Illustration as Object: Secondary non-Narratives and Consumer Products

Lecture notes

• Trends:
•  Evergreen students: 18-26, first to adopt new technology usually carry technology everywhere with them.
• Globalisation: the demand for higher education globally has increased and will continue to grow- you can study anywhere in the world through the use of technology.
• Technical information literacy
• branding: internet branding helps you show off your abilities and skills. Is it easier or harder to stand out on the internet?
• Mobility: No one uses landlines anymore because of technology 97% of college students have mobiles
• Safety and security: How safe is your information and internet profile? what if there is something you want to remove? It is crucial to be internet safe. 
• Evolution of learning: Technology is helping teaching a lot, education is growing 1 to 1 online working is now possible.
• Edutainment higher education and entertainment are becoming more intertwined.
• Digital native= someone that has grown up with technology.
• Digital imigrant= someone who goes from an analogue background and migrates into the digital age.
• Both have implications- some people know how to use the technology and some don't so people who know how to use it shouldn't be criticised for how they are because they cant help it, its just the way we've evolved as humans. The old way isn't always the best way.
• Sugato Mitra - brought 'self organised learning environments' to deprived communities and people learnt from it. 'Granny Cloud'- retired teachers that help you with work over the internet. 
• 6-13 year olds can learn quickly without guidance. 3 months for 70 kids to be completely computer literate.
• Ken Robinson - 'Education system is based on victorian methods of structure.'
• pre school = freedom to explore and be stimulated and ask questions
• school = regimented by age and ability.

Tutor lecture notes

• Fredun Shapur was a children's toy creator. 
• His work was very illustrative and modern but he classed himself as a graphic designer.
• His work is coming back into fashion as the trend is coming back around.
• With all of the technology available to us now no one has to label themselves to a specific thing because it is possible for us to do all sorts of things. 
• product design- uses illustration and design together. 
• Technology is helping design evolve.
• looking at old designs it would be so much easier and quicker to create them now compared to back then. 
• Boundaries are always being crossed between design and illustration.
• Stig Lindberg- 50's 
• Ikea - now

Research- How has technology changed illustration

Social background

Technology has developed and changed so quickly over the years that society has created digital natives (people that have grew up with technology) and digital immigrants (people that have migrated into a digital age from an analogue age.) Along with this has came fear of the unknown for the digital natives, because all of this is very new and alien to them. There are many advantages to learning this new technology as it can help make a lot of everyday things much easier. Although both sides have implications it is important to learn about technology to eradicate any fears and to help bridge generation gaps enabling people to coexist coherently.

'Becoming technologically literate means becoming informed and knowledgeable about technological products and processes. If we arc informed, we can select carefully and be safe users of the products and processes we need. If we learn more about technology, it will help us feel less threatened by how quickly things change and the bewildering range of new products we see.' [1]

Technology and design

Fredun Shapur (born in 1929) was a children's toy creator and graphic designer who's illustrative style came across strongly within his toys. His creations still look modern today so it could be said that they were ahead of the time. His designs were very innovative, unique and would still stand up well in todays market. If his toys were put up against the things sold in a modern shop such as ikea they look as though they would fit right in. 

Fredun Shapur's lively images of children and his elegant toy designs look strikingly fresh to our twenty-first century eyes. Although created nearly fifty years ago, they embody all the qualities we associate with an idyllic image of a modern childhood. [2] 

Back when Shapur created his children's toys there was not much technology around to help his designs become a reality. Back when Saphur was making toys, computers were not easily accessible so Shapur's toys would have been made designed and made by hand before being sent off to manufacturers. Looking at some of his stylish, impeccable designs such as the puzzle shown in figure 1, this would have been very time consuming. It is very different now as technology has advanced and there has been machines developed to do almost everything needed to aid creativity and the making of products, also a lot more people have easy access to it. This allows a lot more people to be able to create more imaginative creative things, it could be said that it is much easier to create the ideas that you have in your head,  into reality. 

'Digital technology has empowered the illustrator as 'creator', providing greater control and and ever more opportunities for expression.' [3]

(Figure 1), snake puzzle, Fredun Shapur 

The modern artist must adapt and try out new technologies to be able to keep up with and respond to the changing environment. Because of the technology available for everyone to use at their own disposal there is a lot of crossovers between design and illustration for example illustrators will create toys that are very well designed and have a very illustrative aesthetic, for example these collectable figures by a studio called yum yum (figure 2) and the children's illustration/toy studio Djeco (figure 3.) It is a lot easier to access the technology to create art and design things, this means that there is more people competing for the same jobs, artists are having to do more little jobs to be able to do it for a living rather than focusing on one aspect of art.  

'Culture today is becoming a mass affair, and the artist must step down from his pedestal and be prepared to make a sign for a butcher's shop (if he knows how to do it). The artist must cast off the last rags of romanticism and become active as a man among men, well up in present-day techniques, materials and working methods. Without losing his innate aesthetic sense he must be able to respond with humility and competence to the demands his neighbours may make of him.' [4]

(figure 2) Collectible figurines, Yum Yum 

(figure 3) Children's chicken toy, Djeco

Overall  from my research I have concluded that there is and always has been a massive crossover between design and illustration and technology has aided this. This, in some ways is a great thing as it allows you to open doors to more opportunities but, on the other hand, it has became harder to get noticed as there are a lot more people that are able to do the same thing as you. Technology is a great thing and we wouldn't be where we are today without it, you just have to be versatile, know your market, and be able to sell yourself well to be successful in today's market.   

[1] Ogata.A.F, Fredun Shapur playing with design, p.9

[2]  Howe. A, Davies.D,  Ritchie.R, Primary Design and technology for the future. p.140

[3] Wigan. M, Basics illustration 03: text and image. p. 42 

[4] Munari.B, Design as art,