Using Illustrations in designs and sharing free design resources — AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Katerina Limpitsouni.
The 6th edition of Adobe XD Nigeria AMA (Ask Me Anything) held on the 2nd of November, 2019.
Introduction
Almost every website and app today has illustrations. Some free, some paid for, some custom made. Today, we have the amazing Katerina Limpitsouni, creator of Undraw to tell us fascinating things about illustrations and how they affect our designs/products in today’s modern world. For those who do not know Undraw, it is the best free open-source illustration library on the web with over 900 illustrations available.
Hi Katerina Limpitsouni thank you for being with us today. The house is yours. Please tell us a bit about yourself, what illustrations are, what got you into illustration, and how has that journey been for you? Please we know the rules, there will be time for questions.
Katerina Limpitsouni
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for this opportunity to get together and I’m honored to be invited to this chat with all of you, today.
I have been a graphic designer for almost a decade, but more specifically focused on illustration for about 5–6 years now. I live in Greece and work as an independent illustrator remotely and for the past two years, I have been also working on unDraw.
That sums up my professional life! Other than that, I love video games, movies and TV series, which now that I list here, are probably why I chose illustration and why I should find some more active hobbies that don’t involve screens! Haha!
The journey has been pretty amazing thus far! I’ve seen myself progressing, learning even when I thought that I knew everything and met awesome people that I never thought I’d meet, like some of you guys!
Standard practices in using Illustrations
The most important problem I’ve noticed throughout my career this far, is that people usually tend to overuse illustrations. As a result, designs look overloaded and really heavy on the eyes.
Of course, it depends on the kind of illustrations but for most of the cases, using an illustration per visual part of the page seems more than enough. What I mean is that when you use one on your landing’s hero section for example, usually you shouldn’t follow with any more directly afterward. Even if you have to add visual elements, icons seem like a better choice.
That’s a really common problem as it makes designs look bloated, so I had to bring it up first! Another important consideration is the overall style of the design of which illustrations are a part of. Most people don’t understand what designers do, and think that illustrations should be universal and fit in every project. That’s also a problem that initially dealt with unDraw but adjusting and using illustrations that match the overall style of the design is a must.
Another pretty standardized practice is using illustrations in specific areas of web design. So usually a landing/marketing page, empty states, error/404 cases, and on-boarding flows are the best places to utilize illustrations.
Getting a bit deeper into this, I think the most effective designs are the ones that content, style, and illustrations are combined in a more clever way to convey a metaphoric, instead of the anticipated message. That’s why 404 pages are usually the most creative place for this kind of delightful design!
A final thought on best practices that comes to mind and maybe is unnecessary to mention but you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve seen this, is the simplicity of the illustration. Over-use of colours or over-the-top illustrations may seem great online or on Dribbble but in the context of a final design usually, are distracting. Illustrations are most successful when they add to the delightfulness of the product and usually disappoint when you base your design only on them.
Questions and responses
Question 1 — Thanks, Katerina. I’m a heavy user of your illustrations (undraw). I want to ask how long does it take you to complete an illustration.
Answer — I am so happy to hear that! Nowadays, I’ve gotten the hang of it and it was really difficult to balance client work and unDraw but I’ve gotten it down to 1h to complete a single unDraw illustration.
Question 2 — When working on a design project or product, do you do a form of research before hitting the drawing board to create illustrations?
Answer — Yes! For client projects, I usually assign at least a week to research the style, the overall feel of their design and their goals. I know people think illustrations are all the same, and many times it is, but you do have to research and specify the goals and framework for each project. Of course, most clients don’t get that and are in a hurry but you have to do your work properly and that’s what I try!
Question 3 — What tool do you use for your illustrations, is it illustrator or what?
Answer — I use Adobe Illustrator but lately I’ve been using XD too, to create. icons
Question 4 — As a beginner in graphics design I realised I am better with using illustrator than Photoshop, I would love to know how I can improve on both without neglecting one for another.
Answer — That’s a tough one and I don’t know if you should try to improve on both simultaneously. Just pick one and perfect your design process. Tools are just to enable that! You can move on to the other when you want to speed things up or try if it would be easier.
Question 5 — Thanks Katerina for joining us today, I enjoy using your illustration and it’s about my favorite plugin on XD.
Do you have a forum where you’re suggested what to illustrate or you just come up with them?
Answer — I’m so happy to hear that! No, I don’t. Initially, when we were creating unDraw we thought to add something like that, but the whole purpose was to freestyle it and relax while designing. But if you want something, you can reach out on Twitter and I will find the time for you!
Question 6 — Being someone who has done a lot of work on illustrations, what are the best tools needed to complete an illustration. Like would you recommend a Wacom pen over an apple pencil? Or fresco over procreate?
Answer — I personally love the mouse! I use Apple Pencil and Adobe Fresco/Procreate but mostly for art and not website illustrations as they turn out either too artistic (Fresco) or a bit fake looking (Procreate).
Question 7 — Thanks for the awesome introduction!!!
1. What inspires you to create the illustrations?
2. Why did you decide to undertake such a big project and put it out for free?
Answer — Glad you liked it! Inspiration comes from every-day life but since I kinda worked on everything I wanted to draw for the past 2 years, I often turn to analytics to see what people are searching for and need.
When I started unDraw, I didn’t know it would become that huge… To be honest, I thought it would be a personal side-project that could provide value in a few years! The reason was that I was frustrated to keep work rejected by clients hidden and wanted to share it for whoever needed it and would use it. How it turned out, was surprising for me and still is!
I also didn’t know it would be a daily routine for me, even when I had client projects! It’s funny but I created unDraw to keep working between projects and now I work on both all the time!!! Haha
Question 8 — What do you look out for in the client brief to determine a good direction for the illustration?
Answer — I ask for the design and any design system they have established to provide context. It’s a must since the illustrations are only part of the whole design and I cannot make these decisions on my own.
Question 9 — What experience would you say Illustration gives in contrast with the use of images, and in what projects would you feel use of illustrations asides from a “404 page” would be of best?
Answer — I think that because access to photos is easier, designs that use illustrations give a more detailed feel and that makes the end-users trust more the website. Aside from 404 and error pages, onboarding flows and empty states are also a perfect place. And of course, landing pages!
Question 10 — Does one need to be an artist or have an experience of art before one can create illustrations?
Answer — I don’t think it’s a prerequisite… If you like it and want to learn and practice it, you can start creating illustrations. In a way, it’s just like design. Anyone can do it and learning+practice+talent will decide how good you can become. For example Alice Lee was not an artist from what I know but a developer who through design became one of the most well-known illustrators in the design scene.
Question 11 — Creating various illustrations with different styles not to make your projects look the same feel so much, what would you say is your inspiration in creating and what advice do you have for a creative block especially on the use of colours for illustrations in making it look simple yet “fire”?
Answer — oh that’s a tough one! I constantly find myself retreating to the most common styles I design, even when I want to create something different. A good way to fight against that is to set a design system for the illustrations and try to restrict yourself within that and not stray away. I think that’s why designers invented the design systems and it has the exact same application on illustration sets too. But it’s easier said than done! Right?
Question 12 — When you come across illustrations by other designers, are there standard things you look out for? For example, the use of space.
Answer — Never thought of it but I’ll try to answer my best! I think what I look are common elements with my style, what main decisions they made(shadows, lines, etc,) and the palette they chose… Usually, I think that I try to understand why they made several decisions I would not make and end up admiring them when they look great! Haha.
Question 13 — What are the learning materials for an illustrator? and
What is the career path like?
Answer — A common mistake is that people are stopped by the thought of learning a tool perfectly… The learning process is simultaneous improvement on many fronts: tooling, process, and knowledge of art/history of design. I think it’s the same for web and graphic designers, but there is no end to learning and trying to improve.
The career path is rocky at best since illustrators are usually underpaid and their role used to be limited and not easily recognised. I think that’s changed the past years and the whole profession is on the rise, thankfully! I know a lot of talented illustrators that were looking for projects and were replaced by much cheaper stock options but lately, I’ve noticed that clients are starting to invest in design as a whole! Which is great news for all of us!!!
That’s why I never wanted unDraw to become a stock illustration website and kept designing each one myself, not opening it up or trying to fill positions that talented creatives would work on.
Question 14 — Do you presently run undraw alone or you’ve got others working with you. If you have others with you, besides a design system, what other ways do you get them to align with your vision and overall style?
Answer — I am the sole illustrator and pretty much run it myself but with the help of Aggelos Gesoulis who is a developer and helps to create whatever is needed. That’s because I want to keep it personal and open without having to turn it in a startup ever.
Question 15 — Speaking of career paths, what are your thoughts on young designers being generalists or specialists in the early stage of their careers?
Answer — That's an excellent question and although I have an opinion, I'm not 100 % convinced it's the right one. Being a generalist at a young age, for me, seems reasonable because you don't know what you actually like without trying different things. I believe that young designers have to experiment and carve their own paths before becoming specialists.
Question 16 — You mentioned not having plans of turning Undraw into a startup ever. What then are your plans for Undraw?
Answer — To be honest, I’m struggling with that and I’m trying to keep it a personal project that will keep helping creatives! Lately, there have been acquisition offers and partnerships but they don’t feel right or beneficial and I love how unDraw impacts and is a part of the design community, so we’ll see how it turns out!!!
Question 17 — Have you been able to taste Nigerian Jollof?
Answer — Not yet!!! But have seen it in cook shows and it is described as “The Bomb”! Will try it someday though!!!
Question 18 — What are the benefits of sharing free resources?
Answer — To be honest, I think it depends on your expectations but from my experience, there are a lot of benefits, both internal and external. I think the biggest reward that unDraw offered me was the satisfaction that my time, effort and skills are not wasted. This alone is more than enough but there are also more benefits that are usually overlooked.
Every creative need to practice her/his skills. Waiting for clients or work to provide that opportunity is difficult and creating with the sole purpose of sharing it, is enough to motivate you and keep you working, even if you don’t see the point.
Other than motivation, practice does make perfect and repeat design/illustration or whatever, leads to amazing improvement and allows you to get comfortable with your skills.
Then there are the external benefits, which I’m sure are the first to come to mind. You don’t get opportunities without showing your work and sharing it helps to spread the word. I’ve had clients that I was proud, but through unDraw I’ve had the chance to run a Dribbble Playoff with my illustrations, which was a career highlight for me, I am able to collaborate with people I admire in Adobe and have seen my work being used by people in organisations that I could only dream of, such as Microsoft, Harvard, and many others.
That’s not to say that you should only do it for success but that by improving, helping and sharing with others your work, you are maximising your chances of being discovered. Of course, a common mistake that I’ve noticed with unDraw is that people usually see an idea and just want to copy it, as it is. Even experienced designers do that mistake. That’s a sure way to fail and get into the wrong mindset, following what others do and trying to keep up with them, instead of evolving your skills.
To conclude, there are huge benefits to sharing your work, my advice would be to try it and to think about the way you want and afford to do it. It could be a simple design in an XD file, a full UI Kit, a detailed Case Study or whatever but the important part is to do it for yourself and your internal goals.
Question 19 — I just recalled, in one of your Medium posts, it says “MIT licensed”. What exactly does this mean with regards to your work with Undraw?
Answer — we had to change it from the MIT license since that was a bit vague and allowed someone to copy unDraw and my work as a whole. The purpose was to enable creatives to use the illustrations in both personal and client projects, without cost or attribution. MIT license was a symbol of that and since SVG images are practically code, we adopted that license. With time we amended the license to further explain that it is Open-Source for actual users and not people looking to copy unDraw as a site, which was not only my work but Aggelos Gesoulis’ as well.
That’s another unexpected thing I learned by sharing my work freely! Most people appreciate it and actually use it, but there are a few who want to profit off it and think they should take advantage of you. It was actually a reason I think of stopping unDraw but it would be unfair to so many people who truly need it
An example of this was a guy selling my illustrations on Shutterstock. That was frustrating as he was charging people for my work and for something they should have available for free.
Question 20 — What is your design toolset like?
Answer — Nothing special… The traditional Adobe Illustrator is more than enough to experiment, trace, and design but since I bought an iPad I keep playing around with Procreate and Fresco! But I wouldn’t dare switch from Illustrator! Oh forgot XD for icons since it’s so much faster and cleaner!
Question 21 — Sometimes it’s easy to lose motivation and get some designs over with especially for me? How do you stay motivated throughout a design course?
Answer — That’s a problem not just for young but for every designer, I think… Maybe you don’t find it challenging enough or you take on too much? Try limiting the goals and do the minimum completed you can, so you can build on it… I think when we undertake projects as a whole, it seems never-ending, but if you break it down, in smaller tasks or rounds(sprints) it could improve your motivation and give you rewarding feelings to complete it. I hope that helps!
Rounding up
Question 22 — Before we go, any final words?
Answer — I hope it was useful and I didn’t fail your expectations! It was great for me and really loved being here with you today! Even as Nne! Haha.
But more seriously, don’t pay attention to what anyone says about your design skills, don’t mind the Dribbble/Design Twitter and keep designing what you want to design. Design is becoming global and rising so things are changing and opportunities are more open that ever.
Katerina Limpitsouni, our Nne of Illustrations, our Nneka…
Thank you so much for your time and knowledge today. AdobeXd Nigeria loves and appreciates you for all the illustrations you make available to us. Sadly, this is the end of our AMA session for today. For anyone who wants to reach out to Katerina Limpitsouni or follow her, you can do so on https://twitter.com/NinaLimpi
Big thanks to Katerina for taking the time to share with us, you can also be part of the next AMA by joining the community on Slack (http://bit.ly/AdobeXD-Nigeria).
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