illust

Illust is a shorthand term used to refer to illustration, the visual representation that accompanies text or stands as a visual art form in its own right. The abbreviation can denote either the artwork itself or the broader category of drawing, painting, and digital art that serves narrative, explanatory, or decorative purposes.

In publishing and media, illust often appears in production workflows and on bylines to label images that supplement articles, books, magazines, or comics. It helps distinguish non-photographic imagery from photographs or other media. In many contexts, illust is used informally in captions, design briefs, and cataloging to indicate an artwork rather than a photograph or graphic element.

Within digital art communities, illust is commonly used as a tag or category for uploaded works. Artists may tag pieces as illust to signal that the image is a standalone artwork or a piece created for a narrative or character design, rather than a photo, concept sketch, or vector graphic. The term is especially prevalent on art-sharing platforms, blogs, and social media.

Etymology and variations: illust is derived from the English word illustration. The term is not standardized and usage can vary by region and platform. In Japanese, the corresponding term is typically transliterated as "irasuto" or written as イラスト, while in English-language contexts, people often distinguish illust from more specific terms like illustration, illustrations, or illustrator.

See also: illustration, illustration software, art tagging, metadata, image caption.