Emma Johnson: What does Illustration mean?

To me Illustration is an image or picture that someone creates to represent something, expressing something visually for example illustrating either a book or a magazine. Illustration is so widespread now you can illustrate in various ways such as, hand craft, animation, creating something digitally, or a moving image etc.

Illustration

1. something that illustrates, as a picture in a book or magazine
2. a comparison or an example intended for explanation or corroboration
3. the act of clarifying or explaining; elucidation.
4. Archaic illustriousness; distinction

The origin of Illustration
1325-75; Middle English < Latin illustrātiōn- (stem of illustrātiō ) theact of making vivid, illustrating. See illustrate, -ion

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/illustration?s=t

There are many people in the art industry that want their art to be seen and noticed however we need to push ourselves as technology is upgrading and becoming more and more advanced that illustrators feel the need to push themselves further to make there art more known by advertising there work digitally in lots of different ways. For example; ebooks, iPads, apps, websites etc.
Illustration has broadened throughout the environment using as much space as provided to represent and illuminate the world.

"As our visual language evolves , the playing field is levelling. Graphic designers, sculptors, painters, creative developers and even musicians amorphously meander across different parts of our creative industries. As a consequence, I often wonder what the term 'illustration' now means. Maybe as a medium it might need to do more than vocationalise aesthetics and cultivate a border palate of profundity for its own survival."

Michael Salu
Artistic Director of Granta Magazine
2012 Varoom

Responding to Salu's assertion illustration has become broadened that illustrators find themselves more involved with the different opportunities and activities that are out there trying to present there work any way they can that will connect with audiences. Technology in a way is taking over always being upgraded, it could be argued that books and handcraft might be dying out because of all this. However it is another way of connecting to other audiences.

Throughout my own work and expanding to the terms of content and media I will try my best to represent my work throughout different outcomes such as a website, which will hopefully support the basis of my work and help me look more professional throughout my practise to people who are in the art industry.

Is Salu's suggestion of a name change for illustration necessary or mere semantics?

No I don't think it is necessary to change the name of illustration because the word illustration already makes you think about art and the things created throughout art rather than speech. For instance; when I think of illustration I immediately associate the word with images, hand craft art models, animation, etc. Illustration is a name I would most defiantly wouldn't change, otherwise if it did I think a lot of people would be confused.

Illustration web is a website full of illustrators from all over the world that represent a wide range of different images and animations used in many ways for different reasons.

http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists

Here are a few examples;

Stefanie Clemen