Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
The Medium Is a Message
A line is a line is a line . . . or not. Every drawing and
painting tool makes characteristic marks and affords a designer a specific kind of visual
language. The language of the tool has a powerful effect on an illustration's communic-
ative value, not just on its visual qualities relative to other elements in a design solution.
Above and beyond the fundamental selection of subject matter components, composi-
tion, and degree of stylization, the medium a designer chooses with which to create the
illustration carries meaning—in terms of feeling (softness, hardness, fluidity, and stiff-
ness) and, sometimes, conceptually (for example, using a drawing tool native to a cer-
tain region or historical period for a project related to that region or period).
