more about cartoons
19th-25th July 2010
cartoon illustrations
Cartoons in the media are really just the surface of UK cartoon activity: in the worlds of advertising, education, PR, promotions and business presentations, cartoon illustrations are often found to be one of the most effective ways of communicating an idea.
humour is your weapon
If a picture can paint a thousand words, a cartoon can achieve even more because its message is delivered with humour. People hear, understand and remember more of the message when something makes them laugh. A few apposite cartoons in a business presentation, then, can convey information so much more efficiently than pages of bar charts and text.
Cartoon illustrations are everywhere: on book covers, in magazines, in adverts, on websites; even on clothing. This is a world in which the unsung heroes of cartooning flourish in the dark. Traditionally known as ‘below the line’ commercial art, the jobs of illustrating adverts, crisp packets, greetings cards and estate agents handouts are far more plentiful than those available in the national press. 
There is a cross-over point of all styles of cartooning possible here, with many cartoon illustrators also being joke cartoonists and caricaturists.
Fine examples of dedicated cartoon illustrators in the UK include the Wasgij backward jigsaw puzzle creator, Graham Thompson; and Paul Cemmick, whose caricature-infested style of cartoon illustration have helped Spitting Image and the more recent 2DTV animated satire show. Caricaturist Paul Baker, too, has been commissioned to produce imaginary characters for Jonathan Crisp’s range of fried potato snacks.