The Magic of Illustrations in Digital Products: Perspectives and benefits
In an increasingly saturated digital world, illustrations emerge as an essential element in the design of digital products. In this article I will explain how illustrations not only enrich the user experience, but also offer a significant differential within business models.
The benefits of illustration
Communication through stories
Illustrations play a crucial role in the storytelling of a digital product, as they are used to guide users and make product communication more intuitive. An example is the use of illustrations in the onboarding of an app, where the functionalities and benefits of the product are shown in a visual way. This approach helps users to quickly and easily understand how to use the product with a minimum of effort, easing the task and minimizing the downtime when onboarding new users.
More human digital products
Everything enters through the eyes and what we see provokes sensations. As much as we may choose a product for its functionalities, we are much more likely to empathize with what is visually appealing and friendly, and illustrations have the power to generate an emotional connection that goes beyond what stock images can achieve, since they are thought from the beginning for a specific functionality that will generate a specific feeling. For example, imagine a success screen without an illustration congratulating you for completing the flow or a 404 error without a little robot fixing a pc... These elements help create a more human and empathetic experience, bringing the product closer to the user in a more personal and attractive way.
Stand out from the rest
As we said at the beginning, in a saturated market, illustrations help a product stand out. A proprietary illustration system allows a product to clearly differentiate itself from its competitors, even when the overall design is similar. Illustrations act as the “perfume” (as we like to say in Paisanos) that makes a product stand out from the rest and makes it feel unique and memorable.
Bank images vs. own illustrations. Which one for each case
The choice between illustrations and stock images for a digital product can have a significant impact on its design and functionality. Illustrations give us a flexibility and variety in styles, moods and tones that stock images cannot match. This customization capability allows for a more accurate representation aligned with the product's identity, adapting to your specific needs and offering a more unique and authentic form of communication.
In terms of accessibility and usability, illustrations have an undeniable advantage: their ability to overcome language barriers. In a global context, where users may speak different languages, illustrations allow messages to be conveyed in a universal way, facilitating product understanding without the need for text, which is crucial for improving accessibility and the overall user experience.
However, it is not a matter of choosing between illustrations and photographs as one or the other; in reality, the decision may depend on the context and the design objective. Illustrations are often more effective in playful or artistic contexts, and allow for personalization that can be closely aligned with the visual identity of the product. This does not mean that they should replace photographs, but rather that each resource has its place and can be combined effectively according to the needs of the project.
Here's how we do it
The process of creating for a client begins with a thorough understanding of the project, including:
- The industry
- The target audience
- The desired tone of communication
- The specific needs of the product are also taken into account. For example, if there is a need to generate subtle accompanying images or attention-grabbing lead images.
With this information in hand, we move forward with the creation of moodboards and sketches, exploring styles and compositions, which allow us to define the visual direction before moving on to final production. This approach ensures that the illustrations will be accurate and suitable for application in the product afterwards.
And as we know, every project is different and presents unique challenges, from technical complexity to visual storytelling. That is why it is so important for us that the design and illustration area works together with the UX/UI teams and developers to ensure that the illustrations are correctly integrated into the final product, meeting the technical requirements and improving the user experience.
An extra: the use of AI... is it ok?
While AI-generated illustrations have been trending topic lately and there is a general fear among some people in the industry that AI will replace the human creator, the reality is that these changes only enhance and optimize the way illustrations and daily tasks are created, allowing creatives to devote more time to innovation and creation.
Being able to use these tools to our advantage allows us to be more versatile, more agile and at the same time to expand the range of proposals that we can generate as illustrators. Technology advances at a speed that we can't even imagine, however, there is something of the sensitivity of the artist, of creating something tailor made, of the craftsmanship of the work of the human professional, that will never lose its magic.
