Regardless of the medium, metaphors are among the most important narrative devices. In illustrated books, comics, cartoons, and animated feature films. Visual metaphors are an invaluable tool in telling powerful stories. However, much like how deciphering these unique visuals is full of important complexities, creating them can be even more difficult.
Understanding Visual Metaphor
First things first, what is a visual metaphor? According to Studio Binder, “A visual metaphor is a representation of a noun through a visual image that suggests a particular association or similarity…The meaning created from these objects can help move a story forward, relate to an audience or consumer, or establish a theme.” Metaphors can be the embodiment of just about anything from love to sorrow or even more nuanced topics such as transition or rebirth
What Makes a Visual Metaphor Different From Illustration
Illustration can depict anything including imagery which harbors both literal and metaphorical meaning. While illustration is full of visual metaphors, they are not strictly bound to the medium, popping up in films, paintings, and more.
How Metaphor, Analogy, and Symbol Work Together
At first glance, it may be difficult to spot the difference between visual metaphor, analogy, and a symbol. However, by understanding the underlying differences it is easy to see how all three features can work in tandem to create a powerful effect. The following definitions come from
- Metaphor – “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.”
- Analogy – “a comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on resemblance of a particular aspect.”
- Symbol – “something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance.
- especially : a visible sign of something invisible.”
Clarity, Emotional Resonance, and Retention
When illustrating an impactful visual metaphor, it is important to be precise in the message you are attempting to convey. It’s easy to think that “more is more” but illustrators should prioritize clarity over detail. By reducing the complexity of an image and allowing for negative space, it can actually make the metaphor more emotionally impactful and memorable.
Mapping Abstract Ideas to Concrete Visuals
The hard part for many artists however is not what ideas to express but how to visualize them. Complex themes like grief, betrayal, longing, and memory are difficult to communicate simply and expressively. Even if not simple, communicating these ideas is not impossible.
Breaking Concepts Into Components, Relationships, and Outcomes
Instead of biting off the whole idea at once, themes can be more resonant when segmented into smaller portions. Using the example of grief, instead of attempting to visualize the entire concept, illustrators may have better luck by giving themselves prompts such as “how does grief feel?” From there, they may decide to illustrate something like a black and bitter cup of coffee, chocked full of grounds.
Finding Everyday Analogies
Luckily, there is already a wealth of imagery to borrow from to sketch lasting metaphors. Roads can symbolize a journey, bridges might be symbolic of connection, while rain can indicate moments of transition. These familiar images can prove helpful starting points for crafting new metaphors.
Choosing Anchors Your Audience Already Understands
Similarly, utilizing familiar imagery can make new metaphors all the more impactful. These “anchors” can serve as useful starting points for the audience to more deeply understand something which is non-literal. By utilizing “anchors” the audience has a frame of reference, yet will still be engaged by decoding the illustrated visual metaphor.
Simplification Without Oversimplifying
Illustrators want to engage viewers, not overwhelm them. As such, a good rule of thumb when constructing visual metaphors is to keep things simple. However, things can also be oversimplified and become stale, so how do illustrators strike that balance?
Signal vs. Noise: What to Remove and What to Keep
Illustrators must design for comprehension, so they should understand the principles of signal and noise. Signal is the key concept illustrators are aiming to communicate to the audience. Noise is anything that may unintentionally get in the way and muddy that message. As to eliminate noise, a good rule of thumb is to only tell the audience one piece of information at a time, focusing on clarity over detail.
Flattening Detail While Preserving Structure and Nuance
Cutting unnecessary details doesn’t mean that images should lack nuance. Highly-skilled illustrators will find the small details that convey key information and lose the rest. When one small wrinkle on a character’s face may express what they are feeling, the other details on their face may be secondary and therefore unnecessary.
Layered Metaphors: First-Read, Second-Read, and Deep-Read Details
The beautiful thing about metaphors is that they often aren’t apparent immediately. They are often the details that linger in viewers minds and bring viewers back for a second or even a third read. Through the powerful use of metaphors, illustrators can bring readers back to the same piece of media again and again in the hopes of uncovering a deeper meaning from the abstract details.
Designing for Different Media and Contexts
There are countless applications for visual metaphors in illustration. From advertising and social media to infographics and presentation visuals. However, when artists design for each of these uses they must specifically consider the context’s unique differences between them.
Motion, Sequential Panels, and Micro-Animations
Many illustrators may find themselves doing small bits of animation work. By developing motion graphics and micro-animations for various employers, illustrators can build impressive portfolios full of imaginative imagery. Micro-animations can be found everywhere even on task management sites such as Asana that will reward users for completing tasks with a colorful unicorn.
Scale Shifts: From Social Tiles to Lecture Screens
A key design factor when beginning an illustration is accounting for scale. Small-scale illustrations should be streamlined so as to draw focus in limited space, while large-scale illustrations make use of their greater area without becoming over-filled.
Testing and Iterating Visual Metaphors
No matter how long and hard an illustrator has been working in the field they will still have ideas that may not work. The best thing they can do is continue to iterate on an image that will have the desired impact by drawing it, or at least a version of it. Some concepts may require more feedback and iterations on a single idea before the final illustration can be achieved.
Rapid Prototypes: Thumbnail Grids and Post-It Storyboards
Illustrators can quickly test out different layouts simply by sketching thumbnails on sticky notes. By drawing even fewer details than you would expect to see in a final illustration they can see if the image is visually impactful, even when drawn simply.
Case Studies: Global Perspectives
All around the world, Illustrators are pushing the form forward in bold and expressive ways. Here are just a few of the phenomenal examples of how metaphors are being visually reimagined globally.
Japan: Information Posters With Simple Metaphors and Limited Palettes
Infographics are quick and effective ways to break down a complex topic into a series of data-oriented visuals that combine illustration with graphic design. This type of data storytelling is complemented by principles that are common in Japanese graphic design. Japanese Infographic design is often informed by minimalism, strong geometric patterns, and multiple typographies from different alphabets.
Brazil: Editorial Illustration Using Surreal Metaphors for Social Issues
In Brazil, artist and illustrator Henri Campeã is doing thought-provoking and surreal work that draws on Brazilian architecture, psychology, and queer culture to inform the visual metaphors of his work. His stylish works are full of color, imagination, and a sense of humor.
Scandinavia: Transit and Wayfinding Systems With Minimalist Symbol Sets
In 2018, Red Dot, a design research publication awarded Stockholm’s Public Transport with its Best of the Best Award for its design rebrand. With over 800,000 transit users, the new designs were recognized for “All pictograms have been revised to show a coherent appearance. They are easily recognizable without words and intuitive to understand – they inform, they warn, and they guide to make for pleasant journeys.”
Studio Workflows and Tools
Illustrators can utilize different tools and workflows for creative problem solving. These practices and resources can not only help to get creative juices flowing but may also prove useful in refining illustrations that are nearly complete.
Moodboards, Reference Libraries, and Visual Thesauruses
When in doubt, illustrators can always go back to a visual metaphor that inspires them. Compiling such works into different moodboards or reference libraries that encapsulate an emotion or a genre can be useful for brainstorming. Additionally, websites like visualthesaurus.com can help to develop free associations between different topics.
From Pencil Thumbnails to Vector Systems
Once concepts have been sketched and a visual style has been found it is time to complete it digitally. The benefit of starting a project physically and then moving it to digit is the opportunity to iterate on it once more and further clarify the metaphor. Once in vector format, small tweaks and edits can be made even more quickly!
Working With Clients: Briefs, Metaphor Options, and Rounds
For illustrators working free-lance or full-time roles, collaboration is especially important when illustrating images with deeper meaning. Make sure to discuss the desired image with your client or team before sketching too many concepts. Feedback is a huge part of the process, particularly when working with non-literal elements that require abstract thought.
Visualize a Commanding Future
Both RMCAD’s on-campus Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration degree and online Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration degree focus on creating depth in art, providing students with an opportunity to develop advanced digital illustration skills as well as explore traditional illustration techniques. The skills-based curriculum for the illustration degree program enables them to command the medium in visually exciting and compelling ways. Request more information or apply to our program today!
FAQs: Visual Metaphor Command
Q1: What makes a visual metaphor effective?
- It connects an abstract idea to a familiar image, reads instantly at a glance, and remains accurate enough not to mislead or erase important nuances.
Q2: How do I avoid clichés like lightbulbs and puzzle pieces?
- Start by listing literal metaphors, then push three steps further: change the setting, scale, or context. Look to local objects, tools, and environments for fresher analogies.
Q3: How can I check if my metaphor is culturally understandable?
- Test with people from your target audience, including those from different backgrounds. Ask them to describe what they see before you explain the concept.
Q4: What if the concept is too complex for a single image?
- Use layered or sequential metaphors: a main “hero” image for the core idea plus smaller panels, insets, or motion frames that unpack exceptions and details.
Q5: How do I keep nuance while simplifying visuals?
- Preserve relationships rather than surface detail. You can add secondary cues, color coding, labels, or small callouts, so advanced viewers can read deeper layers.
Q6: Which tools are best for building symbol sets?
- Any vector-based tool (such as Illustrator, Affinity Designer, or Figma) works well. Create a shared library of icons, arrows, frames, and typographic styles.
Q7: How can students practice visual metaphor regularly?
- Give daily prompts like “explain anxiety,” “explain cloud storage,” or “explain climate resilience,” and sketch 3–5 options in thumbnails before refining one.
