Technical Illustration is a specialised, but continually broadening, area of graphic communication, whose subjects encompass the entire range of man-made materials, objects and constructions from familiar domestic items, such as clocks and calculators, to technologically advanced working structures like oil rigs and nuclear power stations.

The modern Technical Illustrator utilises the Computer to produce and manipulate images which can be incorporated in, On-line and in CD based Maintenance procedures, Computer Based Training Modules (CBT) and Internet based Technical Information as well as the more traditional Technical hardcopy.

Today's Technical Illustrator/Communicator is Flexible, has good Communication Skills, and has a sound technical background. He has the imagination to apply manpower and software solutions to deliver the required Graphics with in the Pre-set Guidelines and Budget.

WHAT IS TECHNICAL ILLUSTRATION?
Opinions might vary on this point: some illustrators will spend their whole careers working in a relatively restricted field both of subject matter and technique; others will encompass a wide range of subjects and may have the opportunity to try various different ways of presenting them visually. The definition of technical illustration is taken quite simply to be illustration of man-made materials, objects and constructions, possibly including the situations in which they are used and the processes and systems in which they are incorporated. Technical subjects include vehicles and transport systems by air, land or sea, from space probes to the family car; working structures, from nuclear power stations to oil rigs to windmills; heavy industrial and agricultural machinery, from whole processing plants down to the smallest components of individual machines; telecommunications apparatus and networks; computer hardware; domestic appliances and everyday items such as cameras, calculators, radios and watches; and energy sources for mechanical and electrical devices, such as pump and motor actions, wiring and lubrication systems. This is far from being an exhaustive list, but it indicates the general context of technical illustration work.

The main purpose of technical illustration is to describe or explain these items to a more or less nontechnical audience. At one end of the scale, the illustrator is required to produce a visual image which is completely accurate technically and in terms of actual dimensions and proportions, to the point where someone can physically construct a technical object by reference to the illustration. At the other end, the purpose of the illustration is to provide an overall impression of what an object is or does, to enhance the viewer’s interest and understanding.

Ideally, the illustrator has a dual fascination with how things work and with the drawing and painting methods which can be used to render technical subjects. The work of different illustrators varies in style and presentation, but artistic license is certainly limited as compared, say, to illustration work for advertising or fiction publishing. Technical illustration has an educational element which requires accuracy and attention to detail. The illustration has to carry some conviction; even where measured accuracy is not essential, the illustration must look right and contain all the information about the subject that the viewer needs in the given context.

Although with the development of the Computer and Technical Illustration Software the manpower required to produce Technical Illustration has been dramatically reduced but pictorial descriptions are still the easiest way to convey complicated information so remember a Picture Paints a Thousand Words.