{"id":1186,"date":"2016-02-18T18:45:02","date_gmt":"2016-02-18T15:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/?p=1186"},"modified":"2023-08-17T14:03:17","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T14:03:17","slug":"illustration-in-ui-art-in-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tubikstudio.com\/blog\/illustration-in-ui-art-in-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Illustration in UI. Art in Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

The phrase, well-known all over the world and claiming that \u201c…a picture is worth a thousand words,\u201d is still popular and actual nowadays, getting more and more shades of meaning with human progress. People still get attracted to visual images such as pictures and photos faster than with the copy; in lots of cases, the image is recognized and understood more quickly, and even more, it is able to satisfy not only the informative but also the aesthetic needs<\/a> of the recipient. Taking this into account, today, we would like to consider some functions of illustration from the perspective of modern UI\/UX design.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is illustration<\/span><\/h2>\n

According to the definition of Merriam-Webster dictionary, the verb “illustrate” in its wide-spread and most recognized meanings means “to clarify”; “to make clear by giving or by serving as an example or instance”; “to provide with visual features intended to explain or decorate”; “to show clearly”. However, it should be remembered that initially, it was derived from the Latin “illustrare” meaning “light up, enlighten, illuminate”. Although it is obsolete meaning now, it really adds much to all the diverse potential of illustration in digital graphic design, in particular for UI\/UX projects.<\/span><\/p>\n

Historically, illustration has a long and amazing path and perhaps could be included in the list of the most diverse directions in art. On the basis of its progress in print production like books, comics, magazines and newspapers, advertising materials, and so on, illustration as the sphere of visual art found a new lease of life with the development of technology. The design tasks got even more challenging and, therefore, interesting. Digital illustration, as well as the platforms for which it had to be created, brought new horizons in this sort of art.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"illustration-sketches-tubik-studio\"<\/p>\n

Sketches\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, no matter where illustrations appeared, how and for what purpose they were created, the basics were still the same: the aim of illustration was to enlighten, to clarify, to deliver the message by means of visual elements. In modern graphic design, therefore, illustration is an image that creates a visual message. To make the illustration functional, this image should be easily recognizable, and preferably the information it transfers should be decoded similarly, if not identically, by different viewers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier, we have already published an article<\/a> about such small but highly meaningful visual elements as icons, their types, functions, and vital role in creating efficient UI\/UX solutions. As well as the icons, illustrations, mostly being more detailed and artistic images, also have important functions behind them and often become an effective way to boost usability and, at the same way to present nice artistic elements.<\/span><\/p>\n

Features of illustrations<\/span><\/h2>\n

Illustration used as a part of the interface should become a working functional element. Making the decision in favor of using illustrations of any kind on the screen or a webpage, the designer has to think thoroughly about how to take everything possible from its broad potential. Illustration, in most cases, becomes the efficient way to provide the user with a piece of information faster and easier than it could happen with the text. Using illustration in layout, it is possible to fulfill multiple user needs, which is why it is so popular in user interfaces of different kinds.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, to become an efficient element of a layout, the illustration applied in the user interface should be:<\/span><\/p>\n