Illustration has become ubiquitous in modern branding and digital communications, but many companies are using it incorrectly as a quick fix to add personality to otherwise uninspired design work, according to branding expert Jono Holt from design agency Otherway. While illustration can significantly enhance a brand when used with clear intention and purpose, the current trend of applying it superficially to bland designs is missing the mark entirely.
The roots of illustration stretch back to humanity's earliest attempts at visual communication, with cave paintings serving as some of the first forms of design and advertising in human history. These ancient illustrations served practical purposes, providing directions to water sources, depicting dangerous animals in the area, or offering instructions for crafting better tools and weapons. From the very beginning, illustrations proved their value by helping people understand and navigate their world more effectively.
Today's digital landscape has transformed illustration into an omnipresent element of daily life, appearing everywhere from news broadcasts and Google interfaces to mobile banking apps like Monzo. The functionality that made cave paintings valuable thousands of years ago remains largely unchanged in modern applications. Contemporary illustrations continue to serve the same fundamental purpose of simplifying complex concepts, visualizing abstract ideas to make them more accessible, demonstrating how products function, and showing how different components work together.
The technology boom and the rise of direct-to-consumer brands have accelerated the widespread adoption of illustration across both online and offline communications. Whether consumers realize it or not, they encounter illustrations virtually around the clock in their daily interactions with digital platforms, retail environments, and media consumption. This constant exposure has created a saturated landscape where illustrations are everywhere, leading to the inevitable question of whether this ubiquity enhances or detracts from user experience.
The challenge facing brands today is distinguishing between effective illustration that serves a genuine purpose and decorative illustration that merely attempts to inject personality into otherwise unremarkable design work. Good illustration should enhance understanding, guide user behavior, or communicate complex information more clearly. When illustration is used strategically, it can strengthen brand identity while providing genuine value to the audience.
However, the current trend of using illustration as a cosmetic solution to fix boring designs represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the medium's potential. This approach treats illustration as a band-aid rather than an integral part of the communication strategy, resulting in visual noise that may actually hinder rather than help user comprehension and brand perception. As illustration continues to dominate the visual landscape, brands must carefully consider whether their use of this powerful tool truly serves their audience's needs or simply follows the latest design trends.
