Let's Talk Custom Illustration

THE WORLD OF ILLUSTRATIONS

In a world where imagery has long been key, it is fun for us as designers to see illustration rising back up. It’s now in the ranks of things brands value when building out their holistic look and feel. Now, to be fair, some brands like coca cola and their winter holiday campaign have been using iconic brand illustrations in campaigns for years. Or how about some of our favorite childhood cereals (Tony the Tiger, anyone?). However, it’s been a while since we have seen brands invest in those elements in a large scale.

BUILDING A SYSTEM

We aren’t talking about just icons or one-off commissioned illustrations. We are talking about brands investing time and resources into creating custom brand illustration systems. For us, the style for these custom illustrations are born out of the brand story and the overall tone.

STAYING ON BRAND

One of our favorite characteristics of custom illustrations is their ability to remain stylistically on brand. Just as one might with a color palette or font family, we pair illustration styles with the brand. We weave that style throughout all of their brand elements from print to digital.

Pairing these illustrations with photography allows for a robust presentation of the brand’s offering. In many cases, this allows for an easier way to present the processes or timelines of a brand.