editorial | Crowlab Studio

Editorial illustration is a way to translate complex ideas into clear, impactful visuals that spark reflection and dialogue while also crossing language barriers. Lead Illustrator Joe Furlong aims to create quality editorial illustrations that not only support journalism but also add a critical, independent voice alongside it. Editorial Illustration is a tool to deepen understanding, challenge assumptions, and offer fresh perspectives on contemporary issues that we all share but rarely discuss. As well as Scientific Editorial outlets, he wants to collaborate with research teams and the wider scientific community to concisely communicate their vital work to the general public. The ‘Scienthusiast Weekly’ is an MA FMP project in which an entire prototype magazine eBook was created and illustrated to explore an array of different topics and material uses.

With regards to my Research and Development application to Arts Council England, for added context the introduction to the Distinction awarded FMP Dissertation is below the illustration examples to aid a deeper understanding of the discussed methodology.

Editorial Selection

This article response features watercolour on 300gsm paper, brush-pen and inverted pigment ink in a layered composition. The article discusses how we can reconnect with nature and 're-wild' ourselves in the modern world.

The original article can be found here: https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-reconnect-with-your-wild-nature

This illustration was developed after an interview with a scientist at Oxitec, Oxford, a leading UK laboratory for malaria vaccines. Watercolour and digital drawing.

This article response was created to reflect the human emotional reaction to climate anxiety using Indian Inks, watercolour, permanant ink, white charcoal and digital textures. The original article can be found here: https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-cope-with-climate-anxiety-and-take-action

This experimental response intends to reflect the all-encompassing nature of grief using greyscale oil pastels on heavily textured paper with an inverted digital brush-pen. The original article can be found here: https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-express-the-thoughts-and-feelings-of-your-grief

This article response illustration aims to exhibit the higher levels of intelligence exhibited by corvids but combining it with a larger human brain in a surreal manner. For the article response the dip-pen and Indian ink A3 drawing was combined with 3D modelling to draw attention to the neuron structure the article mentions. The original drawing has also been used as a graphic for Crowlab Studio. The full article can be found here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/crows-are-even-smarter-we-thought-180976970/

This article response features digitally layer watercolour on 300gsm paper and brush-pen. The original article can be found here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/mar/09/controversial-new-theory-of-gravity-rules-out-need-for-dark-matter

This article response represents the multi-levelled theory held by Carl Jung about the foundation of the human psyche using layered Indian Ink on 300 gsm paper behind a surreal brush pen drawing incorporating a portrait of Jung himself. The full article can be found here: https://psyche.co/ideas/for-jung-architecture-was-a-tool-to-represent-the-psyche

In this article response the ancient Maya mythology behind solar eclipse phenomena is represented by a well-researched Mayan stylised ink drawing layered on top of an edited eclipse photograph from the public domain. The full article can be found here: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-ancient-maya-solar-eclipses-signified-clashing-gods/

'Storm-Surfing Bats Seen Using The Weather to Cover Astonishing Distances' article response illustration for Contemporizer eBook. Graphite, watercolour and white charcoal.

FAO Arts Council England: Falmouth University - MA Illustration FMP - Joe Furlong - Dissertation Introduction

'How can conceptual illustration create emotive and relatable visual responses to ‘unseen’ concepts and theories within scientific editorial?'

My Final Major Project is an exploration of conceptual illustration’s ability to portray ‘The Unseen’ within the parameters of scientific editorial. Editorial illustration is required in publications such as newspapers and magazines, accompanying text with the brief commonly coming from an art director (Brazell, Davies 2018). A form of visual journalism, it encapsulates and reflects concepts to a readership during a momentary visual interaction, therefore they have to be intriguing and captivating to improve the quality of the information conveyed and draw the reader in (Selby 2023).

Conceptual illustrators, research their subjects, utilise narrative devices and design principles, think abstractly and manipulate media to communicate a message or idea to a targeted audience (Male 2017). “Conceptual illustrations differ from literal forms of visual language since they are mediated drawings made using abstract principles and conceptual methodologies.” (Male 2019: 49). Leading agency Folio confirms that “An interesting conceptual visual point of view can complement the ideas expressed in an article and make it easier for readers to understand. Conceptual illustration is frequently used alongside science, economics and technology articles” (Folio. 2024).

‘The Unseen’ refers to subject matter hidden from the naked eye, possibly without any physical form, as well as theories, concepts and emotions.

The combination of my final outcomes will be presented as a short-form science magazine in a downloadable eBook format. eBooks are eco-friendly fixed digital documents, arranged most commonly as a PDF file. An eBook allows an elevated global reach and can be read on virtually any device. Now common in schools, an eBook is accessible for both content creators and readers alike (Adobe 2024). As a screen-printer, I was originally intending to handprint my outcomes in a singular volume, however, an ebook allows me to be vastly more experimental and varied both with my traditional and digital media use and formatting.

Audience definition:

Being new to this industry, I wanted to explore how I could develop my own personal conceptual editorial illustration practice. I have positioned myself firmly within scientific editorial aiming to create a portfolio via this project to send to the art directors I have collected (see appendix 37). It is important to evidence to the art directors that I consider the type of publication, client’s goal and their readership and display the necessary flexibility of developing and changing my own interpretation to be suitable for the use the publication is intended to (Hughes. 2023).

Therefore, I have identified a primary and secondary target audience:

Art directors working in the science illustration field, applying the standards they expect.
A denoted readership: a non-expert enthusiast who may just have a general interest in science such as myself.

Combining the words ‘Scientific Enthusiast’, the magazine has the portmanteau title ‘Scienthusiast’ to attract its specified readership. It is running a special edition called ‘The Unseen’ with a feature which will appear on the cover. This magazine title also represents the power of conceptual illustration in conveying complex concepts in a memorable and imaginative way using tools such as visual metaphor to a general readership (Selby. 2023).

Ideation processes order and tools:

• Research: reading of the article and gathering of other quality supporting factual evidence required.

• Morphological Matrix: can decide metaphors and imagery, established as a vital methodology to make the concept generation phase of the design process more effective (Weber, Condoor. 1998). After extracting essential keywords from the article, they are then organised into a grid and combined in pairs to create differential outcomes, allowing examination of the article from a variety of perspectives.

• Brainstorming: “The most common practice is to brainstorm and record all thoughts and notions by way of written and/or visual note taking… from plain origins, experimentation can evolve, and from this appropriate associations can manifest” (Male 2017)

• Sketching: Rough pencil sketches of different personal interpretations of the theme to aid visualisation.

Methodology and a visual toolbox to illustrate the unseen elements:

Being unable to find a universal methodology for illustrating ‘unseen’ topics specifically, I am exploring the use of the elements and principles of art as a theoretical framework alongside relatable visual metaphor, combined with both traditional and digital material choices, aiming to create a visual toolbox exploring the emotive potential of conceptual illustration of ‘the unseen’ within scientific editorial.

It is agreed that the fundamental elements and principles of art and design are integral in illustration (Wigan 2009) and through their use the imagery can become broadly identifiable by composing concepts that exist in real space (Male 2019). A common approach to create relatable visual interpretations to a wider audience is through visual metaphors that “arise naturally from physical and cultural experiences” (Lakoff, Johnson 1980: 201) as “metaphors add necessary dimensions of experience for an illustrator to effectively construct a visual image. Likewise, an audience’s shared understanding of experience contributes to an illustrator’s conceptual thought process” (Male 2019: 50).

Elements of art:

•Line

•Colour

•Shape/Form

•Texture

•Space

•Value

Principles of art:

• Proportion/Scale

• Movement/Rhythm

• Balance

• Contrast/depth

• Emphasis

• Pattern / Repetition

(Hameed 2022)

Research and Interviewing:

• I collected 30 visual examples of published professional outcomes that I consider to be ‘unseen’ concepts, studying their use of these visual tools to compare my approach to professional conceptual illustrators and analyse their methodology in illustrating unseen concepts.

• Assessed available responses from the art directors who commissioned them.

•Contacted the illustrators themselves requesting formal interviews to gain a deeper insight into their process, receiving 3 replies as well as I interviewed Merlin Evans and Sara Feio of Falmouth University who work in this field, thus further developing my own toolbox by experimenting with their techniques to refine my outcomes.

As well as creating professional and concise academically astute outcomes, adhering to industry standards expected by art directors of the magazines I have referenced, I intend that my resulting toolbox could serve as a guide for future conceptual editorial illustrators approaching ‘The Unseen’ within the sciences.