Brand Illustration Services
Kati is a freelance illustrator specialising in brand illustration. She creates illustrations for venues and organisations, including universities, heritage sites, museums, festivals, restaurants, arts centres and a whole range of events (from theatre performances to seasonal fairs). Whether you’re a university, charity or cultural institute, brand illustrations can help you stand out.
What is brand illustration?
Brand illustration usually refers to a set of images that go with your regular brand such as your logo, colours and fonts. The aim of these bespoke graphics is to provide a platform to express more nuanced and focussed messages, and communicate a feeling that you want to associate with your brand, event or venue. As a result, brand illustration makes it much easier to connect with your audience because the illustrations can be tailored exactly to what you would like to say, how you would like to come across and who your audience is.
Brand illustrations can be hand-drawn or digitally created, offering flexibility in style and purpose. Essentially, anything falls under brand illustration where a group of illustrations are created for one specific aim whether that’s a temporary exhibition or a venue that intends to use the illustrations for many years to come.
Brand illustration services
As you may be aware, illustrators work in their own unique styles. My illustration style has been described as delicate, witty and insightful. Whether you have a restaurant that’s a bit off the beaten track, are planning an upcoming festival, or have an academic project in mind that could do with making your message more relatable, I can adapt my approach to meet your needs. Naturally, the style of the illustration is essential for having effective brand illustrations. The following list is there to help envisage the different purposes that my illustration style can serve.
Website illustration
An illustration can bring a website to life in a way that text alone simply cannot. My illustrations aim to be both engaging and aligned with your project’s voice, helping to create a lasting impression on your visitors. This works especially well for brands that want to stand out from the typical stock photography seen on many websites. In the above example, the illustrations humanise the topic of health histories and turn these past events and characters into real people and places.
Academic projects
Academic projects can often benefit from brand illustrations because they can be hard work to understand (depending on the topic, of course). By incorporating illustrated imagery, these projects can speak to a wider audience, making the long hours of research that have gone into the project more worthwhile. Whether it’s a set of diagrams that break down complex concepts or a visual narrative that accompanies a research study, my illustrations can help simplify information and make it more accessible.
Themed Tours
Themed walking tours can benefit greatly from custom illustrations that bring local stories and landmarks to life. Whether it’s a historical tour, a cultural exploration, or a quirky city trail, illustrations can highlight key locations, characters, or moments that make the experience more engaging for participants. By visually enhancing your tour’s materials using maps, guidebooks, brochures, or signage, these illustrations can immerse participants in the theme and help them connect more deeply with the stories being told. They also translate well into free or paid-for merchandise.
Events
Event branding can truly benefit from custom illustrations. They are most commonly used for marketing and promotional materials such as posters, leaflet and guide books. By designing tailored visuals that fit the theme and tone of your event, you can attract the right audience and communicate key information effectively. Visuals that reflect the event’s spirit help build excitement, making your event not only easier to navigate but also more memorable for attendees. From music festivals to community fairs, I ensure that each illustration tells a story that resonates.
Universities and Colleges
Universities and colleges can benefit from custom illustrations to appeal to prospective students and visitors alike. Whether it’s for promotional materials, student handbooks, or digital platforms, illustrations help convey the unique atmosphere, culture and values of your institution. Fun, informative and visually appealing illustrations can communicate the character of the campus and make key information stand out, enhancing the overall visitor and student experience.
Character or Mascot illustration
A memorable mascot or character can become a symbol of your venue or project, making it instantly recognisable and relatable. Whether you’re looking to develop a playful character for children or a more sophisticated mascot for a professional service, I can develop a unique design that resonates with your audience and enhances your brand’s identity. These mascots can be used across your marketing materials, from websites to packaging, creating a cohesive and engaging brand presence.
Food brands
Illustrations can play a key role in shaping the identity of food brands by adding a unique, artistic touch to packaging, menus, or promotional materials. Whether you want to emphasise an artisan product, create a playful look for a family-friendly eatery, or showcase the origins and ingredients of your dishes, custom illustrations can convey the personality of your brand in a way that photography sometimes cannot.
Heritage sites and other venues
Historic venues usually have stories to tell, which are ideally suited to illustration as the availability of photographs is usually limited. Sometimes venues run their events on themes, which is the case in the example above. The illustrations were also used for interpretation boards and signage. This helps bring historical details to life and makes the experience more immersive for visitors.
Educational Projects
Educational illustrations can make learning much more engaging for school children and adults alike. Whether through creative diagrams, interactive visuals, or other educational tools, illustrations help spark curiosity and make learning more visually appealing. From textbooks to interactive apps and classroom materials, I create illustrations that suit different learning styles and subjects, making even the most complex topics accessible and enjoyable.
Festivals
A well-designed set of illustrations for a festival can significantly improve communication and enhance the overall vibe of the event, helping to draw a wider audience. Whether for promotional materials, posters, social media, or merchandise, I can create custom festival-branded illustrations that capture the essence of the event.
Small business brands
Naturally, projects can vary in size. Small businesses can benefit from brand illustrations hugely as it is even harder for them to stand out. These projects are usually smaller in scope but with my experience, I would be able to advise on the minimal number of illustrations that you can start with. Whether you’re building your brand from the ground up or looking for a fresh visual identity, I can help you develop a cohesive look through carefully crafted illustrations that reflect your business’s personality and values.
My illustration process in a nutshell
Research
Gathering relevant information about the project. This could include reading around the subject to have a deeper understanding of the bigger picture, creating mind-maps, coming up with ideas and identifying themes. This stage is usually preceded by a meeting where I can listen to the key messages and discuss them with you.
Rough sketches
Based on the research, I create a series of rough sketches. There is usually one main application where the illustrations will be used – this could be a site map, a website or a poster. If this is the case, I tend to sketch out the illustrations with that purpose in mind. The roughs are always pencil drawings and the main aim of this phase is to agree on the ideas and if applicable, the composition.
Creating the illustrations
Once the rough sketches are approved, I begin to create the final drawings. Depending on the feedback, the line drawings are sometimes shared before applying colour and textures but usually this is not necessary.
Finishing touches
After another round of feedback, I apply the finishing touches to the illustrations and share them for approval.
Creating assets
As brand illustrations are typically used for a number of different applications, the final stage of this process is to create the required applications or prepare the files in a suitable format for others to work with.
FAQs
What types of brand illustrations do you offer?
I work with a lot of different clients including events, theatre productions, film posters, packaging design, venues, exhibitions, websites and academic institutions. If your project is not in the list, feel free to get in touch and find out if I can help you.
How do you ensure the illustrations fit my brand’s identity?
I begin every project with a meeting, which usually takes place online. This gives us the opportunity to meet and for me to fully understand your brand’s personality, target audience and objectives. During the project I will work closely with you to ensure the illustrations reflect your brand’s tone and visual style. Please refer to my process above for more detail.
How long does the illustration process take?
The timeline for each project varies depending on its scope and complexity. A small project, like a single character or mascot, may take around two weeks, while a more detailed project like a full set of website illustrations may take several weeks. After our initial consultation, I’ll provide you with a clear timeline and keep you updated throughout the process.
Can I ask for adjustments to the illustrations?
Yes! My general process includes feedback opportunities. Based on my experience It usually takes no more than three rounds of amends for everyone to be happy with the illustrations.
What file formats will I receive the final illustrations in?
Once the illustrations are finalised, you will receive the artwork in the file formats most suitable for your project. The most common formats are png, jpg and psd. If you need a specific file format for a particular purpose, just let me know!
How much does brand illustration cost?
The cost of brand illustration depends on the scope of the project, including the number of illustrations required, their complexity and the timeframe they are needed for. For example, the cost of brand illustrations for an exhibition would be lower than similar work that would be used for many years to come.
Once we have an initial call that gives me the opportunity to understand your needs, I’ll provide a customised and detailed proposal. I aim to work within a range of budgets, whether you’re a small business or a larger organisation looking for more extensive work.
How do I get started with a brand illustration project?
To get started, simply contact me via the form on this page or email me directly. We’ll set up an initial consultation to discuss your project, your brand and your goals. From there, I’ll develop a proposal outlining the timeline, deliverables and pricing, so you’ll have a clear idea of what to expect before we begin.
What are the benefits of using brand illustrations?
Brand illustrations can bring your organisation’s story to life, making it more engaging and relatable for your audience. They add a unique and memorable visual identity across websites, social media, packaging, and presentations, helping you communicate nuanced values in an indirect way. By visually capturing what you stand for, the illustrations create a warm, approachable connection with your audience and communicate your message in a way that words alone can’t achieve.
What others have to say
“Kati has been a pleasure to work with. Her dedication to the project has been consistent from the first minute to the last. She captured perfectly what the Old Fire Station stands for through her extensive research, unique way of seeing, beautiful colour palette and dreamy characters. We are overjoyed with the result!”
Justine Malone
Arts at the Old Fire Station, Oxford
"It was not an easy brief but Kati interpreted the complex theme to present it in a way that was accessible and identifiable to a broad audience, which demonstrated a deep understanding of both design principles and the subject matter. Kati’s creative vision and attention to detail brought the theme to life in a way that was both engaging and informative. The design elements were not only visually impressive but also served to enhance the overall narrative. The use of colour and typography has really helped us to create an identity throughout the site and adapt the theme to different seasons, moreover the design combined artistic creativity with practical functionality. We wouldn’t hesitate to work with Kati again. Thank you."
Emma Emerson
Hughenden Manor, National Trust
“The illustrations and site-map that Kati has created for Kelmscott Manor are really very successful and everyone associated with the National Lottery Heritage Fund project was equally impressed with their clarity and the way in which the drawings of the Morris family members, birds and other characters work so well with the typography. She has made a delightful contribution to the Interpretation of the Manor and its outbuildings.”
Peter Cormack
MBE FSA Hon. Curatorial Adviser, Kelmscott Manor
“Kati has been an utter delight to work with and her illustrations have already become a treasured part of our College community. Now, with the map, we have a lovely (and very useful!) souvenir to give our visitors!“
Maryanne Saunders
Lincoln College
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