No-Bullshit Illustrations

“No-bullshit” is a golden rule at Homeday. We strive to treat our customers with respect, speak in a straight-forward & transparent manner. In short, we treat our customers how we want to be treated. No shady business.

Our visual communication must reflect those principles. But what does it mean to create no-bullshit illustrations?

Grid-based

In the soft science of no-bullshit design, grid is king. We applied the optical grid as well as the geometrical grid in the ultimate marriage of sense & sensibility.

It actually worked out very well…

Optical Grid
We created illustrations based on geometrical figures, according to the Gestalt theory, which proposes that different figures have different “visual weight”. While two-dimensional objects don’t have physical weight, they exert different forces to attract the eye. Those forces need to be balanced within a set of illustrations.

And thus spoke Thanos: “Perfectly balanced, as all things should be”

It’s also why we do not mix showing volume with frontal depiction within one illustration set. Using perspective in illustrations is tricky — their size makes it difficult since drawing with perspective takes up extra space.

Go flat or go home

Geometrical Grid

Our illustrations were created on a 10px grid within a square container of a fixed width. The elements of the icons are aligned on full pixels to make sure we can avoid problems with compression & aliasing, which basically means that the edges are not blurred when the illustration is scaled.

Naughty, naughty

We also pay special attention to the minimum gap size. The space between neighbouring elements of an illustration throughout a set should be consistent to avoid “contour sticking”.

Minimalism

Minimalism strips away visual clutter and leaves only the most relevant elements, carrying the meaning precisely & succinctly. Decorations? Begone. Complex elements? Tschüß! If it can be simpler, it probably should.

Again, the Gestalt theory is at the heart of this concept. According to the law of emergence, the whole is identified before the parts. Which means that a simple well defined object will communicate more quickly than a detailed object with a hard to recognise contour.

Character

While reducing the complexity, it’s quite easy to become bland. To lose the twinkle in the eye, give up emotion for pure function. Retaining character is a balancing act. We do not scream, but neither do we whisper.

Color
The use of colour fills determines how the illustration’s meaning is perceived. We use colour fills to point the eye to the most relevant part of the illustration. If you speak about property valuation, it’s the act of scrutiny you want to concentrate on.

It’s about the parking lot, not the car. About property valuation, not the property itself, it’s a maisonette and not a loft.

Rounded Edges
Rounded corners became more of an industry classic than a design trend. They are so appealing to our eyes as to become an obvious choice. Next time you look at this monster, you’ll have a good explanation why you don’t like it.

Yikes.

Rounded edges communicate friendliness, help lead our eyes, make information easier to process… Rounded edges for president!

Summary

No-bullshit quality in our illustrations comes from the process in which they’re created. It has a lot to do with minimalism but even more with the will to communicate honestly.

Want to join our design team and create no-bullshit features? Check out the open positions on our job page.