Before getting started on Assignment 4 I wanted to do some research into magazine illustration. At first I didn’t know where to start but I found the interesting article below on illustrated magazines/magazines will interesting illustrations.

Stack Magazines article on Illustrated Magazines 

For me it was really interesting to see that a lot of magazines do still use illustration – and so many different types of magazines and topics. I previously did a post talking about Vogue Italia’s illustrated issue – I think I do think of fashion when I think to illustrations in magazines – this means it was really interesting for me to see how editorial illustration works a long side different types of articles and in different types of magazines.

 

Editorial Illustration – Lucas Jubb – Image Source

The above illustration by Lucas Jubb is accompanying an article on how to work effectively while managing stress. I really like the illustration – it is very stylised and attention grabbing. The colour palette matches the magazines design. The illusration itself instantly gives the reader and idea about what the article is about and helps you better understand before you start reading. The head with the cogs and then surrounded by all different things that contribute to stress – work/work supplies, mobile phones, clocks meaning time, batteries meaning energy, symbols suggesting relationships. I think it is a very clever illustration – especially as it is quite a hard topic to be confronted with, the illustration still does the job with out being daunting or uninviting.

Editorial Illustration – Leena Kisonen – Image Source

I really like the above work by Leena Kisonen – I think it is very bright and eye catching – but it is also very inviting. I love the colour palette, bright colours but cool tones to really communicate the wintery feeling. I really like how it seems seems simple at first but the longer you look the more you notice. I like how stylised a lot of these illustrations are – as the articles don’t need them to be 100% accurate images( as that is what photography is for) it allows the illustrator some creative freedom.

Magazine Illustrations – Sami Viljanto – Image Source

These calendar illustrations for magazines by Sami Viljanto work well as stand along art in my opinion. It reminds me of the poster design research I looked into – works well both alone and with writing.

Magazine Illustration – Sam Osborne – Image Source 

I think looking at these magazine illustrations has taught me that the illustrations are really there to enhance a piece of writing. I think before I thought that the illustration was just to ‘decorate’ or go with a piece of writing where as now I think that it is more likely that the illustration is there to help the reader better understand the article, whether that be topic, tone or both.  I like the way that Sam Osborne (above) has incorporated words into the actual illustration. I know I have previously mentioned in my learning log that I feel like lettering is a weakness of mine so I would like to at some point incorporate more lettering into my work where necessary.