Even before a child learns to speak a language, one can begin to understand the world around them through pictures.

Sudarshan Vig, CEO, of Merlinwand, said: “The physical world around them in the initial stages can be bounded by the home or area where they live, but drawing, paintings, and illustrations open them up to a sort of awakening which teaches them about the whole gamut of emotions and knowledge of the world, in fact, the universe”. Vig further shares points on how illustrations help in the overall development of kids:

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Initial Learning

Exposure to not just colours but their application and visual cues during initial learning makes it easier for a kid to recall things. Early colour recognition aids in the development of a cognitive link between visual information and words. It improves their creativity, enabling them to express themselves.

Visual Learning

Everyone remembers A for Apple and B for the ball because of the visuals attached to it when they learnt it for the first time. Since illustrations can be language agnostic, they form a perfect teaching method, irrespective of linguistic skills. In fact, teaching language in the early stages is highly recommended using visual media like illustrations.

Easy on the memory

A prevalent memory-enhancing technique is to picture the content in your head. Looking at illustrations, the attention and focus increase, allowing information to reach the subconscious mind and be imprinted on the memory.

Illustrations are fun

The primary difference between pictures and illustrations is that the illustrator has the freedom to enhance, exaggerate, or even tone down a situation. The variety of illustration styles and the freedom to choose colours make it an appropriate representation of free will. This also improves the viewer’s imagination since there may be visual freedoms an illustrator can portray (Pigs flying in the air, aliens and cowboys having a picnic)!. Once the imaginative boundaries are pushed, that fuels creativity and thereby innovation!

Helps in teaching complex concepts

When teaching concepts that are difficult to grasp are combined with illustrations, they become surprisingly simple. Think space-time continuum, quantum mechanics or even philosophies like existentialism; they can be used as a medium to tell stories or jokes which tell you exactly what a concept means without having to try to explain the meaning.

Design Thinking Foundations

The world is moving towards an era where design thinking is shaping consciousness. Everything needs to be intuitive with minimal human help; this is where design thinking comes to the forefront of all skills. The foundation of good design thinking comes from the appreciation of art, illustrations and creating the same too.

Nothing tells a story like an illustration

Imagine a world without Spiderman, batman, Tintin, Amar Chitra Katha and graphic novels like Watchmen and V For Vendetta. They have become a powerful storytelling medium because they can impact the readers much more than mere words can. In fact, teaching and pedagogy use visual storytelling as a medium for a better understanding of students.

Illustrations bring life to books, making them more effective at capturing kids’ attention. They play a crucial role in kids’ learning and overall growth because they help them comprehend the world around them.