'Legibility' and 'Visual Heirarchy'

an example of heirarchical flow on an Esquire cover.

'Legibility' and 'Visual Heirarchy' both concern the connection between the information, and the way it is presented in order to best communicate the intended message. Legibility refers to the clarity of the typeface or the individual lettering in question and is crucial in terms of ensuring that your target audience is able to succinctly understand and digest the message within it. This in itself is merely a characteristic of legible type and not a necessary primary function of type in design in general - some typefaces are created and used with the intent simply to fit a prior theme or convey a particular message through the illustrative use of type. The legibility of type can be dictated to in several ways - notably colour and size, font-weight and purpose. The colour of a font can immediately help or hinder legibility due to the dramatic fluctuations in contrast - for example, black on white and vice-versa are a good example of immediate legibility in terms of the starkness of the contrast which enables it to 'grab' attention - In terms of monochrome visual heirarchy this is immediately the first thing you see in comparison, for example, to grey tonality, which would naturally 'appear' second. Contrastually, an example of not-so-legible typesetting would be white on yellow or vice-versa. An example of over-zealous contrast is based in colour theory - the use of contrastual colours such as yellow on purple or green on red are considered faux-pas mainly due to the way in which they can 'dazzle' or confuse the audience, as well as the overall legibility of the work. Size itself can also be a limiting factor, as too dramatic a shift between the largest and the smallest font sizes can create a situation whereby the smaller font becomes illegible in comparison, which is also not helped by font-weight - which describes how bold (or how italicised) a typeface is, and can contribute in much the same manner - as bold can be as overwhelming as an overly-large font-size. On the other hand, the 'Heirarchy' of a piece of work refers to the whole piece and the intended order of information - the overall use of text, for example, as well as image within what is primarily a 'Graphic Communication' viewpoint; for example, the utilisation of an underlying 'grid' or margins and gutters. This enables tailored 'text and image' based works as there is a sense of balance created by utilising negative space within images for type, and also a heirarchical pattern for the elements you want to be seen first - this is often apparent on magazine covers as the logotype or the header are usually proportioned in such a manner that they 'appear' first. Both of these principles can be found throughout the entire multi-faceted concept of design simply because they are vitally important to aesthetically pleasing layouts and design involving any combination of text, image or paginated design.

This is an example of work I created which illustrates the concept of heirarchy.

The 'Practices of Illustration' and the 'Notion of Inspiration'

Illustration has always been defined as a process of communicating in a graphic manner - also known as a 'displayed visualisation form', or, a method of processing and displaying information in an intuitive way. This was first utilised in prehistoric cave paintings as a manner of demonstration and particularly information about specific prey and its' movements, as well as recording natural predators of the surrounding environment. This first foray into 'Graphic Communication' was quintessentially complex, considered the wide variety of media chosen in terms of its' undertaking - such as clay, as well as other media which would have required dilution - but provided clear and concise information to other societal members. This methodology evolved and developed into definable areas of expertise across centuries of human social growth with the advent of new technologies such as woodcuts, engraving, or later the Printing Press, all of which were primarily used to produce the written word but were also used to create accompanying illustrative images. This evolution also marks the responsibilities of the Illustrator changing - to illuminate and elucidate primary sources of text. As well as these obligations, the focus of the work has also changed to become much more open to interpretation - such as the target audience and the message, as well as the subject overall. 
Work can be produced in a self-initiated way with no intended recipient except the creator, such as in the case of Ray Caesar, an illustrator who operates in what is considered a very painterly and particularly fine-art methodology. His work stems from his initial employment inside a children's hospital for seventeen years - an experience he cites as being "why I am making these images today. I saw so much in that place that I can hardly talk or think about it without becoming emotional.” His work is dark in subject matter and he utilises digital and traditional means to create photo-realistic works with often surrealist motifs and themes. 

On the other hand, work can also be created in an entirely recipient-directed manner such as the relationship between client and freelance illustrators - Sebastien Feraut, better known under his alias 'Niark1', uses both traditional and digital print-based media with attention to precision and colour to enhance the Graphic nature of his work. He can be found throughout many different publications in an editorial illustration capacity as well as a range of applications, even street-art and exterior illustrative design.  


Through a range of Illustrators such as these can we debate the concept of inspiration truly being "from anything and everything" - The only definitive point of such a concept being an internal state of 'constant inquiry', which drives and propels us as we research and record an experimental mix of synaptic activity, primarily induced and derived from any number of things from our surroundings. This 'Notion of Inspiration' is what differentiates between merely 'good' work and the 'excellent'.

The Notions of Originality, and "Can Re-Contextualised Ideas Be Contemporary?"

The concept of 'Originality' is derived from the idea that "an original work of art is one not received from others", which is a definition often used as a measure in terms of artistic creativity as well as of artistic integrity in any given body of work or work of art. As a logical corollary, 'homage' is often thought of or associated with plagiarism, and thus is cast in the same negative light. Whilst the anti-thesis of creativity, viewing homage in such a way arguably does not accommodate to any extent the theory behind it, or the re-contextual nature of its' implementation. Homage itself is often said to be 'dissimilar to praise' in terms of its' relationship with the 'original' work, in particular the use of new themes, subject and purpose to create a new context in which the work sits contemporarily. In this manner it is possible to suggest that homage can be seen as the evolution of original works, in order to create social and cultural exposure more relevant to today than the historical work - For example, compare the original work "Gabrielle d'Estrées" (c.1594) to the more contemporary Yves Saint-Laurent campaign by Mario Sorrenti (c.1998) - It provides a compelling example of how, in this case, homage has inspired the aforementioned relevant social and cultural exposure through the inclusion of a male element. This could be seen possibly as a way of introducing male submission, or as a means to explore the sexuality and diversity in relationships which mirror the (what would have been) shock value of the original. It is contextual reference such as this which adds depth and provides a counter-argument to the proposition that homage is, at its' root, plagiarism; The substantial differentiation in terms of intent and message proclude argument claiming such, as the two works, once placed side by side, reveal the level of personal creativity merged with an otherwise borrowed (and subsequently re-invented) base concept.

Dick Hebdige discusses the origins of such works and compares them to Bricolage, which is often considered interchangeable or synonymous with homage; He defines both broadly as where an artist has "appropriated another range of commodities by placing them in a symbolic ensemble which serves to erase or subvert their original 'straight' meanings." The malleability of original works through such a process is also commented upon by Daniel Chandler in his document "Semiotics for Beginners", who uses the term in a Linguistic sense - Which only shows further the breadth of creative practices subject to this practice. Chandler says that this process "draws upon a dialogue with the materials and the means of execution". This involvement and the acceptance thereof of homage (and bricolage) is vital to a fundamental understanding of Visual Communication, as well as any other creative practise. Although it can be debated that no work is truly original - the new works, with their new purpose and context set them apart from the original creatively - and it is through this new creativity that their true contemporary originality is found.