In a bid to hyper-personalize product and web experiences, we’ve seen many designers incorporate custom illustration as a means of achieving this goal.
In the early days, most companies designed their branding properties with the simple aim of presenting themselves as professional. But this “professional” design was more often rendered, in practice, through bland, corporate stock photography, and typography.
Fortunately, product design and web design is ever-evolving, and companies have begun to see the value of design that reflects their brand’s personality. We’re moving beyond stock imagery toward more authentic, resonant design. Custom illustration is a component of this movement – one that comes with a handful of compelling benefits.
Custom illustrations can be extensive or minimal, but they have a major impact on a brand and its identity. This is especially true in web design, which is essentially the main digital presence a brand has to offer.
And using custom imagery has a way of helping brands stand out from the competition, carving out their own place in the online world with exciting, invigorating and compelling illustrations and animations that can help simplify complex information, lead users on their buyer’s journey and create a playful and approachable personality.
How are illustrations so impactful?
Illustrations Are Unique And Identifiable
Because they’re designed specifically for your brand, custom illustration is 100% unique and specific to you. When done well, it’s instantly recognizable and easily associated with your brand even beyond the context of your website or app. It sets your brand apart from competitors, increasing your chances of being both easily distinguished and more memorable.
Whether you use them heavily or only infuse them in small doses, these illustrations are a powerful tool that gives you an edge over your competition because they build an identity for your brand that can’t be forgotten.
Illustrations Are Emotionally Resonant
From a web design perspective, illustration is often more capable of conjuring an emotional user response than photography. An illustration is usually surprising and attention-grabbing — we don’t expect to encounter it, so when we do we’re more likely to take notice. What’s more, the inherently whimsical nature of illustration has the power to bring joy and delight to users.
Illustrations can call forth a nostalgia from a past experience or memory. They can ease a particularly difficult task. They can tell a story that resonates viscerally with your audience. And when you connect on an emotional level, you leave an impression that lasts longer and is felt more positively.
Illustrations Are Informative
While illustration is both visually-engaging and entertaining, it can also serve the highly practical purposes of imparting information and directing user attention. Custom animations, in particular, can be deployed to demonstrate how a product or service works, allowing the website to convey use cases with limited reliance on text. Illustration can emphasize a point and encompass an idea or indicate a category. It’s easily understood by all users and can be more quickly digested than web copy.
They quickly and efficiently condense an idea or concept that might otherwise be considered complex and complicated. And it does so in such a beautiful way that users are instantly engaged, ready to absorb your content and digest the information you’re providing them.
Illustrations Are A Compelling Branding Tool
As custom illustrations are unique, they have a way of capturing your brand identity and promoting the essence of your brand in a playful, engaging and comprehensive way. And they can easily be integrated across platforms and mediums to give your brand a specific look and feel that is impossible for consumers to forget.
And they’re so simple too! You don’t need to go overboard in your illustrations. They can be elegant and delicate and still pack a punch. And if you can continue using them in ads, social media content and more, you’re sure to establish a presence in the industry that lasts for years.
Branding is vital to business success. And branded elements should be infused into all areas of a business — from its product packaging to its social media presence and especially in its website.
There are a number of different ways to integrate consistent branding in a web design. You can incorporate a creative typography, a clever brand voice and a specific orientation.
But another way to keep this branding clean and comprehensive is through custom illustrations.
Custom illustration can serve many different purposes in web design and it can be deployed in a multitude of ways. Whether it’s used sparingly to inject an element of whimsy into a site, or used as the dominant visual element of the site, it’s an effective way to appeal to and captivate users.
And it’s a great tool for branding — taking these images and embedding them across platforms and mediums so that users have the same experience every place they decide to interact with your business.
And branding is what keeps businesses relevant. It’s the perception consumers have of you, your products and your services. Of course, you have to ensure their experience with your products is a pleasant one. But outside of that, it’s the visible design elements that bombard them on their smartphones, social media accounts and billboards that will leave a longer impression — because this is what they see when they think of your business.
Collaborating with best IT agencies from DesignRush
To boost your brand presence you can begin your journey with custom illustrations. You can find some inspiration with these 12 stunning examples of Custom Illustration. And to help you choose the best design agency, DesignRush has also handpicked the Best Design Agencies. With these top rated local and global design firms you can transform your digital experiences, websites, and brands.
Source: DesignRush