The Power of Illustration - Industry Insight.
From working with ethical brands and non-profit organisations, to communicating powerful messages, this week we caught up with CIA’s artists and agents on the power of illustration to drive positive change and how adopting this unique language might just be the key to a standout brand.
In the Spring of last year as the world was still reeling in the relative infancy of the pandemic, a symbol was a needed to succinctly represent steadfastness, unity and hope. Rather beautifully, a specific artistic statement emerged from London’s children, a rainbow, with many doorways and front windows becoming ad hoc gallery spaces bringing colour and optimism to streets across the capital.
In May, Peter Blake was invited by the Evening Standard and London Advertising to contribute to this visual ground swell, his graphic iconography as one of the great names of the Pop Art movement making him the perfect artist to cohere this universal rainbow into a bold and singular statement of togetherness, positivity, and compassion. This statement also helped shine a spotlight on the Felix Project and their continuing mission to provide food for those most in need during the crisis including children in poverty, the elderly and the isolated.
As an illustration agent, how can illustration ensure that a brand stands out from the crowd?
"In a landscape cluttered with images and photographs, illustration can help brands stand out in a more unique, memorable, and engaging way. Part of what makes a brand successful is its ability to stand out from its competitors. Illustration can accentuate a brand’s personality more distinctively, taking their brand storytelling to the next level ensuring that they stand out from the crowd."
"The key to illustration, the quality that makes it so different from other visual approaches, is its capacity for utter individualism. One of the principle responsibilities of a branding exercise is demonstrating a keen point of difference from the competition and an illustrative route can provide a completely unique language. As a former photographer with a degree in Graphic Design I have a great deal of respect for typography and photography - traditionally the two immediate alternatives to illustration - but in my view the dramatic difference between how two illustrators might approach the same brief has the edge over other creative disciplines."
Can you give us 4 ways in which illustration can take your design to the next level?
1 - Illustration is an extremely powerful tool for storytelling especially for brands who want consumers to relate to them, endorsing their vision and personality. What better way of doing this than through illustration to create compelling visual content that engages and captivates their audience?
Developing a unique illustration style for your brand story will help to humanise your brand and provide a sense depth to your identity, which in turn will only increase your chance of grabbing and holding your audience’s attention for longer, helping you to stand out from the crowd!
Considering artists like MH Jeeves, Nishant Choksi, Simon Spilsbury and Stephen Collins to name a few, the delivery of humour has to be one of the ways that illustration in particular can grab an audience’s attention.
2 - We remember visuals much better than we remember plain text. Illustration has the power to communicate complex ideas into digestible and approachable visuals. In doing so, illustration can help audiences understand advanced information and abstract themes.
3 - Illustration is also a very natural partner to animation and with digital media the dominant platform, motion is another way to bring a campaign to life.
4 - Illustration is a powerful way to assert your brand authenticity. There is an artisanal quality to the work created by many of our painters and print-makers that commands a level of respect - there are no clever filters to hide behind when your tool is a brush or a blade. What could be more authentic than working closely with an artist to bring your brand to life?
From enhancing your brand story and asserting your authenticity, to communicating complex themes and uniting communities, we can all agree just how powerful illustration can be!
So if you’ve got a project on the boil and need some inspiration be sure to check out our website and Instagram or why not get started now by dropping us an email at info@centralillustration.com!
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