Why Illustration is Important - Discovering the field of illustration
What is illustration?
Illustration assists people’s minds in understanding large and small concepts. Illustrators translate the written word into visuals that are easy to understand. We know from linguistics studies images are quicker for the mind to process than sentences, especially long sentences. Foreign language speakers sometimes use visual aids in learning the English language. Illustrators create these. Illustrators also create work for scientific fields of study and textbooks. These ideas are usually set in motion by a writer, or a marketing manager, or a business with a general idea. In the case of a textbook and scientific illustration, companies provide visual aids in their manuscripts for learners.
Industries hire illustrators to convey messages via images because they are effective. This brings us to the next question: what is the difference between a designer and illustrator? I discuss this in depth in another blog post “Illustration or Graphic Design” Here is a brief explanation. The emphasis on story is central to an illustrator’s work. Illustrators often incorporate story into their visuals. For example, illustrators work on long-form projects like children’s books. I bet you’ve probably seen the popular children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. If you haven’t, it’s definitely worth a read regardless if you are a young adult or an adult. It’s a great example of a brilliant illustrator’s depiction of a story images can translate without words.
Illustrators use their ability to create images focused on building a story. I use the word “build” instead of “tell,” because stories build upon ideas. Often we focus on the action in a story, rather than the idea that stories build upon ideas. Brilliant illustrators use their abilities to build upon ideas that lead to a result and illustrate a story. They create manuscripts, editorial illustrations, and product graphics. Why are these different projects important? They supply us with the different forms of multimedia we consume today. They question our values and help us develop empathy. Illustrators create a lot of the visual things we consume on social media, in books, magazines, and on tv. They even create the patterns that go on our clothing. Life would be a lot more boring without illustrators.
Why is illustration important?
Illustration provides us with a more colorful and richer environment. Illustrators also create wall art. As said in this article, mural art and illustrations create “a sense of community.” (link) Often people think of illustrators just in relation to children’s books. This is not the only place illustrations can be found. Cartoon artwork, products with cute images of animals and flowers, and even murals in big metropolitan areas are classified as illustration. However, there has been a surge of environmental art in recent years where muralists create beautiful work on walls, spaces, homes, and in urban centers. Illustration creates a sense of story in spaces that would be blank. The most important purpose of illustration is to fill spaces with inspirational visuals and tell a story of the human condition.
New Illustration Opportunities with NFT Creation
New opportunities for illustrators emerged this past year with the NFT craze. NFTs are creating career opportunities for visual designers. Pixel art illustration, hybrid photography that has been manipulated, and flat graphics are selling in various marketplaces such as Rarible and Opensea. If you’d like to learn more about NFT art creation, check out the NFT Crash Course which takes beginner artists through the steps of launching a unique collection.
Social Media and Illustration
You can see the brilliant work of many illustrators on Behance. That is one of my favorite platforms to find inspirational work or illustrators to hire. If you’d like to hear more about the topic of illustration and graphic design, I discuss it on my Youtube channel. I’ll see you there.
The World of Illustration
Become an NFT Artist in the NFT Crash Course
Learn Art Licensing with Stacie Bloomfield in Leverage Your Art
