Art has been present all throughout history. It has been used to tell stories and spread messages. Illustrations have been traced back as far as ca.15,000 B.C. in Lascaux, France. They were used to tell stories of important events that were happening during that period of history. The painting has popped up all over the world.
One of the earliest examples was the “Hall of Bulls.” This was a large series of early cave paintings in the expansive Caves of Lascaux made of materials like charcoal and ocher. It featured a variety of animals and human figures with abstract dots and lines. Visitors still go to see a replica of the original cave today.
But what makes illustrations like this so appealing? Neuroscientists have actually been looking into this for several years. Studies have found that looking at art triggers a release of dopamine in the brain—the “feel-good” hormone. This creates feelings of happiness and satisfaction. This is known as the “biochemical” reason why our brains love art and custom illustrations.
Our brains are also much faster at processing images than text. Recent studies have found that our brains process images 60,000 times more quickly than words. In fact, only about 10% of the information our brain takes in isn’t visual. Our brains can recognize familiar objects in just 100 milliseconds and unfamiliar images in just 13 milliseconds.
Custom Illustrations Today
We may not be painting on cave walls anymore, but custom illustrations are still as important now as ever. One thing that hasn’t changed is that custom illustrations are still a major form of communication. We still use images to capture our audience’s attention and use different colors and styles to invoke different emotions. This is why so many businesses today use custom illustrations in their brand strategies.
Luckily, we are beyond the imitations of earth-tone colors like in the early years of illustration where charcoal, ochre, chalk soil, and animal fat were all that was available as a medium. The colors used in custom illustrations today are as important as the picture itself.
Designers use different colors to add to the emotions and feelings associated with their work. For example, when we hear the word “McDonald’s,” one of the first images we likely get in our heads is the golden arches, thick white lettering, and bright red colors. When we hear the word “recycling,” we likely quickly think of the green triangular symbol with three arrows pointing to one another. Both of these examples are universally recognized.
Custom illustrations add an image to the brand and make it much easier to recognize, and it isn’t just logos. Data shows that social media with visuals get up to 650% more engagement than those without it. For reading material, adding a compelling graphic increases the chances that the reader will interact with the post by 80%. This is why it is so important to incorporate compelling illustrations into your branding. But how do you create one that works for your brand?
Creating Your Own Custom Illustrations for Your Brand
It may be tempting just to take a generic royalty-free stock image off of the internet from a popular website like Shutterstock or Getty Images. These images are fine to use. However, they do not have the same impact as custom illustrations.
Custom illustrations give you the opportunity to shape the image of your brand. You can choose any colors, style aesthetic, and visual tone. You can create custom images with anything you want in them. These customizations are what allow you to make your brand stand out.
A Venngage study looking at the most successful types of visuals found that 43% of respondents reported that original illustrations were their best performing (the highest of the list). Comparatively, 39% of respondents said stock photos were the worst performing (the lowest on the list).
This is because stock photos do not have the same authenticity and message alignment that custom illustrations do. Sometimes, these images look too generic or staged. Or sometimes, there is one that just isn’t the right fit.
How Custom Illustrations Are Done at Flocksy
Flocksy has a large team of talented custom illustrators who bring clients’ visions to life. Each creative works directly with the client to create illustrations customized to their branding. Clients simply submit a project request—this could be a simple concept or a detailed brief—and the illustrators begin working on their projects.
We offer a very interactive experience. All creatives send regular updates as the project is being worked on, and unlimited revisions are allowed to be requested. This is how creatives ensure they are creating content that is exactly what the client has in mind.
Our custom illustration work goes way beyond the capabilities of stock photos. Designs can be cartoon, semi-realistic, or realistic. When they are complete, they are returned to the client in Adobe Illustrator files, Photoshop files, PDFs, PNGs, JPEGs, and EPS files—whatever works best for them.
Once the design is signed off on, it is completely up to the client what to do with that illustration next. These illustrations include avatars, characters, mascots, infographics, social media illustrations, product illustrations, storybook illustrations, and the list goes on. All of the artwork is 100% original. This means you won’t have seen it before, and you won’t see it again.
Learn more about Flocksy’s custom illustration services and other solutions, like graphic design work, copywriting, motion graphics, video editing, web development, and more.