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Why custom illustration is good for your business

For many, working with stock illustration is the go to solution for that next big campaign or to pin point the exact idea that is going to launch your business ahead of your competitors. But what stock illustration isn’t going to do for you is give you a unique voice that can be portrayed with a custom illustration. The last thing you want is for your team to choose a stock illustration to represent your ad campaign only to find that your unique vision is now on a Jumbotron in Times Square with another company’s name on it. If you want to avoid this scenario for your business and are looking for a custom illustration that is unique to your value proposition, hiring an illustrator is the way forward.

A creative solution such as a custom illustration can work really well if you have a vision for your product that includes varying levels of abstraction. This could be a philosophical idea or you may be a tech company whose product or service is difficult to explain in a visual sense. Custom artwork can also set a tone, create an atmosphere and provide a direction for creativity. Not only can you expect these benefits but the uses for the artwork are numerous. Working with a professional illustrator gives you the opportunity to voice how you want to use the artwork. This ensures a high quality format that will allow for use on your website, business card and even signage.

There are a few benefits you can expect from custom illustration. Your illustration is going to:

  1. be uniquely associated to your business and your business only
  2. look great
  3. be a reflection of your brand
  4. convey the intended message
  5. attract potential clients and customers
  6. represent a complex idea
  7. represent your unique value proposition

This is all great but you may have some concerns:

Finding an affordable illustrator is difficult

Your design team should be able to find an illustrator that fits with your budget or who can at least work with you on providing a solution that fits within your budget.

What if I don’t like the end result?

One common fear is that an illustrator will deliver something that you won’t like. Typically a good illustrator has a specific process and shares sketches in the initial stages. Plus your designer or brand manager will work directly with the illustrator to help guide the process and brainstorm directions of where to go with the artwork. Custom work is often very collaborative and as the illustration progress you’ll be able to share your opinion. No one wants to deliver an illustration that isn’t on message and doesn’t fit with the agreed upon style.

Below you’ll find a few illustration examples, created by hired professionals, that have been incorporated into our clients’ websites, environmental graphic design, printed collateral and beyond. What all of these clients have in common is they wanted to represent themselves and their businesses in a way that engaged visitors and gave their brands a unique look and feel that was specific to them.

Pete's Stateline Sweets Sketches

 

Illustration created for Pete’s Stateline Sweets by Amy Jane Larkin

 

Annaka Harris Illustrations

Illustrations created for Annaka Harris by Amy Jane Larkin

 

MyEcollar Illustration by Erin McGill

Illustration sequence created for MyEcollar by Erin McGill

 

Maria Konnikova illustrations by Cara Zimmerman

Illustrations created for Maria Konnikova by Cara Zimmerman

Custom illustration is one way to strengthen and add value to your brand. The return of investment on hiring an illustrator to help strengthen your unique value proposition can outweigh the risks of using uninspired stock imagery that may be used by others including your competitors. If you have any questions or have a custom illustration in mind for your business Be Better Studios can help you through the process of working with a professional illustrator.

One Response to “Why custom illustration is good for your business”

  1. Carl Weber

    I particularly like the simple illustrations that Amy Jane Larkin created for your homepage. Great post.

    Carl

    Reply

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