It’s cliche but true; a picture really is worth a thousand words, and a solid illustration could be worth much more than words to your business. Human beings are visual creatures, and while we love aesthetically pleasing things, advertising clutter has also left us with ever-shrinking attention spans. That’s why every part of your advertising efforts should communicate the main point of your campaign or business, including illustrations, so we’ve come up with a few ways to make your illustrations stand out.

Be clever, but not too clever

The average consumer loves a piece of advertising that makes them think, but consumers also have ridiculously short attention spans, and when you’re working in pictures, you can only hold their attention for so long. The ideal illustration for your advertisement or campaign should be capable of attracting attention while also communicating a vital aspect of your business, mission, or brand personality, without leaving the receiver puzzled.

Choose your moment

An illustration can represent one or several moments in time, a thought, an event, or any other combination of things, and it should aim to represent your unique selling proposition or whatever it is about your business that your customers love most. If you’re isolating one aspect of your business to highlight, make sure your illustration speaks to that.

Let your style illustrate your brand personality

Every aspect of your advertising collateral represents your brand personality, and like every other element of your advertisements, your illustrations should communicate an aspect of your brand. If you’re going for professionalism, keep your lines straight and your illustrations simple. If your brand personality is more artistic, you might be better off with colorful freeform illustrations.

Get colourful

Colour, like great imagery or decorative typefaces, is an instant eye-catcher and often the first touchpoint with your potential customers. It’s how they begin their interaction with your business, so it’s important to consider the connotations of certain colours in an illustration. Consider what you want potential customers to think and feel in the moment they first see your advertisement, and then execute it carefully. Your first impression on the consumer might be the most important message you send them.

Incorporate texture

Amidst an endless sea of competition, anything you can do to stand out is worth an investment. If you’re considering illustration for your next campaign, packaging or piece of collateral, consider throwing textural variety into the creation process. The children’s book “The Rainbow Fish” was a children’s classic for years, and it wouldn’t have been what it was without the shiny scales printed on the pages. Its novelty earned it a place amongst Australia’s best children’s books and in the psyche of millions of Australian children.

Ready to put pencil to paper? Get our team of brand-building experts on your side – all you have to do is give us a call or send us an email.