Illustration Design Process
Every illustration work is unique. So, we treat each client without assuming their context, use-case and future plans. Here’s how we approach it:
1. Understanding the context
Every project starts with understanding what type of illustrations you need and why.
The illustrations may be a part of a children’s story or a brand requirement or something else—we need to know the details to understand the full context. For example:
- Where will the illustrations be used: digital, print or both?
- What size and format they need to be?
- Will they be character-based? With defined traits and expressions?
Depending on the type of work, we try to understand such details. By the end of this step, we list out the overall ideas and known elements of the project.
2. Gathering inspiration and setting direction
Once we understand the overall context, we gather ideas that shape your vision. For example, if you’re the author of the children’s book, you may want to walk us through the script and highlight the parts that you want us to draw to life. You may want to share your favourite illustrations from other books. Those kind of things.
We also collect all reference material you can provide: story script, brand guidelines, science concepts, product copy…everything directly related to your illustration work. Such full context inspires illustrators. They can capture subtle details and make the illustrations truly unique and authentic for you.
By the end of this step, we’re ready to draft some initial sketches.
3. Creating draft copies
Based on our discussions and reference materials, we create rough sketches focusing on:
- Layout
- Perspective
- Style (ink, pencil, pastel, watercolour, black&white etc.)
Once we finalize draft sketches, we work on choosing colour palette for them. Colours play a crucial role in setting the right tone and emotions, so we colourize the draft sketches with 2-3 different options for your review.
With these coloured draft sketches, we work together to finalize samples as template copies. Illustrators will use them as reference to create the rest of the illustrations.
4. Finalizing the illustrations
Since we would be working together through our dedicated workspace, you’ve had multiple opportunities to review and refine the illustrations throughout the process. At this stage, we finalize with any last small adjustments and deliver the finished files in the agreed format.
That’s how our process looks like.
Want us to design your illustrations? Apply here and we’ll be in touch with the next steps in a business day:
This service is governed by our terms and conditions, you may want to have a look at them.
Do you still have questions? That’s understandable. Write to us!Click to copy email Thanks for all the support, have a great day!
PS: Looking for just illustration critique and similar advisory? See our Navigator Services instead, they might be more useful to you.