“That old editor who's been on the job for 20 years is out of a job!”
Today, talk to designers in the illustration publishing industry about the future of illustration publishing in an era of rapidly evolving digital media.
[Title picture create by CANVA. Picture by Jiaxue Li.]
Image:An editor who is writing with a pen, with a computer on his desk.Image by Free Malaysia Today. Used with a CC BY 4.0
Transcript
[Rhythmic synth introduction music provides a relaxing atmosphere at the beginning of the podcast. Music: Dream. Music by VhdkTr7. Used with a CapCut Library License.]
Host: Hello and welcome to Jiaxue's blog, where we will be discussing everything about illustration and sharing the impact of digital media technology.On today's program, we will talk that old editor who's been on the job for 20 years is out of job.
Host: Hello, everyone. Today I'm here with Chloe, a former Kinfolk art designer, illustrator and designer who works with several magazines and is also a freelance illustrator and designer. Hello, Chloe.
Chloe: Hi, everyone.
Host: Today I want to talk with you about the impact of digital media on illustration polishing industry.
Chloe: Right, so digital media's had a big impact on illustration, especially in children's publishing. If it's just a single picture book or a series of illustrated books, it doesn’t really stand out in the market anymore. You’ve got to create a whole package, like adding audio books or other types of digital media to go along with it.
Publishers and investors now are always thinking,
“If we put this book on the market, will it actually make money?”
Everything has become a product. I feel like, in the past, creating a book was something really pure, you know? You made a design a book just for people to read and enjoy, but that's not the case anymore. Now it’s all about pairing the book with audio, sometimes even animations, videos, or even VR experiences.
Well that's the biggest change I've seen so far, and it's kind of the most recent revolution in digital technology that's affected the illustration publishing industry.
Host: Yeah, So, digital media has really complemented traditional design.But at the end of the day, the core focus should still be on the creative process itself, right?
Chloe: Definitely. Creativity is the foundation.
That’s what I was getting at earlier—publishing houses might have one or two tech staff, but in the department I used to work in, we had about seven or eight full-time illustrators, plus many freelancers. So, the idea is that the core is still illustration, but now it's extended into more creative areas. I’ve seen a lot of illustrators collaborating across fields, working with other artists, designers, even those in VR and interactive media. It’s happening a lot. Of course, these are just my personal observations.
Host: So, in a way, incorporating digital technology is about adapting to the market, right?
Chloe: Yeah, I mean, it's a bit ironic. Forget balancing style and market demand for a second—let's just look at the publishing industry in China right now. There are fewer and fewer people who genuinely want to make a book. Everyone’s focused on creating commercial products. I used to have long-term collaborations with publishers, but now, book design has really dried up. We used to have two or three projects a year, but in recent years, maybe just one or two a year. And this year, we’re down to one project.
I was talking to a colleague from the editorial team recently, and we were shocked to realize how much publishers have downsized. Half the people at the table were laid off—many of them middle-aged editors who’d been with the company for over a decade, including some really senior English editors. The Shanghai office even closed down. So, basically, do you know what a lot of publishers are making these days? It’s kind of sad—merchandise. They’re making mugs, socks, plates, that kind of thing. They’re doing it to make money because books just don’t sell like they used to. So there aren’t as many books being published, and they’re just selling the publisher’s brand. It’s kind of a way of catering to the market. E-books are everywhere, so fewer people are buying physical books. And as for design, it’s really more about servicing the client now.
Host: So, when clients are looking for design, they’re mostly thinking about the commercial value, right?
Chloe: Exactly, and they’ve got their own systems in place. What they value isn’t the design itself—it’s the marketing and strategy, along with other factors.
Host: Do you think this will eventually mean designers aren’t needed anymore, or could AI replace them?
Chloe: I think the current environment has a big impact. You know how design education in China is—it’s always been very application-oriented. But in general, I think most design work is about supporting the market. All the tasks I used to do came from the marketing team. We’d discuss it and go from there.
Designers are always receiving information and processing it, and of course, they have to cater to market needs while doing that.
Host: Thank you very much for Chloe sharing today and give us valuable insight on the combination of illustration, industrial and digital media.
[Ends with light-hearted music Used with a CapCut Library License.]
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