2 min read | Aug 13, 2023
I was in a meeting with a designer recently who said the concept of illustration is outdated and there are better ways to show an idea. Here’s why they’re wrong.
Illustration serves multiple purposes and is used in a variety of different ways to achieve different results. From editorial illustration to concept art to illustration libraries used on eCommerce websites, illustration steps in where photography cannot.
Let’s say you were writing an article that describes what happens when a payment at a retail store is processed. The article is full of technical information and processes and the audience for the article might be app developers or business owners. In order to make the article more digestible and easier for the reader to understand, it would be helpful to include a visual representation of what’s being discussed.
If you were to search on a stock photography website, you’d probably find something generic that doesn’t specifically describe or explain the concept you’re writing about. A conceptual illustration or data visualization can help to more clearly communicate the written content and supplement it, especially for a reader who is less familiar with the topic.
You might have seen digital or eCommerce brands using illustrations throughout their products. Building a custom illustration library gives a brand a reusable set of visual components that can be adapted and modified to fit different needs of that brand while conveying the unique visual brand language to customers.
Dropbox.com uses illustrations to compliment content as well as photography
Mailchimp.com’s illustration style is fun, quirky, and helps to differentiate it from the competition rather than relying on boring overly used stock photography. It’s also used to visualize abstract concepts that can’t be adequately represented with a photo.
Photo shoots are great for capturing certain things like a product in use or an atmosphere or mood, but sometimes they can’t do all the heavy lifting. Also, the use of stock photography is so prevalent, you’d inevitably end up seeing the same stock photos elsewhere, maybe even on a competitor’s website.
Don’t relegate illustrations to “a thing of the past”. You’d only be limiting yourself and the brand you’re working on.
© Beth Greenberg 2024