Stephanie Plunkett

Within the applied arts practices, the majority of writing is about design with the primary authors of these writings considered authorities on design matters. This authority, at times, carries over into related fields such as illustration. By contrast, we do not see a writing practice on illustration by illustrator/writers with similar breadth and influence. Why is there less critical examination of illustration by those within our practice? What prevents writers from emerging from the ranks of practicing illustrators to craft a voice for the practice? Would students and practitioners benefit, as designers do, if they understood the academic underpinnings and significance of their work, and the connectivity of published imagery to other academic branches of study, both today and through time? Is illustration viewed as a highly influential art form that is integral to society, or is it all but invisible despite its visual prominence? How can we establish a context wherein illustration and its practice asserts a view that goes beyond its practical role and accepted status to one that puts the storytelling focus on itself?