Abstract
The Art Director-Illustrator relationship is the context in which all commercial Illustration projects happen but it is rarely explored in the teaching of the subject. This study investigates whether Illustration students could benefit from a dedicated focus on the Art Director [AD] role and the AD-Illustrator collaborative process.
A series of experimental teaching projects were run where the lecturer played the role of AD. Evaluative discussions were held with participants throughout to compare and contrast the AD-Illustrator relationship with the Lecturer-Student relationship. Interviews were carried out with a prominent AD to establish the industry view of the AD-Illustrator relationship and the transferable skills required of an AD. Those were mapped onto lists of desirable transferable skills for graduates as published by government and industry bodies.
The study found that the AD-Illustrator relationship models, and can therefore be used to teach, valuable transferable skills such as collaboration, relationship building and communication. ADs’ viewpoints on the purpose and application of illustration were found to be distinct from and complementary to the traditional view of the discipline within higher education.
The results indicate that a more developed understanding of the AD-Illustrator relationship would better prepare students for the professional role of Illustrator and provide them with valuable transferable skills should they choose to pursue another career path. Further research projects are planned to test the hypothesized benefits of teaching the activity of Art Directing to Illustrators.
A series of experimental teaching projects were run where the lecturer played the role of AD. Evaluative discussions were held with participants throughout to compare and contrast the AD-Illustrator relationship with the Lecturer-Student relationship. Interviews were carried out with a prominent AD to establish the industry view of the AD-Illustrator relationship and the transferable skills required of an AD. Those were mapped onto lists of desirable transferable skills for graduates as published by government and industry bodies.
The study found that the AD-Illustrator relationship models, and can therefore be used to teach, valuable transferable skills such as collaboration, relationship building and communication. ADs’ viewpoints on the purpose and application of illustration were found to be distinct from and complementary to the traditional view of the discipline within higher education.
The results indicate that a more developed understanding of the AD-Illustrator relationship would better prepare students for the professional role of Illustrator and provide them with valuable transferable skills should they choose to pursue another career path. Further research projects are planned to test the hypothesized benefits of teaching the activity of Art Directing to Illustrators.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 2 Nov 2021 |
| Event | Illustration Research Symposium: Education and Illustration: Models Methods Paradigms - Kingston University, London, United Kingdom Duration: 11 Feb 2021 → 12 Feb 2021 https://www.kingston.ac.uk/events/item/3731/11-feb-2021-education-and-illustration-models-methods-paradigms-11th-illustration-research-symposium/ |
Conference
| Conference | Illustration Research Symposium |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | London |
| Period | 11/02/21 → 12/02/21 |
| Internet address |