What is
a brand illustration system?
A brand illustration system refers to a collection of illustrative images with a consistent mood & visual style that mirrors the brand’s promise to its users. Brand illustrations add layers of human touch to a digital interface thus making the interface design more realistic, intuitive, & even personalized.
What is the importance of illustrations in design?
Illustrations are an essential ingredient in the success of most digital products, especially in the B2C realm because they
- Reimagine complex ideas in a delightfully simple manner
- Are a powerful tool for decreasing cognitive load
- Convey abstract & nuanced ideas visually
- Elevate the level of your content by grabbing user attention
- Help build a unique & powerful brand identity
- Custom illustrations showcase your care towards your users
- Humanizes & softens the brand making it more relatable
- Increases aesthetic appeal & usability of your product
- Makes it easy to digitally scale up your product
How can custom illustrations help your brand stand out?
Custom illustrations, aka, illustrations created specifically for your brand/business is a core element of strategic branding wherein you create a strong brand image by visually communicating complex & nuanced ideas through illustrations.
Custom illustrations can create as much brand recall & recognition as brand logos & can help you stand out from your competitors. Custom illustrations can be used across a diverse range of business & marketing collaterals to reinforce your brand – starting from website/app, social media, infographics, emails, print collaterals, etc.
How are illustrations & icons created for your brand?
A brand illustration system that includes custom illustrations & iconography created specifically for your business requires the following
- Strong grasp of the business, its industry & geography, the users – their needs, expectations, & behaviors, & finally the product offerings.
- Brand tone, identity, & image – how does the the brand/company aim to communicate itself to its target users to build trust
- What type of illustrations would best serve the need – icon illustrations, full frame illustrations, etc
- How to create a distinct yet flexible brand illustration style that can also be used when the brand scales up, expands, or even moves into new territories
- A consistent design language & style not to mention the right color palette that goes with the rest of the brand colors
- Joy, delight, & intuition – these three are the key emotions that should be evoked among the target user group to ensure that the brand illustration system is working as per the business needs.
