Upon the unveiling of Achieve's rebrand, it became evident that a crucial element of the brand's visual identity was absent—illustrations. Teams within the organization resorted to employing stock imagery or crafting their own visuals for various marketing, digital product, and corporate communication endeavors. This fragmented approach led to a lack of uniformity, narrative coherence, and alignment with the brand's core values.
As the Senior Visual Designer, my responsibilities extended beyond shaping the stylistic direction of our illustration system and offering both technical and aesthetic guidance. I also oversaw project timelines, secured approval from high-level stakeholders, and facilitated the integration of a freelance illustrator into our team to expand our library. Working within a diverse cross-departmental team at Achieve, I played a pivotal role in breaking down previous barriers to collaboration. Historically, the company had struggled to establish cohesive illustration libraries due to a fragmented approach, with different teams (brand, product design, marketing) working independently without considering the broader creative needs of the organization.
Recognizing the importance of collaboration, I brought together a compact yet dynamic team comprising designers from various departments—product design, brand, marketing, and corporate communications. By doing so, we ensured that our illustration system addressed the diverse requirements of teams throughout the company.
The journey of our illustration style began with the initial use of stock clip art on the Freedom Financial Website prior to its transformation into Achieve. Following the rebranding, we adopted an interim style, which I personally crafted. Subsequently, through extensive collaboration spanning several months, we refined and solidified the definitive illustration style for Achieve.
The creation of the new illustration style was a collaborative effort that engaged stakeholders from various departments within the company. This initiative harmonized documentation and procedural standards across the brand, marketing, and product design teams. The process comprised the following steps:
1. Kickoff: The collaborative process begins with a kickoff meeting to set the stage.
2. Audit: We conduct an audit to assess existing assets and gather insights.
3. Mood Boarding: Mood boards are created to explore visual directions and themes.
4. Concepting: Ideas are generated and concepts are developed based on the mood boards.
5. Feedback: Stakeholders provide feedback to refine and iterate on the concepts.
6. User Research: User research is conducted to ensure alignment with audience preferences and needs.
7. Establishing the House Style: The finalized style direction is established, defining key visual elements.
8. Systematizing: The style is systematized and guidelines are created to ensure consistency and scalability.