Illustration and drawing are taking over the media and breaking out of their usual confines. As a way to reach an audience that doesn’t seem interested in current events, to keep a story alive, and to visually depict an image that is too violent or prohibited—illustration serves both editorial and marketing purposes. Whether in magazines, comics, or on social media, grab your pencils!
Illustrating to
Tell a Better Story: How Can We Convey the Intricacies of Politics and Cover Elections Without Losing Our Audience’s Interest? The limited-run magazine *Deux mille vingt-deux*, edited by Robert Laffont, is dedicated to the behind-the-scenes action of the presidential campaign, across four issues. Are certain topics hard to capture in photos? Is the “behind-the-scenes” action hard to convey? Cartoonists are here to save the day! Beyond editorial choices, illustration is sometimes the best way to tell the news in a relevant way.
Diversifying into Comics
Launched in 2013, *La Revue Dessinée* covers the latest news in comics every quarter. At the heart of its editorial value proposition, illustration is also its primary source of economic diversification. Whether it’s investigations by Mediapart or Les Jours, the magazine partners with other media outlets to bring their stories to life and reach new audiences. The latest project? An original comic book in partnership with Disclose, available for pre-order on KissKissBankBank, focusing on France’s arms sales. While you wait for its release, scheduled for September, dive into *À l’oreille des politiciens* from *Les Jours*, which takes you right into the heart of the corridors of power.
Depicting the Indescribable:
Showing War, Transcribing Trials. How Can One Illustrate What the Law Prohibits? How Can One Report on Sensitive Topics? Noëlle Herren-Schmidt is a watercolorist and reporter. For 30 years, she has been covering major trials, including the one for the November 13 attacks. She’s there where photos aren’t allowed, where we need archival records, and where drawing remains the only way to capture major moments in history. When drawing becomes the best tool for reporting: in an interview with *L’Instant M*, the artist tells her story.
