Illustreering

Illustreering is the process of creating visual images to accompany text or convey information in printed or digital media. The term is used in Dutch and refers to the broader practice of illustration, including drawings, paintings, engravings, photographs, and digital images produced for publications, advertising, education, and other media. Illustreering serves both communicative and decorative purposes, helping to clarify content, enhance appeal, or provide visual storytelling.

Historically, illustreering has evolved with printing technologies. In medieval and early modern manuscripts, illuminations and decorative initials served as primary illustrations. With the advent of woodcuts, copper engravings, and later lithography, images could be reproduced more widely and cheaply. The rise of photography and later digital imaging expanded the range of available techniques and styles, enabling more precise diagrams, realistic depictions, and highly stylized work. Today, illustreering commonly combines traditional drawing with digital tools, enabling rapid production, color adjustment, and integration with layout software.

Illustrations are used in various genres and formats, including narrative illustration for literature and comics, instructional or technical illustration with diagrams and schematics, decorative art for magazines or books, and editorial or cartoon illustration in journalism. Professional illustreering involves concept development, composition, style choice, and collaboration with authors, editors, and designers, along with considerations of rights, reproduction formats, and audience. In the contemporary context, it intersects with graphic design, visual culture, and emerging digital platforms.