The overall concept and creativity of illustrations-how to design creative illustrations?

What are the forms of illustration? What are the creative entry points for illustrations?

Illustration Catalog

The Concept and Evolution of Illustrations

The Application of Illustrations

The Function and Role of Illustrations

The aesthetic characteristics of illustrations

The form of illustrations

The classification of illustrations

The current situation of illustrations

In the field of modern design, illustration design can be said It is the most expressive and has a close kinship with the art of painting. Many expression techniques of illustration art draw lessons from the expression techniques of painting art. The marriage of illustration art and painting art has enabled the former to make great progress in exploring the diversity of expression techniques or in the depth and breadth of design theme expressions, showing a more unique artistic charm and thus being more expressive. . In a sense, the art of painting has become a basic subject, and illustration has become an applied subject. Throughout the history of the development of illustration, its application scope is constantly expanding. Especially today with the rapid development of information, people's daily life is full of all kinds of business information, and illustration design has become an irreplaceable art form in the real society. Therefore, the purpose of our study is how to study, think and research in-depth the knowledge of modern illustrations and better serve the society.

[Edit this paragraph] The concept and evolution of illustrations

Definition of illustrations

"Cihai" explains "illustration" as: "refers to illustrations attached to books and periodicals" The pictures in the text. Some are printed in the middle of the text, and some are used as inserts to supplement the content of the text or to appreciate the art. "This explanation is mainly for the definition of book illustrations, which is a narrow definition.

Due to the advent of the information age and the development of modern society, the meaning of modern illustration has changed from the narrow concept in the past (limited to paintings and pictures) to a broad concept. "Illustration" is what we usually see. The pictures inserted between the text in newspapers, magazines, various publications or children's picture books are collectively called "illustrations". Illustration, in Latin, originally means "illumination". As the name implies, it was originally used to increase the interest of the text in the publication, so that the text can be more vivid and vivid in the hearts of readers. In today's various publications, the importance of illustrations has far exceeded the role of "illuminating the text" as a foil. It can not only highlight the idea of ??the theme, but also enhance the appeal of art.

Illustration is an art form. As an important form of visual communication in modern design, illustration occupies a specific position in modern design with its intuitive image, real sense of life and appeal of beauty. , has been widely used in many fields of modern design, involving cultural activities, social welfare undertakings, commercial activities, film and television culture, etc.

The historical evolution of illustration

The development of illustration art has a long history. To you and me, these illustrations may seem ordinary and simple, but they have great connotations. From the world's oldest illustrated cave murals to the folk prints of Japan's Edo period, ukiyo-e, all demonstrate the development of illustration. Illustration first developed with the changes in newspapers, periodicals and books in the early 19th century. Its real golden age first started in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. At that time, illustrations that had just been separated from art works were obviously painterly, and most of the authors who engaged in illustrations were professional painters. Later, they were also influenced by The influence of the Abstract Expressionist school of painting changed from figuration to abstraction. It was not until the 1970s that illustrations returned to a realistic style. Early illustration forms in China

The earliest illustrations in China appeared in the form of prints. With the introduction of Buddhist culture, "disguised" illustrations of scriptures were used in scriptures to promote doctrines. Current historical records record the earliest printmaking work in my country, the "Dharani Sutra Mantra" published during the reign of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty. The exact date is recorded on the title page of the "Vajra Prajna Sutra" written in the ninth year of Emperor Yizong's Xiantong reign (868). In the Song, Jin and Yuan dynasties, book illustrations made great progress. The scope of application expanded to medical books, historical geography books, archaeological catalogs, daily encyclopedias and other books, and color overprinted illustrations appeared. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it can be said that ancient illustration art developed greatly, and there was a book engraving industry all over the country. Different regions have developed different styles. The forms of illustrations generally include the following: frontispiece drawings, illustrations in the text, pictures above or below, pictures on the inside cover or title page, and plaques, etc.

The historical evolution of ancient illustrations in my country can be regarded as the development history of printmaking. At the same time, it is also the history of folk New Year paintings. It's just that folk New Year pictures became an independent commodity earlier, and they are the predecessor of commercial illustrations.

The history of illustration in Europe is similar to that in our country, and it was first used in religious readings. Later, illustrations were widely used in publications such as natural science books, grammar books, and anthologies of classic writers.

With the development of society today, illustrations are widely used in various fields of society. Illustration art not only expands our horizons, enriches our minds, gives us unlimited imagination, but also broadens our minds. With the increasing commercialization of art and the emergence of new painting materials and tools, illustration art has entered the era of commercialization. In the era of commodity economy, illustrations play a huge role in promoting economic development. The concept of illustration has gone far beyond the scope of traditional regulations.

Looking at today's illustration industry, painters are no longer limited to a certain style. They often break the previous way of using only one kind of material. In order to achieve the desired effect, they widely use various means, which makes the development of illustration art gain a broader scope. Space and infinite possibilities. Although illustration developed relatively late in China, its origins have a long history. Illustrations experienced the development of blackboard newspapers, prints, and poster formats after liberation, as well as the reference to international popular styles after the 1980s, and the 1990s. In the mid-to-late period, with the popularization of computer technology, more cutting-edge authors who used computers to design illustrations emerged

Illustrations have found a huge living space outside of the mother body of their birth - books. Rich carriers continue to emerge with technological advancement and social needs.

[Edit this paragraph] Application of illustrations

Scope of application of illustrations

Publications:

Book covers, inside pages of books , illustrations used for book jackets, book content supplements, etc.

Includes illustrations used in editorials such as newspapers and magazines.

Business promotion: illustrations

Advertising DD includes illustrations used in newspaper advertisements, magazine advertisements, signboards, posters, leaflets, and TV advertisements;

Commercial image design: product logo and corporate image (mascot);

Product packaging design;

Illustrated DD consumer guidance, product descriptions, instructions for use, charts, catalogs

Film and television multimedia:

Character and environment art settings or interface design for film and television dramas, commercials, games, and the Internet.

Anything used for "explanation" can be included in the category of illustrations.

Two major types of illustration applications

In the field of graphic design, we are most exposed to literary illustrations and commercial illustrations.

Literary illustration - a visual art form that reproduces the plot of an article and embodies the literary spirit.

Commercial illustrations - convey product information for enterprises or products, a form of image expression that combines art and commerce.

The illustrator obtains related remuneration, gives up the ownership of the work, and only retains the right of signature, which is a commercial transaction.

[Edit this paragraph] The functions and effects of illustrations

Definition of illustrations

There are certain differences between modern illustrations and artistic illustrations in the general sense. There are differences between the two in terms of functions, forms of expression, and communication media. The service objects of modern illustrations are first of all products. Commercial activities require that the information carried be conveyed to the audience accurately and clearly, hoping that people will correctly receive and grasp the information, and allow the audience to take action while giving them a beautiful feeling. Therefore, it is said to serve commercial activities.

Art illustrations in a general sense generally have three functions and purposes:

First, as a supplement to text;

Second, to allow people to obtain the satisfaction of perceptual knowledge. ;

3. Express the artist’s aesthetic concepts and expression skills, and even express the artist’s world view and outlook on life.

Modern illustrations are very functional. Deviating from the pure art purpose of visual communication often weakens the function of modern illustrations. Therefore, the design should not allow the subject of the illustration to be ambiguous. It must be based on clarity, simplicity and accuracy.

The appeal function of modern illustrations

The basic appeal function of modern illustrations is to convey information to the audience in the most concise, clear and clear way, arouse their interest, and strive to convince them of the delivered content. , and readily accept the content of the propaganda in the aesthetic process, inducing them to take final action.

(1) Display vivid and specific product and service images and convey information intuitively.

(2) Stimulate consumer interest.

(3) Enhance the persuasiveness of advertising.

(4) Strengthen the appeal of products and stimulate consumers’ desires.

[Edit this paragraph] The aesthetic characteristics of illustrations

As a form of visual art, specifically as a member of applied arts, illustration design has its own aesthetic characteristics . Among them, the most obvious ones are as follows:

1. Purpose and restriction

2. Practicality and popularity

3. Imagery and intuitiveness< /p>

Four Aesthetics and Interest

Five Creativity and Artistic Imagination

Six Diversity and Pluralism

Modern illustrations are due to media, The diversity of content, expression techniques and objects of appeal make its aesthetic standards also diverse and diversified. Illustrations

[Edit this paragraph] Forms of illustrations

Modern illustrations come in various forms, which can be classified by communication media or function. According to media classification, it is basically divided into two parts, namely print media and film and television media. Print media includes poster advertising illustrations, newspaper illustrations, magazine and book illustrations, product packaging illustrations, corporate image promotional material illustrations, etc. Film and television media include movies, television, computer monitors, etc.

Poster advertising illustrations: also called posters and posters. In an era when advertising still mainly relied on print media to deliver information, it can be said that it is in a dominant position in advertising. However, with the emergence of film and television media, its application scope has narrowed.

Newspaper illustrations: Newspapers are one of the best media for information transmission.

It is the most popular, has low cost, large circulation, wide dissemination, fast speed and short production cycle.

Magazine book illustrations: including cover and back cover designs and text illustrations, widely used in all types of books. Such as literature books, children's books, science and technology books, etc. This kind of illustration is gradually declining. In the future, there will still be a large number of electronic books and electronic newspapers.

Product packaging illustrations: Product packaging makes illustrations more widely used. Product packaging design includes three elements: logo, graphics, and text. It has a dual mission: one is to introduce products, and the other is to establish a brand image. The most prominent feature is that it is between flat and three-dimensional design.

Corporate image promotional material illustration: It is the VI design of the company. It is included in the two parts of the basic system and application system of corporate image design.

Film and television illustrations in film and television media: refers to illustrations that appear in movies and television. It usually appears more in commercials. Film and television illustrations also include computer screens. The computer screen has now become the expression space of commercial illustrations, and numerous graphic library animations, game programs, and graphic tables have all become part of commercial illustrations.

Expression forms of illustrations

Characters, free form, realistic techniques, black and white, color, materials, photos, computer-generated..., as long as Anything that can form a "graphic" can be used in the production of illustrations.

Vector

[Edit this paragraph] Classification of illustrations

Click now Market positioning: vector fashion cartoons, realistic young children's illustrations, concept settings, etc.

Classification according to production method: hand-drawn, vector, commercial, cutting-edge (2D plane, UI design, 3D), pixel

Classification by illustration and painting style: Japanese cartoons and illustrations, European and American illustrations, Hong Kong illustrations, Korean game illustrations, Taiwanese romance novel cover illustrations, because there are too many styles now, so I just classify them simply

In addition, in foreign countries, the style is wider and there are hand-made origami, cloth patterns, all kinds of styles, keeping pace with each other.

[Edit this paragraph] Current situation of illustrations

The place where illustrations are most developed: The United States is a country with a very developed illustration market, and appreciating illustrations has become a habit in society. On the one hand, there are a large number of independent illustration products sold in the terminal market, such as illustrated books, magazines, illustrated greeting cards, etc. On the other hand, illustrations, as part of the visual communication system (graphic design, illustrations, commercial photography), are widely used in design content such as print advertisements, posters, and covers. The illustration market in the United States is also very specialized, divided into various professional types such as children's, sports, science fiction, food, digital, pure art style, humor, etc. Each type has its own dedicated illustration artist. The entire illustration market is very standardized and the competition is fierce, because the average income level of illustration artists is three times the average income of ordinary Americans.

Illustrations in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan: As we all know, Japanese commercial animation already has a huge market and operation team. Animation is an important branch of the illustration industry. Before CG technology (Computer Graphics, which uses computer technology for visual design and production) entered the field of illustration, hand-drawn animation had already become a rising industry in Japan. Today's younger generation is increasingly inclined to use computer digital technology.

In South Korea, as the game industry has risen to become the second pillar industry of the national economy in recent years, illustrations, especially digital illustrations, have suddenly emerged. Game characters designed with digital illustrations have followed the popularity of Korean games in China. Popularized and won a larger market space.

At the same time, illustration designers in Hong Kong and Taiwan are still looking for their own industry path, although their works have obvious traces of Japan. Illustration education: Beijing Institute of Graphic Arts, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, Beijing Broadcasting Institute, Tsinghua University Academy of Fine Arts, Central Academy of Fine Arts and other institutions have all opened illustration or illustration-related majors in the past two years, but the teaching content often only includes publications Illustrations rather than commercial illustrations in the full sense.

But abroad, illustration education and the market are closely integrated. Many well-known illustrators are visiting teachers at various universities, and they bring the most fashionable and cutting-edge business awareness to schools. Commercial illustrations popular in foreign markets today include four forms: publication illustrations, cartoon mascots, film, television and game art design, and advertising illustrations. In fact, in China, illustrations have been used in print and electronic media, commercial venues, public institutions, product packaging, film and television performance posters, corporate advertisements and even T-shirts, diaries, and New Year cards. How to write illustration design ideas

How to write illustration design ideas. 1. Illustration design ideas for creative design. 2. There are two main creative forms of illustration design: direct illustration and indirect illustration. The most direct and valuable way of the two forms in the design process is illustration design. The direct illustration technique makes the picture look not monotonous, and also has a direct way to make people think of it. The so-called direct illustration technique is to layout and splice the characters or products in the original picture. Direct illustration expression technique, generally speaking, this form uses the form of the original painting itself for artistic processing, giving people a different visual feeling, and then combines the original shape with the original image. As we said in Figure. Today's album design increasingly uses photos as the main form of expression.

The advantages of photographic images in albums. 3. Accurate and true In modern design, unconscious painting expression can impress readers. How to design creative illustrations?

1. Content

For commercial illustrations, the creativity of the content is actually the least likely to make people think it is creative, but if the creativity of the content can If done well, it will be a very good growth opportunity for designers. So what should you pay attention to when creating content? When designing, you can start with ordinary content, combine your own unique experience and simplicity, and draw people-friendly content. A refreshing picture.

2. Composition

There are many aspects to the design skills of composition, and it is certainly not possible to describe them one by one. In composition design, we can choose narrative composition and non-narrative composition. Refers to a composition with a certain sense of story in the content. Non-narrative composition is the opposite of narrative composition. It does not have obvious story-telling. The picture generally does not have a realistic background. It expresses a point of view more through metaphor. Composition type.

3. Styling

Styling creativity can be said to be an important aspect of a designer’s expressiveness and creativity. Each designer has a different styling phenotype, and creativity in styling is also The most recognizable.

4. Color

Different themes have restrictions on the use of color, that is to say, not every type of color matching is suitable for the same type of theme. Designers generally create similar themes, so they generally use the same color combination. Once you receive commissions for different theme types, you need to change the colors in combination with factors such as branding.