
Or you could create your own website...
Like Amy did.
http://www.amydover.com/
(Sorry Amy, but your work is very nice and quirky)

So reader, its up to you...