Otto began freelance illustration in 1991 after graduating at Bristol Polytechnic. The development of his illustration work is detailed under 'illustration, historic commissions'.

He has come to specialise in political and economic subjects for editorial illustration, but has also worked for also clients in Design, Advertising and Book publishing.

Otto's image-making is derived from screen-printing which is digitalised since 1997. His technique is particularly affected by polish poster art and psychedelic designs of the sixties. The image composition is largely influenced by Russian Constructivist Designers, with their montage of photos, type and flat design elements. Baroque painting and sculpture has to a large degree informed Otto's treatment of the human figure.

Depending on the type of commission and size of budget Otto supplies a choice of roughs before artwork. The time needed to make an illustration can be anything between 3 hours for a daily newspaper and several weeks for a larger commission.

Fees are negotiable, and usually something can be arranged to suit the client's budget. Generally Otto's fees are within the industry standard. Illustrator's fees are made up of two components: 1. the effort in physically making the illustration (make fee), and 2. the license to use the illustration for a specific purpose (licence fee). The Association of Illustrators has outlined the commissioning process here.