The Informed Illustrator: 2019

In the early 20th century abstraction began to weave its way into illustration, particularly illustration produced for advertising. The simplicity and immediacy of abstract illustrations, and their bold inventive style began worked very effectively to deliver promotional messages to mass audiences, which responded well to an abstract aesthetic. Abstractly illustrated advertisements and announcements were distinctly effective at drawing a viewer’s attention and reinforcing their retention.

The use of abstraction facilitated the communication of message content that was distinctly conceptual. Narratives and concepts that defied a documentary or realistic approach to visualization could be easily communicated by the use of abstract relationships, and abstract symbolization. Structurally, abstraction provided a means whereby strange juxtapositions of subjects could be illustrated without offending the sensibility or aesthetic preferences of a viewer. Abstract illustration provided the means whereby pictorial elements seeming to be strange and compositionally out of place became accepted forms of illustration.

Now that it is some 100 years since entering the communication arts, abstraction is finding resurgence. Abstract illustrations, due to their universality and simplicity of expression have the ability to transcend differences of language and culture and are often used message content must be disseminated internationally. Pictured below are contemporary examples of abstract illustration used in advertising campaigns.

Agency: Miami Ad School, Germany. Illustrator Azim Abasbek.

Client:Volkswagon Polo.

Agency: Miami Ad School, Germany. Illustrator Azim Abasbek.

Client:Volkswagon Polo.

Agency: Miami Ad School, Germany. Illustrator Azim Abasbek.

Client:Volkswagon Polo.

Agency: McCann, India. Illustrators: Nikhil Waradkar, Lokesh Karakar.
Client: Big Babol.

Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, India. Illustrator: Umesh Baldaniya.
Client: WWF.

Agency: DDB Tribal Group, Germany. Illustrator: Lucio Regner.
Client: AEG.

Agency: FCB, USA. Illustrator: Kristin Haley.
Client: Valspar.

Agency: BBDO, Singapore. Illustrator: Gary Lim.
Client: Guinness.

Agency: gyro San Francisco, USA. Illustrator: Rei Young.
Client: Digital Realty.

Agency: Havas360, France. Illustrator: Charis Tsevis.
Client: Zepros Trade News.

Agency: Contrapunto BBDO, Spain. Illustrators Ray Oranges, Ales Santos.
Client: Smart Moto.

Agency: almapBBDO, Brazil. Illustrator: Miagul. Client: Audi.

Agency: almapBBDO, Brazil. Illustrator: Miagul.
Client: Audi.

Agency: La comunidad, Argentina. Illustrator: Guillermo Muñoz.
Client: City of Buenos Aires.

Expressionism began in Germany in the early 20^th century. Expressionistic art presents the world from a subjective perspective. A part of that perspective involves distorting pictorial subjects and references to elicit an emotional effect and to evoke moods or ideas in a viewer. Expressionism emphasizes meaning through an experience that is suggested through the use of artistic media rather than a documentary or realistic approach to physical reality.

Although stylistic in nature, expressionistic illustration seeks to impart not just a depiction but also a mood or an attitude about a subject. First used for political propaganda messaging in pre-war Germany, expressionistic advertising bears a stigma that has kept modern day advertisers from utilizing illustrations that associate with an expressionistic style and look. However, recently it is appearing in advertising campaigns. Expressionism is again being used to communicate propaganda of a sort.

Circa 2013. Agency: BBR Saatchi &
Saatchi, Israel. Illustrator: Naor Itzhak.
Client: Aviv for Holocaust Survivors

Like abstractionism, the unique inventiveness of expressionistic illustrations and their bold artistic style grab the attention of mass audiences to impart promotional messages. Be it for the use of a style or for conceptual content, the traditional expressionism of the war years and the abstract expressionist movement of the post-war years both play a part in influencing this new contemporary trend in illustration.

Expressionistic illustrations, due to their austere appearance and emotive qualities have the ability to transcend differences of language and culture and are often used when message content must be dissemin-
ated to audiences that speak a different language. Pictured below are contemporary examples of expressionistic illustration used in advertising campaigns.