The Power of Images

REAL vs TOON - Which side are you on? Mark Gash fails to make a balanced argument

Before I start, I’m gonna come right out and proudly display my bias for illustrated content. I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s when He-Man imparted a moral lesson at the end of every episode, Cheetara showed 7 year old me that girls could be good at something, and Optimus Prime taught us that the good guys don’t always win - sometimes they die, slowly and painfully, and when that happens, you should cry. A lot.

Of course, it was all misdirection on behalf of the toy companies - developing my morals, diversity awareness and emotions, were secondary considerations to the main call-to-action - relentlessly pestering my parents to buy me more action figures - but this screen-based education definitely affected my development in my formative years, making me the well-adjusted individual I am today. I still call friends, colleagues and my kids “Dude” thanks to Ninja Turtles, so let’s lump language development in there too.

My point is that those toons reached out from the screen, engaged me, and taught me stuff, which is pretty much the goal of e-learning, is it not? Don’t get me wrong; I watched my fair share of live-action TV and films, too, but personally, I don’t attribute any life lessons to the A-Team, and I’m slightly too old for Power Rangers. I love Star Wars but still stop shy of declaring my religion as Jedi on the national census. So for me, as a designer looking to create connections with an audience, it’s illustrations and animated content all the way. Except for 90% of the time when a client hands me some low-res images they nicked off Google and demands that they want photographs in their course.

If you’re developing an e-learning project, one of the key decisions you’ll face is whether to use photorealistic visuals or illustrated/animated assets as the primary elements. I recommend making that decision early on, as it’s hard to back out of once you’re committed. Maybe you’re one of those mavericks who likes to combine both? We would not be friends in real life.

The choice you make can greatly impact your learners’ experiences, engagement, and the overall effectiveness of your course. Despite my clear favouritism for the illustrated style, both options have their merits and drawbacks, and we’ll take a look at what they are right now…

The Nature of Your Content

The subject matter of your course plays a significant role in determining whether real-life visuals or illustrations would be more appropriate. If your course deals with real-world scenarios, products, or environments, photos and videos may be the better choice as they provide a realistic and relatable representation. For instance, a course on specific PPE equipment would probably benefit from photographs of actual products - any ambiguity in an illustration could see someone lose an eye.

On the other hand, if your course covers abstract concepts, processes, or diagrams, illustrations can be more effective in simplifying and conveying information clearly. Concepts like data structures in computer science or the flow of blood through the body can often be better explained through well-designed illustrations or animated graphics, rather than your point being obscured by arterial spray in a photo or video.

Visual Appeal and Engagement

One of the primary goals of any e-learning course is to capture and maintain the learner’s attention and engagement. In this regard, both photographs and illustrations can play a crucial role, but their impact can vary.

Well-designed illustrations can be highly appealing and engaging, especially for learners who prefer visual learning styles. The only way to know this is to carry out some prior research to understand your audience. Illustrations can also help to break up text-heavy content and make the course more enjoyable. They allow for a great deal of creativity and can be tailored to match the tone and branding of your course.

On the other hand, high-quality photographs or videos can also be incredibly engaging, as they depict real people, places, and situations that learners can easily relate to. A well-chosen photograph can evoke strong emotional responses, which can enhance learning and memory retention.

Consistency and Branding

If you’re aiming to establish, or already have, a distinct brand identity for your e-learning, illustrations may be the better choice. Illustrations allow you to maintain a consistent visual style throughout your course, contributing to a cohesive and professional look.

While photographs can be used consistently within a course, maintaining the same level of visual consistency as with illustrations can be challenging, especially if the photographs are sourced from different locations, photographers, or Google (which, nine times out of ten, also breaks copyright law).

Cost and Accessibility

The cost and accessibility of visual assets are also important considerations when deciding between photographs and illustrations. High-quality photographs can be expensive to obtain or license, especially if you require a large number of them for your course. If you have specific images of products or equipment, then you might need to hire a professional photographer, which again, ain’t cheap.

Illustrations, on the other hand, can be more cost-effective, especially if you have access to talented graphic designers or illustrators. Additionally, once an illustration is created, it can be easily modified and adapted to suit your specific needs, providing greater flexibility and customisation options.

Another option to consider is generative AI, which has appeared a few times in our recent issues. It’s not perfect, but it’s improving all the time and can provide almostbut-not-quite photorealistic images at a low cost. For the most part, it’s better at generating illustrations rather than convincing photos. Plus, your prompt game needs to be on-point, so be prepared to wear out your fingers and your keyboard as you attempt to bend Adobe Firefly to your will.

Emotional Response and Engagement

The emotional response and engagement levels of learners can vary depending on whether you use photographs or illustrations in your course.

Unless you’re like me and were raised on cartoons, photographs tend to evoke stronger emotional responses, as they depict real people, places, and situations that learners can relate to. This emotional connection can enhance learning and memory retention, making photographs a powerful tool in e-learning courses.

But yes, well-designed illustrations can also elicit emotional responses, particularly when they use humour, relatable characters, or appealing visual styles. Additionally, illustrations can be more effective in simplifying complex concepts, highlighting key points, and maintaining visual interest throughout the course.

Striking the Right Balance

I joked earlier about mixing both being a no-no, but in some cases, the most effective approach may be to combine both photorealism and illustrations within your course. Photos and videos can provide realistic context and examples, while illustrations and animations can simplify complex concepts and processes.

For example, in a course on renewable energy sources, you could use photographs to showcase real-world installations of solar panels or wind turbines, while using illustrations to explain the underlying scientific principles and energy conversion processes.

User Testing and Feedback

As with pretty much all aspects of creating e-learning, the decision between visual styles should be guided by the preferences of your target audience. User testing and gathering feedback provides valuable insights into what resonates best with your learners, so consider conducting surveys and focus groups to gauge responses to different visual options. This should help make informed decisions that maximise the emotional resonance, engagement, and overall effectiveness of your e-learning course.

In today’s episode, we learned that despite Mark’s preferences, photographs, video, illustrations and animation can all play vital roles in delivering effective learning. The key is to carefully consider the nature of your course content, your target audience, and your instructional design goals.

Don’t take drugs, dudes!