Illustration & Function

An illustration is a visualization such as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that stresses subject more than form. The aim of an illustration is to elucidate or decorate textual information (such as a story, poem or newspaper article) by providing a visual representation.

Function

Illustrations can:

• give faces to characters in a story;
• display examples of an item described in an academic textbook (e.g. a typology);
• visualize step-wise sets of instructions in a technical manual;
• communicate subtle thematic tone in a narrative;
• link brands to the ideas of human expression, individuality and creativity; and
• inspire the viewer to feel emotion to expand on the linguistic aspects of the narrative.