For us at designillustrate, illustrations have always been one of our special design and branding tools that we use to define the visual languages of our clients. But we actually began to develop a more serious approach to our illustration services in 2019 when we started to expand our team hiring illustrators to the point that we needed a separate Dribbble page for custom graphics, although you can also see them in interfaces on our main page. Today we are going to tell why we decided to pay so much more attention to illustrations as part of our UI/UX design services.  So fasten your belts, sit back, and enjoy the ride. Lots of digital illustration examples ahead for your inspiration.

What is illustration?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines illustration as

“something that serves to illustrate: such as

a: a picture or diagram that helps make something clear or attractive

b: an example or instance that helps make something clear”

and to illustrate as

“to provide with visual features intended to explain or decorate”

A “picture” is a very broad term as illustrations are used in a variety of places from books and textbooks to ads and video games. From many faces and many facets of Illustration, we are going to talk about digital ones used in designing the interfaces of business-related entities like websites, mobile applications, logos, social media assets, various marketing collateral, etc.

 


Sometimes, illustrations and graphic design get mixed up. The difference is that illustration may be a part of graphic design and the latter is a much broader concept that involves different aspects of marketing, art, and technology. Graphic designers communicate a company’s ideas into visual forms wherever this company is visually present. They work with fonts, shapes, colors, images, print design, photography, animation, logos, billboards, etc.

Another difference is that illustrations can be used for artistic purposes and serve as decoration whereas graphic design is always commercially-oriented and is known as “commercial art”. Over the years, it evolved to become the rich and powerful tool it is today.


What illustrations mean for business

Pictures and illustrations when they are not outright technical, are often thought about as adornments. But going beyond beauty, what is “beautiful” in terms of benefits for businesses? That’s what many entrepreneurs want to find out and what many creatives are used to explain on a daily basis. If you come down to it, illustrations are just another design technique. 

  • Content with relevant images gets 94% more views.
  • Information with images is remembered 55% better.
  • Facebook posts with pictures get 2.3 times more engagement.

These are just some of the facts that show the power of visual content. It becomes clear that, in plainer words, you can’t do without it. However, for your visuals, you generally have to choose between photos and digital illustrations (unless you decide to do use both, but their proper combination is a whole nother business). There are definitely more photo-based websites and apps out there than ones with custom illustrations. 

Design is the heart of any successful business endeavor and we are happy to live in times when this idea is getting its recognition. More and more companies, big tech ones among them, pay more attention to design and make use of custom illustration services. Having had more experience with them during the last couple of years, we know that illustrations are indeed a powerful tool for generating interest in your products or services that can make a real difference to your business.

The booming popularity of illustrations may even make them look superior to photos. The point is though is that instead of making a cargo cult out of them and using custom graphics blindly just for the sake of them, it’s better to understand what they are capable of, what they can and cannot do in business. The point is not where to find illustrators, but how to find those who understand the work you do and have skills for it.

Use cases of illustrations in interface design

Sometimes, the solid and reliable feeling that photos give makes them a more suitable candidate for a particular type of website or app. Take a website dedicated to HVAC services. The photos of real-life devices and people tending to them are the first things that come to mind (though illustrations can also be present there in the form of schemes). Photos seem more suitable in FMCG and retail. Other times, the subject is less tangible and requires a more abstract and creative approach that only illustrations can give. It all comes down to a brand and its goals. We at Shakuro start working on a project by finding out what tasks a client has and what messages and ideas they need to communicate. And only then the search for solutions begins.

So when to use illustrations in design? There are dozens of suitable places and instances:

  • A hero section is a great place for character illustrations. 
  • Emails, especially when celebrating a holiday or user achievement or in a marketing campaign. 
  • Onboardings, reference materials, and anywhere where a user might feel lost and confused and you feel the navigation system needs help and you want to highlight important elements that get passed by. A little bit of extra help in the form of reassuring and explanatory pictures is always welcome. 
  • Anywhere with large amounts of text. Illustrations and graphic elements in general act like water helping a user to digest their “digital food” easier.
  • When you want to picture a reward — badges, medals, stickers, etc. — and motivate a user for further action.
  • Branding — mascots are a great example.
  • Notifications and alerts.
  • Stickers, don’t forget about stickers.

And so on. In fact, illustrations can be used in any type of digital media. This incredible versatility is what makes them so popular and loved by designers and users alike. Digital illustrations have been a trend of every recent year, 2021 is no exception. They evolve along with technology, business needs, and people’s preferences and expectations.