Fourteenth International Conference on The Image

Abstract

Illustrators can be classified as ‘new cultural intermediaries. As cultural intermediaries and contributors to cultural production, the field of Illustration is a significant global producer of content. Design practices are evolving rapidly, and contemporary design needs to respond to these developing socio-cultural-economic conditions within the changing landscape. Illustrators embody their experiences. The Illustrator, as a designer, sits in the world of experience; the word ‘experience’ encapsulates most aspects of the context, outcomes, processes and elements of illustrating. The embodiment of experience is a fundamental device in the way illustrative imagery and visual communication translate to audiences and find a social sense of context. This paper reveals insight into the role of Bourdieu’s concept of habitus in the framing of the critical reflexive and reflective practice of illustrators. Critical reflection lies between reflexivity and reflection, a dynamic process for the way images communicates in society. The nature of generative artificial intelligence’s effects on the contemporary Illustration integration in design practices are evolving rapidly and we need to respond to these developing socio-cultural-economic conditions. The arrival of these technologies creates new ethical and philosophical dilemmas though for the authenticity of creative practice, copyright protection and the potential redundancy of, once-thought core skills. However, the notion of a way of being as creative practitioner and image maker are both historical and contemporary realities for the illustrator. This paper outlines the role of habitus in creative practice and the way image-making transforms our realities.