Straight-up technical illustration to accompany an AAA Living article explaining how car batteries work and why they fail. I’ve been working in a variety of styles recently, so it was nice to do something more representational. Being a technical illustrator is like being a designer, in that ‘style’ is just another tool for communication. Thanks to AD Chris Ferguson for the great project!
There is a lot of speculation as to what the future of publishing might look like. If one thing is for certain, it’s that it will involve a screen. Apple’s irresistibly cool hardware, intuitive software and lucrative App Store created a trifecta that arguably saved the music industry. With the iPad, Apple looks to do the same with the publishing industry, from books to magazines to newspapers.
A screen presents new opportunities for a once-static medium, while users demand richer more immersive experiences. The iPad presents its own challenges, like the exclusion of Flash, opting instead to provide these experiences via new developing web standards loosely referred to as HTML5.
To test these new technologies, I put together this interactive HTML5 demo using the Canvas element, Javascript and artwork from my Mecanum Wheels motion illustration.
A few caveats: This demo works only in the latest versions of Safari, Chrome and Firefox. On iOS devices like iPad, iPhone and iPad Touch, it may run slow because Javascript is processed much slower than the native Xcode.
An interactive HTML5/Canvas (no Flash) demonstration allowing users to discover how mecanum wheels work to allow vehicles to move forwards, backwards, side-to-side and rotate on the spot. Works best in Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox and Apple iPad & iPhone.
b.spirit! is Brussels Airlines’ inflight magazine on long haul flights to Africa. AD Marten Sealby contacted me to illustrate a story for the magazine about the re-introduction of ferry service across Lake Victoria which borders Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. The ferries to be used are interesting because they would be designed and built in Seattle, then disassembled, packed into containers, shipped to Africa’s interior and then reassembled in Kampala.
Because the ferries had not yet been built, the illustration would be conceptual, emphasizing the design, assembly, disassembly and shipping processes. An inset map would help familiarize the reader with Lake Victoria. Here are the sketches I sent Marten:
Marten gave the green light to the second sketch, showing the rear of the ferry with a section of the bow cutaway and being loaded into a shipping container. Here is the final:
Concept illustration of a ‘ferry in a box’ to be designed and built in Seattle, then disassembled, packed into containers, shipped and reassembled in Uganada for service on Lake Victoria. The ferry is to carry 200 passengers and be powered by locally sourced biofuels.
For Brussels Air’s b.spirit Magazine, AD Marten Sealby.
