The Establishment For Professional Illustration In China On Cultural & Creative Industry

Commercial illustration had been reborn in China after the open economic policy in the 1980's. At the same time, the wide spreading of world creative economy boost the China Government to start their cultural and creative industry in 2006, hoping that the new policy could effectively improve the nation's economy, and to avoid further environmental pollution. Beside economy, culture is another important issue in China's development. In China 30 years of open policy, world's branding products with a variety of cultural characteristic, especially the animation and popular culture from Japan and US, flooded and dominated the local market. China is facing a 'Cultural loss' and'Cultural trade deficit' phenomena in which international branded products are nibbling away the Chinese market, and the traditional Chinese culture being abandoned by the new generation. Illustration is a generation of creative images that helps to reinforce the domestic animation and the popular culture industry as well as to express the uniqueness of the local culture. Besides, Illustration is often applied in the work process and in the final production of design, advertising, publishing and digital games etc., and to help facilitate the development in all areas of the creative industry.Facing the rapid growing needs in the creative industry, the profession of Illustration in China is returned to a newborn stage. Although the Chinese illustrators are equipped with good drawing skills and advanced digital techniques, they're still 'too green' as a profession in the international level due to the lack of creativity and personal style. Moreover, the standard of many illustrators varies, and with many new comers rushing in the field of insufficient job supplied market in this stage, the overall performance of China illustration is fluctuated due to serious price-cutting competition, the lack of professionalism and professional ethics, poorly established business system, the common practice of illegal agent, the violation of intellectual property and business scams etc. All these chaotic scenarios reflect a fragile foundation in China illustration profession and would surely harm the growth of the profession itself, as well as the cultural and creative industry of China. In areas where the cultural and creative industry is well established such as US, UK, Europe and Japan, Illustration is always in a high level. With the same ideology, if China wants to achieve success in the cultural and creative industry, the upgrading in illustration profession would surely be an ultimate concern.To improve the profession, what China illustration professional should do is: firstly, to take an in-depth study of today's China market, evaluate and investigate its' weakness and internal problems, and to improve it's core values. Secondly, research the worlds' sophisticated markets in illustration, compare and analyze its' various effective system and elements that suit the present China market needs and that China illustration profession can be borrowed and developed. Thirdly, to find out the best solution, practice, trials and efficient mechanisms for the improvement and progression in China illustration professionalism in order to achieve success in the development of China'Culture','Creative'and'Economy'. The above research is the ultimate goal of this study in the hope that China illustration profession will flourish and is beneficial in both the cultural and economic domains.