The Editorial Illustrator - What Is Editorial Illustration?

Eric Fraser, Illustration for Radio Times, 1940s

"The essence of editorial Illustration is visual commentary. Its principal function is to be symbiotic with journalism contained within the pages of newspapers and magazines. "

- MALE, A. (2007). Illustration: a theoretical and contextual perspective. Lausanne, AVA Academia.

Qualities and Functions of Editiorial Illustration:

To translate

…the ability to bring the essence of the story, its concept, but also values and intent, all beyond the text, into pictures that the reader can understand.

To reflect

…the ability for the audience to see their values, their codes reflected in the image in their magazine, and at the same the illustration as a reflection of the ideas of the illustrator and publisher.

To materialise

…the ability to use material and style to give meaning and presence, not just within the picture, but by using and exploiting the technologies that are dictated by the carrier, be it newsprint or pixels. 

To engage

Engagement, the ability to grab the audience and deliver something 

thought provoking, whether through a personal socio-politically statement or through formal impact is understood as a core quality of the editorial illustration.

From: Hoogslag, Jeanne, 2015, Thesis, On the Persistence of a Modest Medium The Role of Editorial Illustration in Print and Online Media PhD thesis, Royal College of Art