illustration in action

The first and what I felt the main point of this lecture was that an illustration must have a purpose. An illustration without a purpose is just a drawing. Illustration is the intersection between visual aesthetics, a context and a concept. A good illustrator not only uses visual literacy and symbols to convey there message but also carefully selections the material they work in. Illustration through use of known symbols and use of a visual aesthetic can help convey both a strong prevalent context and also minor subtleties to the same message. Illustration can be used for both functional reasons such as maps or leaflets or act as a visual commentary.
Illustration can be judged on its pure functionality but the lecture argued a more successful illustration is one that not only serves a functional purpose but can also have an emotional impact.