Marketing illustrations are visual representations used in marketing materials. These illustrations can take various forms, including drawings, graphics, or digital artwork. They are often used to enhance the overall appeal and effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Marketing illustrations are versatile tools that are utilized in printed materials and digital advertisements. They help capture attention, communicate ideas, and create memorable and visually appealing impressions.
There are many use cases for marketing illustrations which means that there’s much that they can achieve for you. In 2023, 84 percent of communications are visual according to SAGipl. And illustrations are the most visual thing we can think of.
That’s why we’re going to take a look at 5 marketing illustration ideas from ManyPixels and see what lessons we can derive from them.
Font psychology is an important thing to consider in your designs because it can mold how your audience perceives you. With that in mind one of the use cases of marketing illustrations is in the form of typography illustrations. The above image is an example of a typography illustration done by ManyPixels. The flowy casual writing technique has aptly captured and portrayed the aesthetic of the rest of the design.
Let’s look at some advantages of using typography illustrations in your marketing material.
Typography illustrations can contribute to the overall look of a design. They can make it look much more appealing and cohesive in identity with the rest of the design like the above example.
Custom marketing illustrations in the form of typography allow you to imprint your brand identity properly. You can bend and mold the font to suit the tone of your brand.
The text above as you can see has different characteristics. With a custom typography illustration, you’re in control of drawing attention to the core message. You can do this by changing font sizes or the flow and heaviness of the strokes.
These are the types of marketing illustrations that can truly set you apart from competitors. The above typography illustration by ManyPixels is sure to set this brand apart, making it a one-of-a-kind design.
Mascots are one of the most popular types of marketing illustrations out there. As you can see from the above illustration by ManyPixels, a mascot can be designed in any way to represent the different service areas of your business.
Let’s delve into some of the other advantages of having an illustrated mascot.
Having a mascot can boost the memorability of your brand. Think KFC, Michelin, and Pringles. Seeing any of their mascots would immediately remind you of the brand.
Mascots are the best way to personify your brand values, personality, and mission. They also give you the opportunity to use your brand colors creatively.
Mascots can create emotional connections between customers and businesses. They help humanize a brand and make connecting with a brand that much easier. This in turn builds customer loyalty and trust.
Mascots are one of the most versatile marketing illustrations that you can incorporate as part of your branding. The reason is that they can be adapted to various contexts and campaigns whilst keeping your brand identity intact.
A well-designed mascot can appeal to a wide range of demographics, making it easier for the brand to connect with diverse audiences.
In competitive markets, a unique mascot can help a brand stand out from competitors and create a distinct market presence.
App illustrations are visual elements, often graphics or images, used within mobile or web applications. They help enhance user experience and convey information. They can be highly beneficial when you need to make the app more engaging, user-friendly, and visually appealing.
The above illustrations by ManyPixels are a good example of this. These illustrations seem to be created in order to present the progress of food orders to customers in an interesting way. Waiting for food is a difficult thing but with an interesting illustration like this, at least you’re distracted.
Let’s look at some other ways that you can incorporate this type of marketing illustration in your apps and the advantages that they bring.
You can use illustrations on the onboarding screens to guide users through the initial setup for the app or the introduction to it. These types of illustrations can help you explain key features and benefits in a much more effective way.
Pair up and complement your texts along with illustrations for easy navigation. Intuitive visuals will help users quickly get the hang of your app.
Instead of plain text error messages, use illustrations to make communication better. You can also provide tips to resolve issues with illustrations. This can make error handling more fun and less stressful.
Whichever way you decide to incorporate marketing illustrations in your applications, remember to maintain consistency in style and branding throughout your app’s illustrations. This will help create a cohesive and visually appealing user experience like the example of ManyPixels.
Explaining processes and features can be a daunting task when you’re limited to only using text. Illustrations can be quite handy when you have to provide these types of information. Whether it’s on a social media post, on the back of a product packaging, or on a website, illustrations can be your best option for effective communication.
Take a look at the above illustrations done by ManyPixels for a client. It explains the process for certain tasks in various forms.
Let’s take this further and have a look at a few ways you can use illustrations to explain processes and features.
Illustrated step-by-step guides or tutorials can be used to explain complex processes or features.
Infographics can be very useful when you need to convey in-depth details about processes like how a product is made or a service is offered, for example.
Use tooltips and pop-up illustrations to provide context and explanations when users hover over or tap on specific elements. This real-time guidance can enhance user understanding.
The above illustrations by ManyPixels can be categorized as lifestyle images. Depending on your industry, lifestyle images can be highly beneficial to communicate the aesthetic of your brand.
While some may opt for real-life images, you have only 2 options to go about it. Spend copious amounts of money to set up photoshoots and hire models and professional photographers or easily just use generic images from stock sites.
The former will break the bank and the latter will show you off as a mediocre brand that’s not serious about quality content. This is why custom marketing illustrations are your best option.
Let’s look at some advantages of using illustrations to portray lifestyle images.
Illustrations can be tailored to match the brand’s style and messaging, allowing for complete control over the image’s look and feel, including colors, shapes, and style.
They can help idealize and enhance the desired lifestyle, creating aspirational images that resonate with the target audience and encourage them to connect with the brand.
Illustrations can also simplify complex scenes or ideas, making them more accessible and relatable to a broader audience. They can easily help distill the essence of a lifestyle image.
They can maintain a consistent visual theme across various marketing materials and campaigns, ensuring that the lifestyle portrayed aligns with the brand’s identity every single time.
Finally, illustrations are versatile and can be easily adapted or modified to suit different demographics, cultures, or seasons, allowing for more significant appeal to diverse audiences.
In today’s fiercely competitive marketing landscape, standing out is essential. In order to succeed in standing out, marketing illustrations can be used. Because they are a powerful asset that can help your brand shine as a serious contender.
The various use cases and advantages of using marketing illustrations along with these ideas and lessons from ManyPixels should definitely convince you to integrate marketing illustrations into your strategy.