Narrating Change

As illustrators convene in Austin, Texas at ICON9, Sara Barnes explores how in a world where new technologies are shaping storytelling, illustrators’ roles are changing.

There was a lot to talk about at the illustration conference ICON9, not least because it had been two years since the last ICON. The four-day event ran the gamut of topics, and took the form of an education symposium plus two days of guest speakers. This year’s theme was Tall Tales – with talks and workshops exploring storytelling, and what it means today. The short answer? A lot.

Another question that got tongues wagging was what a shift from printed works to digital presentation means for editorial illustrators. Alexandra Zsigmond, art director for the New York Times opinion section, has seen focus shift in the last couple of years. “Translation from one medium to another didn’t have to happen, especially before the internet,” she explained. Today, it’s important to consider the way your work looks in different formats. “Instead of just thinking about what a piece looks like on a page, you have all these other things to think about,” she said. A print provides a tactile “delight,” and online presentation can suffer if it’s not properly addressed. Zsigmond regularly has illustrations animated, which helps make them digitally compelling.