Complex content is difficult to express through words and photographs alone. That’s why brand illustration is so important for brands that want to connect with people on a human level.
Illustration is a powerful tool and one we wield proudly — confident in the knowledge that it can be used to crack the toughest of communication challenges.
We work with a broad network of international illustrators, from physical pen and ink specialists to cutting-edge digital creators.
Abstract thoughts and ideas are difficult to explore with words or photographs alone. That’s why brand illustration is so important for brands that want to connect with an audience on an emotional level or present content in a straightforward way. Illustrative visuals can help to express everything from abstract concepts to complex products — all within a single graphic.
Branded illustration and illustration design are design methodologies that have been around for centuries. With regards to brand design, these disciplines have only recently become widely adopted as a way to visually express values and personality traits. In the past, brand illustration was mainly associated with children’s books or graphic novels. However, as digital technologies became more accessible and companies began to embrace the idea of brand storytelling, brand illustration assumed a new shape — one that is employed in visual identities and marketing campaigns.
There are many different ways to illustrate a brand personality. Some examples of brand illustration include hand-drawn illustrations, clean graphics, line drawings and typographic illustration designs.
The roots of brand illustration can be traced back centuries ago when medieval monks would illustrate manuscripts, often depicting religious scenes or stories to teach people about religion and morality. In the 18th century, artists like James Gillray produced biting political satire that was popular among the masses. The work of Gillray and his contemporaries helped to take complex scenarios and make them easy for people to understand — this principle was then applied to early product advertising which had a similar effect.
In the late 20th century, brand illustration became increasingly popular as it was used in editorial content for magazines and newspapers. These branded illustrations were used to tell stories that might otherwise have been difficult or impossible with words alone. Theatrical cartoons, such as Winsor McKay’s The Little Rascals (1923), helped to establish the traditional style of animation that is still used today. It also allowed artists to experiment with new methods of illustration, such as flat design, which led to the invention of modern brand illustration techniques as we know them today. Branded illustration is now used by businesses of all shapes and sizes to help them communicate in their unique tone of voice.
Brand illustrations are now widely used to bring personality and creative differentiation to a visual identity. Illustration is often seen as a ‘softer’ alternative to photography and can be easily animated in digital settings.
Brand illustration has evolved from simple line and ink sketches to being used as a way for brands to speak directly with their audience and express specific ideas, often through symbolism or metaphor.
One of the most effective reasons for using brand illustration is to simplify complex messages to make them more accessible. This allows consumers with limited reading ability to engage with the content by helping them to draw the message from the illustrated. When creating a brand illustration, accessibility can be achieved by creating visuals that are both visually appealing and can be easily understood. The Economist do a great job of making complex ideas simple for their audience with an illustration that is loaded with content and meaning.
Brand storytelling is another reason why brand illustrations are so useful and popular with brands today. In a nutshell, brand storytelling is the concept of using visual images to help tell stories about products or services that might otherwise be hard for customers to understand. Brand storytellers can use brand illustration to simplify these messages while creating a narrative that can run through all communication channels. These messages will be defined as part of a brand storytelling exercise, with illustrations helping to expand upon the various USPs and character traits that make the brand unique.
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