Illustration & Iconography

Custom Artwork & Iconography

Creating original illustrations and icon systems that bring unique visual personality to digital products, editorial content, and brand experiences—combining artistic craft with functional design.

Role: Illustrator · Icon Designer
Custom Artwork & Iconography - Digital illustrations and icon systems
Overview
Context & impact

Custom illustration gives brands visual distinction that stock imagery can't match. I create original artwork—from playful spot illustrations to comprehensive icon systems—that enhances user experience while expressing unique brand personality.

Problem

Generic stock illustrations make every product look the same. Organizations needed custom artwork that communicated complex ideas quickly while reflecting their distinct brand voice.

  • Create illustrations that simplify complex concepts for diverse audiences.
  • Design icon systems that remain recognizable at tiny sizes (16px) while maintaining consistency.
  • Balance artistic expression with functional clarity and brand alignment.
Approach

Every illustration project began with understanding the message, audience, and context. This informed stylistic decisions about color, detail level, and visual metaphors.

  • Conducted visual exploration to establish illustration style aligned with brand personality.
  • Developed modular illustration systems with reusable elements for efficiency and consistency.
  • Created vector artwork in Adobe Illustrator ensuring infinite scalability.
  • Designed comprehensive icon sets with consistent stroke weights, corner radii, and visual metaphors.
  • Tested icons at multiple sizes to ensure clarity and legibility.
Technical Considerations

Beautiful illustrations must also be practical and performant in real-world applications.

  • Optimized SVG files for web performance, reducing file sizes by 40-60%.
  • Ensured illustrations worked in both light and dark UI modes.
  • Created accessible alternatives—every complex illustration included text descriptions.
  • Designed responsive illustrations that adapted gracefully to different viewport sizes.
  • Provided multiple export formats (SVG, PNG at 1x/2x/3x) for various use cases.
Outcome
Visual distinction Custom illustrations differentiated products in crowded markets.
Faster comprehension Well-designed icons improved navigation speed and reduced cognitive load.
Scalable systems Modular illustration frameworks supported rapid content production.