Brand illustration system: strong visual recognition

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The brand image is usually established by different visual elements (logo, color palette, specific fonts). In addition to this, illustration is another powerful means of visual communication, and there is a growing need for online UIs.

This is an important part of a larger online advertising campaign. Digital design using vectors favors clean, bold images that translate well into unique brand illustrations. These online illustrations are not designed to be used once, but as part of an integrated visual system. Images in an illustration system have a uniform mood or style, and even if they represent different aspects of a product or service, they can be identified by the broader images and messages of the brand.

The design process

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Research on brand

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Understand the needs of stakeholders

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Organize inspiration

Mood boards are critical to keeping track of the input you receive and organizing your thoughts. Collect images from competitors or companies in the field that have similar quality to your intended goal, and compile them into resources. Look at ways to inspire as a guide to the overall tone you want to achieve and suggest for the first iteration. This is also useful material for presenting to stakeholders, as it gives them an idea of the direction the illustration will take even before the concept is created.

Concept to create

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After refining the sketch, I came up with a color scheme. Colours are very powerful and can elicit an immediate reaction – so it was important for me not to overwhelm the illustrations. I wanted subtle shadows to enhance and complement the scene. The color scheme should also reflect the brand’s personality and match other visual elements. For the Spacebase color scheme, it’s important to break out of monochrome and away from the drab colors usually associated with conference rooms. Their main brand colour is orange, so I balanced that with pastel tones: purple, sky blue, grey and mustard yellow.

feedback

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Reference library
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When creating illustrations, it is useful to have a library of different elements that have already been used. This means you can refer to them again in the future and make sure to maintain style and consistency across illustrations. Long-term continuity of illustrations is the key to the overall effectiveness of the system.