In the branding perspective which is always changing, lucky are those close to the visual appeal as they make the first impression. Illustrations have today become one of the greatest assets of businesses in establishing messages, personalities, and values. The right illustration can also define your brand and differentiate it in a busy market for any marketing platform web to marketing material and social media.
However, with the many styles available, how do you choose the correct one that syncs with your brand? We're here to take you through a nice examination of how to select the right illustration style for your brand-from one dimensional to divergent perspective making sure it reverberates well to your audiences while communicating the values of your brand.
Now into the part where we elaborate on illustration styles; let's first take a gander into why getting this decision right is important:
An illustration is not merely said to be a decorative element; it is very much the bridging link needed between your audience and your brand. The art form with the correct style will convey emotions, condense abstract ideas into mere concepts, and accentuate user experience. Icons, drawings, and infographics are visual domains that can contribute towards a more approachable, memorable, and meaningful understanding of your brand. The management team of Iconfair understands this very well-the importance of getting the right illustration so critical in building a good branding presence.
The illustration style you deem right will set the tone for the perception of your business by customers. Therefore, it is important to take time to choose carefully.
The personality of a brand is the ground for selecting proper illustration styles. Every person and brand has a unique personality that shapes the way they interact with the world. To recognize the correct style, one has to start with some big questions:
Is your product playfully fun or serious and professional?
Do you seek to appear modern and minimalistic or artistic and expressive?
What feelings do you want to inspire in your audience?
Once you identify the personality of your brand, the next step is to align it to the corresponding illustration style. Ex:
Funny and jolly brands: If your brand is youthful, creative, or marketed towards a younger crowd, you might want to opt for a fun, cartoonish-style illustration with bright colors.
Professional and businesslike brands: If your brand is intended to be a target for businesses or exists in the formal world, a minimalist or geometric illustration style would be best for adding hints of professionalism.
At Iconfair we have collections of illustrations with alacrity to suit different brand personalities just to ensure that you get your perfect fit.
Understanding your target audience is key to the selection of illustration style. The style should resonate with your audience’s preferences, interests, and expectations. People from different age demographics interpret various illustration styles quite differently.
Consider the following scenarios:
Younger audiences respond to vibrant, colorful, playful yet energetic illustrations. Companies such as Spotify or Snapchat come to mind, as their identities hinge on witty and bright illustrations.
More elegant, clean, and structured illustrations may be the better approach for businesses in finance, law, or technology. Sophisticated brands may lean more toward pictorial depictions, geometric illustrations, or stark minimalist illustrations to help reinforce their reputation for being trustworthy and sophisticated.
At Iconfair, we provide customizable illustrations and icons that can be personalized to the taste of your audience, be they young, mature, industry-oriented, or otherwise.
There are numerous types of illustrations, all serving different purposes. The type of illustration you select will depend entirely on your unique needs and objectives. Let's explore some common types:
3.1 Iconography
Iconography refers to simple, recognizable symbols that stand for an idea, product, or concept. Icons are among the most versatile forms of illustration since they can find applications both in websites and apps as well as user interfaces. They send messages directly and efficiently.
Simply put, if you have any website or app that aspires to be user-friendly, then iconography helps to perceive complex ideas so that it becomes easy to navigate for the users. Iconfair specializes in creating high-quality icons tailored just for your brand, whether that be a simple icon design or a more elaborately illustrated one.
3.2 Character Illustrations
They are customized, unique character illustrations, made even for mascots or even human-like figures attached to your brand. These can help humanize your brand for your audience.
Character illustrations are just the thing for companies who want to inject some fun, warmth, or personality into their experienced branding. For example Mailchimp or Coca-cola; have their unique character illustration that speaks their branding language by putting a friendly face to it.
3.3 Flat Design
Flat design is a very favorable style of illustration and possesses simple forms and bright colors without gradients or shadows. This always looks modern, clean, and minimalist.
It goes very well with tech, design, or lifestyle businesses to say sleek, contemporary. Also great for websites and app design to look neat and keep visuals clean for usability.
3.4 Detailed or Hand-Drawn Illustrations
Detailed or hand-drawn illustrations bring a veritable artistic touch to your brand. These works are usually found in creative industries like art, fashion, and photography, where individuality and creative visions are the building blocks of a brand identity.
Hand-drawn illustrations can get the consumers to perceive aspects of authenticity and craftsmanship, which works well for brand connotation or even niche brands.
3.5 3D Illustrations
3D visualizations exhibit a product's depth and realism, perfectly suited for technology-driven or cutting-edge brands. These can cover applications from product rendering to dynamic features incorporated within websites, providing a contemporary, futuristic touch.
At Iconfair, we offer diverse kinds of styles making possible the right match for your brand needs.
Like everything else, colors truly help in defining the interpretation of any illustration. Different colors evoke different emotions and feel, creating an instant impact on the experience of your brand.
Red: Lively, daring, and attention-grabbing;
Blue: Trusted, professional, and calm;
Green: Fresh, natural, and healthy;
Yellow: Optimistic, friendly, and cheerful;
Purple: The luxurious, imaginative, and creative.
Choosing the right palette for your illustration is critical to keeping your brand's identity consistent.
This means that whatever color palette you choose should be in line with the values and tone your brand expects to be applied. At Iconfair, we understand the psychology of color, and therefore we offer guidance in choosing the right hues that your illustrations should take so that those reflect your values as a brand.
Consistency is a must when applying the right illustration style to your marketing and branding materials. It will reinforce your brand identity and make your marketing visuals immediately recognized.
Be it your website, social media profiles, or printed media; the style, color palette, and tone of your illustrations should remain the same to render a consistent brand experience.
Iconfair helps businesses achieve consistency in visual representation by developing various illustration styles that can be applied to various formats: digital and print.
Keep in mind the potential for different sizes and formats with any given style of illustration. For example, an illustration that looks good on a large banner may lose power as a small icon or thumbnail.
To maintain flexibility, choose scalable vector-based illustrations that can be enlarged or reduced without compromising quality. These illustrations will remain sharp and powerful in whatever size is chosen.
At Iconfair, we can give your brand's visuals a professional edge by creating scalable vector artwork that will look great everywhere!
It is almost always a good idea to put illustrations in front of real users or potential customers. Feedback from your audience about the way they see an illustration can become gold in terms of insights and adjustments.
You should run A/B tests on different styles, colors, and illustrations to determine which one best resonates with your market. Keep experimenting, and refine your approach as you acquire more information.
Choosing an illustration style for your brand is a key decision that deserves great consideration. By understanding brand personality, knowing the target audience, choosing the type of illustrations, and considering colors and consistency, you will generate visuals that actually work for the brand.
At Iconfair, our range of high-quality illustrations and icons is fully customizable to suit your brand's identity. From fun character illustrations to professional icons and modern flat styles, we can realize your dreams.