Illustration?
WHAT
TO LOOK FOR IN A MEDICAL ILLUSTRATOR
Many skills are required of the medical illustrator, from understanding
medical concepts to effectively communicating these concepts in a pragmatic
way. As a result, the field of medical illustration is unique and involves
both qualitative and quantitative skills. A thorough understanding of
science and "medical" concepts is essential. But equally important
is the ability to convey a concept - an "illustration" - in
the most informative way possible. The marriage of medicine and art can
be a truly beautiful result. The successful medical illustrator will possess
not only a thorough knowledge of science, medicine, and the human anatomy,
but will, more critically, be able to convey and illustrate these complex
concepts in an understandable and influential way.
Medical illustrators generally obtain a master's degree from an accredited
university. As mentioned, the field of medical illustration is unique
- there are fewer than ten programs throughout the country, which admit
just a handful of students every year. The successful medical illustrator
will have studied the equivalent of the first year of medical school and
will have obtained expertise in several areas, including traditional illustration,
anatomical and surgical representations, and a variety of digital and
other electronic media.
The successful medical illustrator will possess strong credentials with
a variety of clients, including: doctors and medical professionals, pharmaceutical
companies, advertising agencies, book and journal publishers, and institutions
of learning, such as universities and medical schools. But more importantly,
the successful illustrator will have a vision. A vision to understand
both the demands of the client as well as the knowledge of the client's
audience.
PROCESS
The process of promoting a client's conceptual idea
to a marketable product can be summarized in 3 basic steps: collection
of information, synthesis of information, and presentation of information.
The key to a successful partnership is collaboration, communication and
the sharing of ideas. This includes:
- Project specifications - Review project specifications in detail. Depending on the scope and breadth of the project, an in-person meeting may be required. Otherwise, phone conversations and email correspondence serves as an efficient way of communicating information.
- Medical references - Establish the medical references and resources that will be required for the project.
-
Timing - Both the client and the illustrator should be clear on deadlines.
There is a balance between the priority of completing the project within
the clientıs time frame and completing the project in a professional
and thoughtful way. This will ultimately ensure a quality product for
the client and will convey the desired information in the best possible
way.
- Price estimates - As discussed under pricing, there are many factors involved in pricing. An accurate estimate for the total project cost is critical. Again, effective communication is important. While any project is an iterative process, to the extent project parameters are defined upfront, pricing estimates become more certain. If the scope of the project changes, such as the number of illustrations required or a change in the style of illustrations, this will affect the final cost.