TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A MEDICAL ILLUSTRATOR. 5 WORKING EXAMPLES

I always ask the customer to describe the task in details attaching the examples before starting to work with illustrations. This request will become the Terms of Reference for me. It does not matter the ToR will be provided in what form, but it is important to draw it up for several reasons:

• The ToR helps to understand and determine the needed images. If there is an accurate description of the task and references It is much easier to get the outcome you want.
• At the TOR you can prescribe the style of execution, the difficulty level of illustrations – schematic, medium difficulty or detailed medical illustrations you need; choose a color scheme; determine the places of text box, if it is necessary; focus on important points, etc.

• Since I work with anatomical drawings, such moment as the image angle is important - front, side, top, bottom or three-quarters view, as well as the boundaries of the area that needs to be shown. For example, to illustrate facial muscles, it is important to clarify whether it is necessary to draw a platysma up to the collarbones, or it is enough to draw muscles within the face. There can be many details for each specific case. The customer has to indicate all these points to the illustrator.

• The TOR organises the work of the customer and the medical illustrator perfectly. It often turns out in the process of drawing up a task that we can optimize some of the illustrations by drawing the base image, some drawings can be added or removed.
• I usually make the budget basing on the ToR, that later becomes part of the contract. All work with the illustrator is relied on the contract.

I'll show you some working examples of the Terms of Reference. Below you will find 5 different ToR from my customers and the results that turned out on these ToR.

The customer briefly describes the task and attaches references that demonstrate what he needs. I have to show the organs, as at the example in the upper picture, adding the pancreas and bile ducts, as in the lower references.

I usually draw a quick sketch and coordinate the general idea for the tasks with several references.

The customer looks at the sketch and makes his comments. In this case, we reduce the number of branches in the bile ducts to simplify the picture, slightly shift the location of the spleen and intestines. I created the final detailed image after agreeing on the sketch, taking into account the comments of the customer.
 

In this case, the customer wants to show the anatomy as in the lower right picture with an open visualization of the stomach, to demonstrate 2 stomach conditions: normal, and reflux when gastric juice is thrown into the esophagus.

As in the previous example, I created a draft sketch based on ToR to coordinate the overall appearance of the picture and to be sure that I understood it correctly.

The customer asked to remove the pointer tools and slightly reduce part of the intestine. I made corrections and drew the illustration in its final form.

Photos can be as references, as in this case. It was necessary to illustrate the cutting of the brain stem in the same boundaries as on the photo, highlight all sections of the stem in color and sign the designations.

The task was clear, the time was running out, so I didn't make the sketch and immediately got to work. As a result, the illustration you see below was created.

The customer wanted to draw the skin compartments image using the rule of the scheme and elements of the upper image, but the color scheme has to be taken from the lower example. All details and wishes were spelled out in the text and attached to the references.

The stage with the sketch was also skipped In this case, because the customer's deadlines were running out. We agreed on everything and discussed it at the stage of ToR. This drawing had become the pattern for the next illustrations that we developed with the customer. I will tell you more about this interesting project in the next posts.

Not the best quality example of the Terms of Reference with a black-and-white scheme. The customer wanted to get a more detailed color image, preserving the principle of the original scheme and all the designations.

This image took me quite a lot of time due to poorly readable small details in the schema. When the author of the medical manual made clarifications and adjustments after revision phase, we came to the final result, which you see below.

Here I have collected only a few examples of the Terms of reference and the final results of the work. As I wrote above, the form of the terms of reference is not so important , the main thing is clearly understood task.

If you want to order the medical or anatomical illustrations, send a request via the feedback form, I will contact you and create the best anatomical illustrations for your project.

Medical illustrator Anna Bessmertnaya