Illustration vs photography: how do you decide?

Most of our day-to-day design work involves choosing images, and most of the time the go-to is photography. But could you be missing a trick? 

Illustrations can be a great way to bring your designs to life and add distinctiveness and individuality to your designs, encouraging a greater level of emotional engagement in your audience.

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Tom May
Freelance journalist and editor

Tom May is an award-winning journalist and author specialising in design, photography and technology. His latest book, The 50th Greatest Designers, was released in June 2025. He's also author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Great TED Talks: Creativity, published by Pavilion Books, Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine.