What Is Illustration? A Look at Its Modern Beginnings to How It Is Used Today

Stock Photosfrom Chaiwuth Wichitdho/Shutterstock

You might not realize it, but the field ofillustrationshapes the world we live in.

Based on that, what exactly doesillustrationmean?

And those are just some of the applications that illustration has.

Stock Photosfrom Chaiwuth Wichitdho/Shutterstock

Dowd, a designer, writer, illustrator, and visual culture theorist, likens illustration to a hammer.

The tool is practical and serves a very deliberate function.

But can a hammer be beautiful?

Yes, it can.

An illustration is similar.

It is practicalit conveys information.

And, of course, illustration can be beautiful and evoke emotion.

This changed, however, at the end of the 19th century.

Thehalftone printingprocess was developed and made image production easier.

(Prior to halftone printing, all images would have to be hand-carved into woodblocks and then printed.)

Paper production and distribution were also factors.

The material became cheaper, and the newly established cross-continental railways allowed for the widespread circulation of printed materials.

Industrializationalso played a part in the ubiquity of print collateral.

Its effects made people wealthier overall with a disposable income to enjoy.

One of the things they spent their money on was books and magazine subscriptions.

It was at this time that American illustration began to take off.

You might be asking yourselfwhat about photography?

Why couldnt magazines just include those types of images?

Photographs in these types of publications werent available yet, and so there was a high demand for illustrators.

The illustrators who became popular during the Golden Age were akin to movie stars.

They not only made a lot of money from their commissions, but they hobnobbed with Hollywood.

One of the most famous illustrators from this time wasN.C.

Wyeth, who spent time with Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickfordmassive celebrities at the time.

Creative trends come and go, and so did the Golden Age of illustration.

To make digital media feel more human

The digital world can feel so impersonal.

Illustration, especially when it looks as though it is drawn by hand, adds that human touch.

One way is through protest images and signage.

IllustratorMary Blaircame up with the initial design of the characters we know and love.