Custom illustrations, when it comes to branding, is without a doubt in the limelight when it comes to the modern competitive market that we see raging today.
I still remember the first time when I saw a custom illustration.
When I went to a nearby coffee shop, I was immediately blown away by the vibrant and unusual illustrations that occupied the walls of the shop.
Everyone illustration was aligned with the décor of the café and was indicative of the owner’s love for art.
It was an art in itself, not only the coffee.
They are best illustrations not only because they look good, but also, because they are magnificent methods for crafting stories and building identities.
They are capable of being more than just communication tools, they are capable of being nostalgic and deeply meaningful.
After reading this post, custom illustrations would surely appeal to you and you could see the potential opportunities that could improve a brand image.
From travel illustrations for a travel company to a tech company with goofy character designs, custom illustrations have the potential to change ordinary branding into great storytelling.
Get ready for some novel ideas on how to use art to give your brand more personality!
The Rise of Custom Illustrations in Branding
**So, what truly are custom illustrations?**
At the most basic level, custom illustrations are one-of-a-kind graphics that are designed expressly for a specific brand.
They resemble a fingerprint—each one is distinctive in its own right!
Imagine this: a smiling logo or a warm logo evokes a certain sentiment which has been correctly designed by its creators never cared in the past.
Unlike stock visuals, which can be tedious and far removed, custom illustrations bring originality and appeal to the audiences that psychographics with them.
There was one such project for an artisanal business that sold soaps by hand with creative custom illustrations.
We utilized the custom illustrations of the components used to prepare their natural soaps for example some of the natural lukewarm soaps were mixed with lemon and lavender and these sprigs were then used as a packaging
These illustrations not only emphasized the natural characteristics of the items themselves, but they also highlighted their attention to and detail to natural ingredients.
They established a bond with the consumers which made them view the product and purchasing not just from a transactional perspective of buying a product but rather from a part of owning a product standpoint a comprise more in the story of the brand.
These graphics represent the notion of having a brand and how such values are effectively built and engaged with consumers or clients that will always leave a lasting impression about such a brand.
Branding And Other Historical Events
Visuals have been the go to resource for brands for long to create an identity.
The history of branding runs deep, when it was just a simple mark on the barrels used to store ale, to the intricate designs carried out today, a plethora of styles have made their entry.
Powerful visuals have been used by a lot of iconic brands to create their one true space in the market, bearing the mark to the past.
The transition in this phase is a gradual one to the shift towards custom illustrations which are becoming the new trend.
For example, the classic advertising technique has now continued into the digital realm.
Thanks to social media, brands are now challenging each other in a saturated digital world instead.
In this time there’s a surplus amount of need for illustrations which can stand out, and that’s where custom illustrations make an entry.
Such illustrations provide a chance for the brand to come out of the circle and communicate their story in an out of the box way.
Not long ago, I was scrolling through my Instagram, when I came across a brand who catered their posts around custom illustrations.
They went one step further and focused not on the items only but also the lifestyle that caters around the items, which was new!
Instead, the brand felt comforting the next moment.
So without a doubt, custom illustrations are beginning to become an integral part of ones branding because it allows companies to connect with their customers on a much deeper and personal level.
The Importance of Custom Illustrations to a Brand
Improves a Brand Narrative
Narrating a story seems to be at the center of a brand’s business and marketing.
This works because brands are able to utilize custom illustrations to tell their stories in a relatable format that is highly entertaining.
A good example would be a travel book equipped with colorful and gut-wrenching pictures all drawn with a hand of diverse cuisines, places to visit and cultures.
Take the case of Airbnb – their illustrated tours are truly effective.
They make use of nice graphics to encapsulate the actual area and make it suitable for the eyes of the onlookers to make the neighborhood approachable.
I recall staying in an Airbnb in a quirky area and it was the illustrations from the local guide that attracted me to it.
They did not simply describe the area and things to do there rather they gave a huge set of maps and illustrations along with sketches of busy street performers and marketplaces to show how it actually felt to be there.
And these images are not only instructional in nature but they are also motivational in nature.
It evokes an eagerness for an adventure and motivates people even more to go on trips outside their homes and do passport stuff.
This is the magic of custom illustrations: as opposed to simply delivering information, they sell stories rather seamlessly, and every single one of the haunts with great story.
Differentiation in a Saturated Market
With so many brands fighting for attention, it is not easy to stand out.
Custom illustrations can be highly effective by providing a unique look.
Consider brands like Mailchimp and Dropbox.
Both have used distinctive illustrations to differentiate themselves from other brands in the market.
The illustrations used by Mailchimp are cartoonish and fun which makes their email marketing services more friendly and easier to deal with.
I remember scrolling through their site and seeing a cartoon character waving its arms to me and cheering me whenever I clicked on something.
It felt more like a personal assistant rather than a business who was trying to sell me something using an email marketing technique.
Dropbox, on the other hand, uses simple designs and illustrations. This goes along with their straightforward design of sharing files.
These visuals give rise to functional brand associations which assist a consumer in recalling and selecting such brands among the noise.
In an ever going fast paced world as we live in, custom illustrations become not only an aesthetic element but an operating tactic allowing brands to engage their targeted audiences and set themselves apart from the competition.
Consider custom illustrations as being brand cartoons and imagine how your cartoon would appear – that is the captivating part of the custom illustrations because these illustrations are very accommodating to the custom illustration designers.
I. Engaging Narratives
Stories enhance a brand’s identity and aid in the retention of customers and potential customers. Every brand exists because they solve a problem.
Such graphics can be used for social media, websites, packaging and anything else, while keeping the brand identity intact.
There’s this one time I remember working with the team, and we had to overhaul the social media presence of a fashion label.
We made custom designed illustrations that could be used for an Instagram post as well as a website banner.
This included visuals that encapsulated the core of the brand and spoke volumes of their ideology and design – altogether offering a sense that was new and inviting.
All of this said, today’s multi-channel environment, demand that businesses have a specialized illustration.
They serve to strengthen the consistency of the communicated brand message across all platforms through a fusion of both the digital and tangible forms of the product.
Case Studies of brands that have embraced and exemplified the concept of Custom Illustrations.
Assignment: Slack
While all of this is happening, let’s explore Slack, a tool that I am sure an overwhelming majority of people reading this adore.
Their delightfully colorful illustrations showcase what the brand’s all about and greatly informs their marketing strategy.
Moreover, the marketing strategy for slack isn’t your traditional corporate approach, it is designed to foster creativity and aid team work.
I still remember, when I first started using the platform, I relied heavily on their illustrations to understand the interface.
Each of the graphic images was designed not only to be attractive but also to assist me in better understanding the program by smoothing the user interface further.
Such custom graphics enhance the user experience and further strengthen the customer retention rate.
They also help create a pleasant environment that encourages the consumers to return, reminding us that fun can be part of the job.
Case Study: Headspace
Let’s now turn our attention to the Headspace application, which focuses on the activities of mindfulness and meditation.
They do have patiently created illustrations that illustrate calmness and tranquility quite beautifully.
The moment you step into the app, the colors and soft designs that greet you fit in quite nicely with the app’s aim – to help people cope with their busy lives.
When I was using Headspace for the first time, I can definitely say that I felt at ease straight away.
I was taken away to an calm place because of the illustrations and it made meditating enjoyable and easy.
No, these visuals are an extra, they come as part of the branding strategy but they support the fundamental task “to promote mental health”.
In normal modern life, which is often disarranged, the specific illustrations for Headspace serve as a reminder to stop, take a deep breath and remember where our center is.
FAQs
What are custom illustrations in branding?
So, what are custom illustrations in branding?
They are brand specific graphics which have been custom illustrated or hand drawn for the specific entity.
These illustrations are an integral part of a brand’s identity and marketing. Illustrations act as a graphic signature which is unique for every brand.
I remember working at a startup that created eco-friendly goods and for their offerings, we focused on crafting specifically tailored illustrations that depicted their natural essence.
These illustrations assisted in communicating the brand’s ideals effectively via plant-inspired playful depictions and recycled material character designs within a more approachable context.
Comprising a combination of a brand’s message it’s values, custom illustrations are designed to trigger emotions within viewers to facilitate traffic to a brand’s website and when done right they showcase a brand’s ethos and mission.
So now the question arises, what makes these custom illustrations a good tool to increase recognition for a business?
Let’s consider the marketing concept branding, its implications and benefits.
So the next question that needs consideration is, how do custom illustrations actually make a difference to a brands’ image?
Custom illustrations offer a unique style that makes organisations easy to differentiate from their competitors when there is so much noise within the market.
When did you last view an advertisement or a logo and decided to ignore everything else once again? Most probably it had an eye catchy format designed to attract attention.
When you think of Mailchimp, you can almost instantly identify the artwork associated with the company. One would quite expect this of Goldie- the quirky characters and bold colors associated with the services of email marketers Goldie is just perfect.
This unique method differentiates them in such a manner that the consumers never forget them.
Every time I witness a bespoke artwork, I do not perceive it as just an art form rather, it is the graphic telling me a tale, showcasing a personality and the art is building a connotation with me.
Every brand is capable of leveraging custom illustrations in the form of building these connections which help them in a long run.
Do I think Custom Illustrations are cost effective for a small business?
A fair question that comes up is that are custom illustrations cost effective when it comes to a small business.
With that being said, one should never forget that everything comes with a cost and most of the time, the forbearance pays off in the end.
When I was helping a local bakery with the branding, I did encourage them to use custom illustrations on their packaging and spent some money on it.
Was it a little highlight on the budget? Yes, Yes it was. But were the results amazing? Yes, Yes they were!
The boxes illustrated in different styles received huge attention and along with gaining new customers, they also set a bar for repeat customers because people started taking pictures of the product and posting them online.
In the long run, spending on custom illustrations may turn into a brand icon and keep customers engaged.
To put it in perspective, this effect is priceless for a company looking to differentiate itself as it provides a sense of exclusivity and authenticity.
Do I need to appreciate custom illustrations to perform better in digital marketing?
In conjunction with the prior question, the answer is yes. Custom illustrations are greatly helpful for a number of purposes especially in digital marketing.
They ensure that a brand is able to stand out by helping with some of the most common things such as social media posts and website designs.
I remember assisting a fashion company with the design of its Instagram feed that it wanted to update.
We developed a set of custom illustrations that blended in with their theme while simultaneously promoting their line.
The outcome? A colorful feed that increased followers’ curiosity and attracted them to interact with the account.
For example, advertisements on Facebook can use bold illustrations while email newsletters can use light illustrations, demonstrating that different platforms can use digital content with the aid of custom illustrations.
Things govern the world today are rapidly changing and being noticed in the digital world is paramount and Custom illustrations can help achieve that goal even better.
Conclusion
This is a strategic move than just being an aesthetic choice, the custom illustrations in branding are here to stay.
These visuals define brands, tell stories and help consumers build relationships with them.
So, what did you have in mind to change the identity of your brand? Maybe try featuring some custom illustrations.
I have seen for myself the wonders these illustrations do for a brand and to a business by changing its perception amongst the consumers.
With them, effective and unforgettable branding can be achieved.
I’d recommend hopping on this trend and seeing how it changes your brand!
A narrative is what you are buying into when you create a unique illustration for your business, not just some fancy visual.
