__ WHATIS

lttUSlRAJ!ON?
1 •

✓
 lssues Anatomy
6 What is illustration? 58 Anatomy
10 What is an illustrator? 62 Drawing and painting
16 A brief history 68 Photomontage, collage,
20 Commercial art and mixed media
24 Reading visual images 72 Analog working methods
28 Personal visual language 76 Digital working methods
34 Style over content 80 Constructing an image
38 lllustration vs design 82 Visualizing ideas
42 lllustration vs art 86 Color
46 lllustration vs photography 88 Visual metaphors
50 lllustrator as author 90 Signs, symbols, and icons
54 What next for illustration? 92 Narratives and storytelling
96 Aiming for originality

Editorial and Publishing

98 Newspapers
1 04 Magazines
11 O Book covers
114 Children's books

Design and Advertising

11 8 Album sleeves and music posters
126 Posters and prints
130 Corporate
134 Press
140 Outdoor
144 TV, web, e-mails, and cell phones
150 Retail
154 T-shirts and apparel
158 Self-promotion

4 Contents
 Portfolios Etcetera
164 Stina Persson 250 The best books
172 Christoph Niemann 252 Glossary
178 Jeremyville 253 lndex
186 Gluekit 256 Credits
192 Peepshow
204 Vault49
212 McFaul
218 :phunk studio
224 eBoy
228 Kapitza
234 Mike Perry
240 MAKI
246 Gary Taxali

Contents 5
What is illustration?
lllustration isn't straightforward. lt isn't easy ideas and messages. lllustrators are required
to describe or to classify, to typecast or to not only to communicate, persuade, inform,
pin down, and less so now than ever before. educate, and entertain, but also to achieve
lllustration isn't art and it isn't graphic this with clarity, vision, style, and often from
design, so what exactly is it? a personal standpoint.
As a discipline, illustration sits somewhere lllustration remains one of the most
between art and graphic design. Of course, direct forms of visual communication.
for many practitioners it can feel closer to However, as one element in the broad
one end of this spectrum than the other, field of modem visual communications,
but in the search for an all-embracing illustration has never been more diverse
descriptive term, illustration is frequently or disjointed; it is constantly crossing
referred to as a graphic art. boundaries between disciplines and
Another term often used to describe the breaking with traditions. lllustrators create
discipline is commercial art, in recognition images for print, for screen, for galleries,
of the fact that much illustration is created and for architectural spaces. lllustration
for a client to fulfill a task or brief. This term appears on book jackets and in magazines,
describes illustration that is less about on CD sleeves and posters, on websites,
personal expression and more about on clothing, on skateboard decks, and on TV.
satisfying a service, but to consider the While illustration can be applied to an
discipline in this superficial manner is to ever-increasing range of surfaces, and
barely scratch at the surface. lt does not the landscape of possibilities is constantly
look deep enough into the working methods changing, the concern for contemporary
and ideologies of contemporary practice to illustration is to resist classification, to
extract a true understanding of illustration. surprise its audience, and to remain true
The first marks made by humankind to the concept that illustration is anything
were probably drawn in the dirt with but straightforward.
a finger ora stick. Alongside speech,
the drawn image has played a vital role in
communication between people, and before
the development of written language it was
the only method of recording stories and
tales. lllustration carne into existence to
help us make sense of our world-to allow
us to record, describe, and communicate
the intricacies of life. CD cover lhe CD release oi Love is
Today's illustrators have an even Pen, pain~ gold leal, collage That Way, You T,y lt, You
Los Angeles-based band Uke /t; You Buy lt. Casson
more complex set of tasks. They seek to Live From Little Tokyo combined found images with
commissioned Alison Casson her own hand-drawn elements
combine personal expression with pictorial
to create this image for a in this stylistically diverse
representation in order to convey complex magazine that accompanied promotional illustration.

6 lssues
What is illustration? 7
 Picture message
Pen, digital
Mobile network Virgin
Mobile UK commissioned
Jody Barton to create
a series of images for an
exhibition entitled Low C02.
These were distributed as
picture messages to promete
the reduction of carbon
emissions. Barton's approach
combined bold, g raphic
drawing with succinct, yet
powerful messages.

Reslstanco
IS Fertllo

T-shirt and tote bag

Digital
This image, designed as a graphic for
T·Shirts and tote bags, was created
by Adrian Johnson lar Part of lt, an
organization set up by Christopher
Sleboda and Kathleen Burns of
Gluekit to create products for
charitable causes. Johnson chose
to support the World Wildlife Fund
with sales from the two products.

8 lssues
 Prlnt a d dl ltal
Pen and lnk, ' 9 work for
Robert Hanchson se magazine
eEx ang ·
Orang_ a strong creat1ve
:~;~;::ith s imp!e and
. h image-maktng.
styl1s . succinct
lt prov1des ª. 1 the
mmunicat1on o .
co tionality oi mobile
func
e-mails for businesses,

SPEEDY DELIVERY
Screen•prm. te d cards
lnt
. 1 1 screen pr
D191 a , r oi Simple Shape,
Simon Dov~ oi illustration a~d
and_one ha Jawa and Midwich,
design d~:mmon British
created . a limited·
G rden Birds, · ted
a f screen-pnn
edition set o. le four·color
d This s1mp , .
car s . . a iant b1rd
print dep1ct; it!h milk float
attack1ng a r . )
(an electric veh1cle .

.;

'º .
What is illustra1· n ? 9
What is an illustrator?
Classifying the role of the illustrator space according to their creative needs
is as problematic as defining the discipline and requirements rather than proximity to
of illustration. Practitioners rarely operate their client base. As illustrators rarely host
solely as illustrators; their practice will often client meetings, and as most business
merge with territory chiefly inhabited by communication is conducted by e-mail and
artists, designers, craftspeople, and even phone, they find themselves free to work
writers. lllustrators blur boundaries and without formal constraints. Having studio
revel in defying categorization; illustrators location determined by lifestyle choice
often work across a range of disciplines, rather than geographic necessity allows
utilizing varied media. the illustrator to operate ata distance
So what is it that defines today's from the rest of the creative industry.
illustrator? Unlike the photographer, the With illustrators rarely having to clock into
illustrator can make no claim to sole use the nine-to-five existence of much of the
of the camera; unlike the graphic designer, working world, they can enjoy a certain levei
the illustrator can't assert ownership of of freedom from the pressures to conform.
typography, nor can they claim the print An illustrator's immediate client is most
screen or the paintbrush as their own. often the designer or art director of a design
ln today's merging media landscape, many studio, publishing house, or advertising
illustrators pick and choose their medium or agency; the client is rarely outside the
media of expression. Drawing, while still an creative industries. The illustrator is able
important aspect of illustration, has become to work for and with the creative industry,
just one component of the illustrator's craft: yet remain an outsider, participating when
digital photography, collage, hand-rendered commissioned, attending briefings and
type, stencils, pattern, and ornamentation meetings, yet retreating to the studio when
all fight for recognition. lt is this inherent artistically necessary. This working lifestyle
flexibility in working methods, styles, and is a contributing factor to the stereotype
approaches that ensures the illustrator of the illustrator as an artistic loner.
eludes formal classification.
Whether working solo, represented
by an agency, as part of a collective, oras
part of the emerging scene of illustration
companies, illustrators are commissioned
by a range of clients outside their working
space. An illustrator might choose to work
from a desk in a shared, city-center studio;
to use a spare room in an apartment or Fashion promotion images to create atmospheric
Digital solutions. This illustration
house; or to locate themselves in a summer- Ay~egül Õzmen, based was commissioned for the
in lstanbul 1 Turkey1 works promotion of a spring/
house or shed at the bottom of their garden.
with her own photographs, summer collection by
An illustrator is free to locate their physical patterns, and hand-rendered fashion company, Misu.

10 lssues
What .1s an illustrator? 11
12 lssues
Successful illustrators must marry excellence
in practical skills with imagination and
intellectual rigor. They must be culturally
and socially aware practitioners and
commentators. Justas important. they
must learn to exist in their own space
at the edge of the creative industries,
without the support mechanisms of the
nine-to-tive existence. Today·s illustrators
must be self-motivated, ambitious, flexible,
and innovative visual communicators.

Left: Top right:

Sell-portrait Magazine feature
Digitai Photograph, pen
Designer·turned-illustrator and penei!, collage
Richard Hogg describes Paris-based Sand rine
himself as a commercial artist. Pagnoux reveis in merging
This self-portrait was created photography, drawing, and
for use on his business cards, hand-rendered letterforms.
as an opening image for his ln this image for Marie-Claire
portfolio, and for display on magazine she explored the
his agent's website. theme of men and love.

Bottom right:
Book illustration
Mixed media, collage
Martin O'Neill of Cutitout
illustrated a special edition
of On Liberty by John Stuart
Miii for The Folio Society.
This one-off project inciuded
illustrating lhe book case
and binding, and creating
11 fuil-color iilustrations to
be printed within lhe book.
O'Neill's collage techniques,
while decidedly low-fi, have
helped him to carve his own
niche in an overcrowded
íllustration market.
 Above:
Magazine feature
Digital
8/anket magazine dedicated
one issue to lhe theme
' I Made This." Daniel Stolle,
a German designer·turned·
illustrator now working out

Jj
of Finland, explored the
concept of a picture w íthin
a picture, and the idea that
you are personally influenced
by your own creations.

Left:
Exhibition image
Pen, s pray paint, digit al
Roderick Mills works as
an illustrator1 animator, and
educator. He often experiments
with new formais and working
methods in his own projects.

Right:
Film festival promotion
Pen and ink, digital
Barcelona· based Oscar
Gimenez created Headbang
to promete the Mecal
lnternational Short Film
Festival held in lhe city.

14 lssues
What is an illustrator? 15
A brief history
lllustration's history is a story rarely told. Before the birth of modem art, artists
For whatever reason, the "people's art," created paintings with the intention of
a term coined by the US art director and telling a story or communicating a particular
design writer Steven Heller, has received message, and most representational art
no genuine historical acknowledgment on was intrinsically linked with literature and
its own-it appears as a sideline in graphic its visual interpretation. For almost seven
design's past or a footnote in the history centuries, artists were commissioned to
of art itself. create images that explained religious texts,
lt could be argued that European cave legends, and myths, as well as local and
paintings and Australian Aboriginal rock art national historical events. The artist would
dating back 40,000 to 60,000 years, Egyptian work to specific formats and within certain
hieroglyphs from around 3,000 ac, the outlined contexts, with many images being
murais of Pompeii painted around the first produced to accompany letterforms and
century AD, fourteenth-century illuminated texts. This is not so radically different from
manuscripts, and ltalian frescoes, enjoying the role of today's illustrator.
a golden age during the fifteenth century, The biggest shift for artists involved the
should all be considered part of illustration's change in those who commissioned them.
past rather than belonging to the history of With the birth of the publishing industry in
art. But this would be to ignore the place the nineteenth century, publishing houses
of illustration within art history. replaced the traditional patrons of the arts,

16 lssues
 Below, lar lelt: Below lelt:
the church and court, as the chief employers
Rock art Magazine feature
of artists. Publications became a hugely Mineral paints Gouache
Pari of an Aboriginal legend lncluded in a 1938 issue
influential showcase for their work, and painted in the Anbangbang of the radical American
illustration, a product of the industrial Shelter. The walls of the magazine Ken 1 this map
Nourlangie Rock Art Site in uses cartoon-style illustration
revolution, became a significant area Australia's Northem Territory
1
to wam agaínst Hitler s
have served as a canvas for ambitions and notions
of interest for artists. at least 20,000 years, w ith its of empire building.
A golden age of illustration emerged as visual stories painted over
and added to throughout this Below:
illustrators assumed an importance hard to time. Repainting is pari of the Magazine ad
rock-ar! tradition, although O il paint
imagine today. At the end of the nineteenth
not all rock art was repainted, American advertisement
century, publications and the illustrations and only people who were from 1948 for bread by
authorized or recognized Swift&Co.
within were the general public's major as artists were allowed to
source of entertainment, and this continued repaint The Anbangbang
Shelter drawings were last
through the f irst decades of the twentieth worked on in 1964.

century. The illustrator became a cultural

commentator. The publications they worked
for had a major impact on the public's
understanding of national and international
events, and on its taste, morais, humor, and
purchasing habits.

A briel history 17
The proliferation of newspaper and
magazine publishing was accompanied
by a noticeable increase in print advertising,
and this required the expertise of the
illustrator. From magazines and newspapers
to the first illustrated posters, and from
illustrated books and book jackets to the
birth of the record sleeve, illustration has
been at the heart of the graphic image.
The National Museum of American
lllustration in Rhode lsland, USA, argues
that the discipline plays an important
and lasting role. "lllustration serves as
a reservoir of our social and cultural history."
lllustrated images capture the imagination-
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they tie moments in a viewer's personal ,.....,_

.... ....,.,.._ .... ...,...
.. __ ......
___ '1-_,..._..,. ...
history to the present, from our favorite
childhood book to the album sleeves and
posters of our youth.
lllustration has played a part in visually
defining each and every decade since its
inception. lts history is littered with iconic
images, bringing moments, events, music,
and literature to life.
To borrow the words of
The National Museum
of American lllustration cfa,~ wu•u•--fWI•
___,__, • • _ , .. M..U#tlC~
again, "lllustration is a -.,-~-K-J. ...... _ _ _ _ ..,. __
.........................
significant and enduring
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.,._ac+ .. .c
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_.........._ .........
art-form."
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Above right:
Magazine ad
Gouache
AMERJCAN AIRUNES•
~~ ........
American advertisement
from June 1947 for
Jantzen swimwear.

Rlght:
Magazine ad
Gouache
Advertisement from 1954
for American Airlines.

18 lssues
Below: Bottom: Below:
Pro m otional poster ln-flight magazine Encyclopedia
Screen print Pen and ink Wood engraving
Helena Fruehauf created Carlos (published by John A plate from the first picture
this poster to publicize Brown) is Virgin Atlantic's encyclopedia for children. This
lectures by visiting artists in-flight magazine for its edition of Orbis Pictures, by
ai the California lnstitute of Upper Class cabin passengers. John Amos Comenius, was
lhe Arts. This one was to For this 2004 issue, lhe brief printed in England in 1659.
promete Richard Jackson's for creative director Jeremy
visit in 2001. The idea behind Leslie and art director Warren
the design was to emphasize Jackson was to "reflect
the role of movement, repetition, Virgin Atlantic's philosophy
and distortion in his work. of innovation."

(•oo)
( 001)
X CVUI.
TbcSNdy. ·'"'fl-

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dllono,
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r..-.~.........

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làhiolNa,
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üffN,J,

-.aca iN

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"

A brief history 19
Commercial art
lllustration is an applied art. lt is most often can, at best, be delayed and, at worst,
created for a commercial client in response canceled. This decision is one that rests
to a given brief or texts. Of course, there are not with the illustrator, but with the client.
exceptions to the rules and, increasingly, A key factor in the relationship between
illustrators are starting their own projects: the commissioner and the commissioned,
self-authored books, 'zines, exhibitions, power most often rests with the former.
clothing ranges, etc. However, their main The relationship between the client and the
occupation is working to commission for artist can be complex, and illustration's
a range of clients across the media industries, fundamentally commercial nature means
and working commercially requires an that client comments and feedback need to
understanding of the issues and principies be taken into account. But when the liaison
of the commission. and rapport work well, the association can
Every illustration commission starts lead to truly innovative solutions to visual
with a brief and a briefing. This may be communication problems.
a conversation face-to-face or on the phone;
it may be an e-mail that specifies a theme,
format, deadline, and fee; or it may be an
article or manuscript. The format of the
commission might alter, but the underlying
process of working to commission will not.
Answering the brief involves investigation.
lllustration has a job to do, whether this be
to educate, inform, entertain or persuade,
give an opinion, make a comment, or tel1
a story. The initial stages of any commission
deal with comprehending the problem,
understanding the context of the illustration,
and identifying the audience.
Once the issues raised are understood,
the process of solving the brief can be
broken down into its component parts,
starting with brainstorming and ideas
generation, moving on through research
and inspiration to the creation of the visual
and subsequent revisions, and ultimately
to the realization of the final artwork. Magazine feature for women. Berning's work
lnk, gouache, digital often includes the female
lt is a journey not without minefields. Playboy magazine, Germany, form, and this commission
commissioned Berlin-based enabled her to explore ideas
Miss the point of the brief, or fail to
Tina Berning to illustrate and techniques initiated in
communicate succinctly, and the project a feature about sex seminars her personal work.

20 lssues
Commercial art 21
 Above left: Above:
Anniversary print 3D illustration
Lithographic print Mixed media, beads
JAKe was commissioned by London-born but New
Lucasfilm ltd/ Acme Archives York-based lan Wright,
to produce a limited-edition well recognized for his
lithographic print of Indiana innovative use of materiais,
Jones. That Belongs in a created this iconic image of
Museum was printed using Jimi Hendrix for li You Could
three Pantone metallic inks; Do Anything Tomorrow,
JAKe's original drawing was What Would lt Be? Wright
created using pen, pencil, has described himself as
11
marker pen, spray paint, and a painter and decorator."
Adobe lllustrator.
Right:
Left: Fashion ad
Magazine illustratlon Pen, digital
Screen prln~ pencll, paint For urban fashion label
For Time Out Paris, Patrick Carhartt Europe, N EW
Morgan used Andy Warhol's designed a full·page
favorita medium-screen magazine illustration using
print--combined w ith pencil an artwork constructed by
and paint 1 to create this overiaying and overprinting
portrait of modem art's most drawings taken from lhe
commercial artist. Bringing a studio's sketchbooks. These
pop sensibility to the portrait seemingiy unrelated drawings
while remaining true to his created a unique campaign
own identity as an illustrator that gave the Carharl1 brand
was a challenge for Morgan. a coai, graffiti-inspired edge.

22 lssues
CZll,.,,...rlC!!U......c».°'t '
....
.
_, ~- -

~
., ...,..,_,._•

Commercial art 23
Reading visual images
lllustration has been described as the in which the signs are organized. lt explores
people's art-accessible and available to the range and variety of signs in existence,
ali. The relationship between viewers and and the audience to which they are intended
illustration develops throughout their lives. to communicate.
lllustrations can create emotional bonds ln illustration, signs are constructed from
between viewers and moments in their the icons and symbols within an image;
lives, although illustrators rarely understand semiotics considers the messages these
the intellectual underpinning of their chosen generate. An icon is a graphic that bears
images; more often, they know instinctively a resemblance to the object it represents,
that a particular image choice works and whereas a symbol is a graphic that suggests
communicates the right message. lllustrators something else through relationship,
work with a hunch rather than an analytical association, or convention.
science, and each individual's "visual history" Considering the context-the culture and
will influence their response to an image. artifact-within which icons and symbols
However, semiotics, the study of how operate is an important part of semiotics.
we interpret images and text, helps us to A comic book has a look and feel that differs
understand how societies "read" images. from an instructional manual, for example.
We learn to decode images from an early How does an audience respond to these
age. Children's picture books play a formative differences, and to what conventions must
role in our visual education through the illustrators conform to ensure that they
messages they carry, and the means by communicate the message they intend?
which that information is conveyed. When Of course, there are other factors that
we first start to draw, we learn to make influence how a viewer perceives images.
associations between visual interpretations Color, composition, scale, and metaphor
and their real or imagined objects. We start are all important elements. An illustrator's
to comprehend visual shorthand-a stick- personal visual language is as much about
man to representa person, or a circle with his or her communication of concepts as
radiating lines to signify the sun. These it is about aesthetic considerations.
graphic interpretations, often culturally
specific, form the basis of how we learn
to interpret images.
While an in-depth knowledge of semiotics
isn't necessary for most illustrators, a basic
understanding of how images are perceived
can help. Semiotics considers both the
signs themselves and the codes or systems

24 lssues
Promotional diagram
Pen, digital
To represent the benefits oi healthy
eating, Alice Stevenson used floral
images to create a pattern within
the figure and suggest the positive
11
aspects of a "natural diet.

Reading visual images 25

 Left: Above:
Promotional poster Personal work
Acrylic paint Digital
Andreas Gefe, in this poster Junichi Tsuneoka, a Toyko·
for a CD release by Swiss born illustrator now residing
singer/songwriter Trummer, in Seattle, creates his work
creates a picture rich with using icons, symbols, and
associations. The Bjõrk and signs. This is1 perhaps, the
Bowie album sleeves on the result oi having worked as
floor create a timeless setting, a graphic designer for five
and the acoustic guitar gives years. Tsuneoka fuses
a sense of the artist's musical conceptual and stylistic
tastes. The red of lhe book, aspects oi Japanese pop
Converse shoes, and can and US urban street cultures
on the bedside table prompt in his illustrations. He created
lhe question, ' How are these this image under lhe studio
objects linked?" name Stubborn Sidebum,
based on his interpretation
Rlght: of lhe Nintendo 64 games
Magazine cover character Ninja Goemon.
Digital Knowledge of lhe game and
At first glance, this image the character are crucial for
appears to be a foot in a the audience to understand
high-heeled shoe. However, the meanings and messages
closer up1 the individual within this picture.
elements of Jamie Cullen1s
pop-inspired graphic pattern-
shoes, leet, ankles, legs,
hearts1 guitars, flowers, and
letlerforms-become visible.
Pure pop.

26 lssues
Personal visual language
lt is because of the visual approach they
take, the working methods they adopt, and
the aesthetics they follow, that successful
illustrators create a body of work with a
recognizable visual identity. Establishing
a personal visual language is vital for an
illustrator keen to survive the whims of
fashion and style, although both do have
their place in illustration. The longevity of
an illustrator's career is determined by how
long a particular visual approach is deemed
relevant to the marketplace. Many illustrators
constantly update their style and approach,
and some even devise a range of visual
signatures to help combat this process
Il I1 1

,,,,,.
of obsolescence.
II11 1

,,,111
11111,
I 11 1

111
Ili

Maga zine illustration

Digital
Given an open brief from
Amefia's magazine, Adrian
Fleet created this surreal
image, based on his fantasy
that a positive futura will allow
robots to feed on electric
pears that grow on rooftop
gardens. His unique visual
aesthetic complements his
offbeat thinking.

28 lssues
..---------· :tr *""' j
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t .,,..~
~ ,,~~ !

Personal visual language 29

As illustration is about communicating
a message, how that message is delivered
is crucial. Developing a unique visual language
can take many years of experimentation
and fine-tuning. Seemingly simple images
can belie the journey the artist has taken
in honing their approach to image-making.
Many illustrators have their services
called upon for the particular slant of their
creative and conceptual thinking as much
as for the visual signature of the work itself.
lt is the ability to combine creative, visual,
and analytical problem-solving with personal
expression that defines the innovators
within contemporary illustration.

Promotional calendar Greetlng ca rd

Laser·cut pape , Digital
Robert Ryan has establishec Simon Oxley is idokungfoo,
a unique working method a British-bom illustrator living,
using cut paper to create working, and running his own
intricate, silhouetted images studio in Japan. Undertaking
combining figures, patterns, commissioned work accounts
and icons w ith hand-cut for only pari oi his creative
letterforms that spell out his output; he has also forged
own sensitive messages and a greeting card business,
phrases. This collaboration designing and illustrating his
with lasercraft, using laser- own ranges. Bad Hare Day/
cut paper, allowed Ryan No More Magic shows Oxley's
the freedom to produce ability to sync creative ideas
a promotional calendar for with his own visual language
his own work, as well as that to create characters of real
oi the company. depth and imagination.

30 lssues