Illustrations are widely used for books because it helps in narrating the story more effectively. It goes without saying that illustrations play a major role in promoting any idea, especially when it comes to marketing your business.
The primary role of an illustrator is to augment information through characters that are drawn in interesting styles and depict certain moods. They are very imaginative and have an eye for color, balance, and layout.
As for the definition of an illustration, it is more than a mere drawing of different characters and backgrounds. This type of visualization typically explains something. It gives depth to the story even without giving full details through text. Illustrations can explain a whole concept using just plain images or drawings.
Different Types of Illustrations
Aside from its common purpose of supplementing children’s books, there are many types of illustrations that usually differ according to the visualization needs of a concept, story, or information. The most commonly used ones are the following:
1. Editorial illustration
Usually found in books, magazines, newspapers, and internet feeds, editorial illustrations are meant to express an idea better. It has to be accompanied by text because it is made to strengthen the thought of the story to leave a lasting impression on the reader.
2. Advertising illustration
This type of illustration specifically aims to promote something by catching the attention of the audience. They can go with or without text but its most prominent feature is that it always includes a logo or a branding style by the company. This is to hit two purposes, which are to introduce the company and to make them remember by relating the illustration and the story depicted to the brand.
3. Concept art
This illustration type is purposely made to create certain environments, characters, items, costumes, etc. It is widely used as a working material for movies, games, and many other industries. They have to look aesthetically beautiful but also appropriate in order to correctly capture the concept.
4. Fashion illustration
Fashion designers are aided by illustrations to visualize clothing before they go into production. Aside from being used as a sewing guide, fashion illustrations can also showcase the artistry of the designer by showing the designs in highly stylized drawings.
5. Technical illustration
Also called scientific illustration, this style is used to accurately show information in a simple form. It is important to have correct details and make the illustrations clear so that confusion is avoided. This is commonly use in brochures, training materials, instruction manuals, etc.
6. Infographics
Very common across any industry, infographics are like summaries of lengthy topics. They are meant to condense information using fun and relatable imagery. They help the reader understand and remember complex data instead of having information overload.
7. Packaging illustration
This illustration type works just like advertising illustrations but focuses more on the packaging of the products. They are meant to grab attention and also promote the brand better by having the branding details on the design.
Big Brands Using Illustration
Many brands are aware of how powerful illustrations are in making people recognize a specific product. Here are some of the most established brands that are using illustrations as a marketing strategy:
1. Slack. This brand is notorious for using bold colors for its illustrations. The style is quite effective as it is easier for the audience to remember the brand and it even prompts them to engage.
Image Source: https://www.byalicelee.com/slack
2. Etsy. The brand uses illustrations to strengthen the handmade nature of the company. The quirky illustrative style imitates the quality of the items on the website using illustrations with different shapes, characters, and objects.
Image Source: https://medium.com/etsy-design
3. Asana. Simple shapes and brand colors are the main features of the illustrations on its website. The simple imagery reinforces the idea of having a platform that is easy to use.
Image Source: https://blog.asana.com/
4. Salesforce. What makes the website memorable are the brightly colored illustrations that accompany the information for the audience. There is a balance between the two elements which makes the website not overwhelming.
Image Source: https://www.facebook.com/salesforce/
Image Source: https://jasonhilldesign.com/salesforce/
5. Casper. Although illustrations are not featured on the front page, they can be found on other parts of their blog. Their style is more on having bright colors and repetitive images to make an impact.
Image Source: https://tomi.work/the-perfect-mattress
Uses of Illustrations
The feeling of having something original and showing it to the audience is superb. That is exactly the purpose of having illustrations for your brand. But more than making you feel better about having great content; illustrations also have a ton of other purposes including:
- Injecting creativity into the marketing materials.
- Encouraging unique brand association.
- Representing complex ideas.
- Conveying a specific brand message.
- Attracting potential clients.
Why Major Brands Hire Illustrators?
Illustrations are now on the center stage of the marketing industry ever since illustrations dominate the marketing art forms. Many brands are desperate at having illustrators on their team because they have acknowledged that storytelling is a more compelling type of marketing. People can remember visuals better than lengthy text. With illustrations, it is easier for them to grab attention so that the audience can discover the brand.
When it comes to the success of your business, an illustrator is a huge help in terms of visualizing ideas, rendering a unique customer experience, and communicating powerful brand messages. This is why there is a huge demand for illustrators, especially among those brands that find trouble in these areas.
Here are the major reasons why most brands hire illustrators:
- They help drive attention. Illustrations catch attention in an instant. It helps the brand to connect emotionally with the customers, more than conventional photos. Illustrators are able to highlight the brand personality using unique imagery.
- Tell the brand story. Illustrations are more engaging and can be drawn to project emotions. This quality makes it more effective to tell a brand story that is convincing and relatable to the audience. Illustrators have the ability to create characters that correctly depict the emotions of the brand narrative.
- Stand out from competitors. The expansion of the digital markets makes the completion a lot tougher for many businesses. Illustrators can create illustrations using styles that are distinct to the brand.
- Create brand awareness. With the rising competition, it can be difficult to touch base with customers. Illustrators can create illustrations that will be used for social media and all other marketing campaigns to alleviate the problem by showcasing the brand personality in a quirky and more engaging way.
- Offers customization. Illustrators are versatile artists. They can create something unique, fun, interesting, and any other types of illustrations to fit with your kind of branding.
Although illustrators are considered to be a great addition to a marketing team, there is also a need to factor in the costs of hiring one. Hourly rates for illustrators currently range from $25-$ 1000 per hour. An illustration project is usually priced at $90- $465 but this can go higher depending on how large a project is.
designstripe Can Save You $$$ Instead of Hiring an Illustrator
Visual marketing is becoming popular each day and you must not let the opportunity pass without offering your audience awesome illustrations about your brand. Hiring an illustrator may be one of the best investments you will make, but what if you have the option to spend less?
If you badly need illustrations for your brand but do not have enough budget to hire an illustrator, the smartest and most cost-efficient way is to use designstripe. Explore and use the huge library of illustrations that can be made perfect for any type of business. You can explore limitless color combinations and palettes to make your illustrations look alive and unique. There are many options to customize, such as swapping and changing objects to create realistic scenarios. You can go from a minimalistic style to a much more complex one in a jiffy with its easy-to-use tools.
designstripe is a powerful tool and yet so simple to use. Even non-designers or those who have zero knowledge and skills in making illustrations can craft high-quality illustrations in just a few clicks. For only $20, you can have full access to our design library with all illustration styles. This is a huge saving compared to having a full-time illustrator that is paid by the hour!
Wrapping Up
Using illustrations for your business is a highly impactful marketing strategy that will deliver more than satisfactory results. Today is the perfect time to have illustrations for your brand as they are effective at driving brand awareness and increasing engagement. It can also be a way to project a positive image that is lasting. With today’s standards on branding, it is important that you make an impact on the audience so that you can be remembered. Illustrations can help you do exactly that.
Hiring an illustrator is ideal but there are cost-effective means to have professional-quality illustrations for your company. Explore your creativity without limits using designstripe!
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