Behind the Screens: Visualising Our Narrative with Illustrations
Written by Nisrina, Visual Designer
The Power of Illustrations
Illustrations are excellent at reimagining ideas in an engaging and dynamic way, especially when words aren’t enough to express a concept. From print ads to the digital era, illustrations have long been an indispensable part of promoting products and reinforcing brand values.
In recent years, we see them become increasingly popular amongst big players like Google, Facebook, Dropbox, Uber, and more, as these companies aim to strengthen their respective brand identities through unique styles of their own.
As a growing multinational e-commerce company, it is also imperative for Shopee to build such a system to bolster our visual consistency and brand recall.
The Problem
Before we looked further into the different approaches, we had to first identify the problem by asking ourselves these questions:
- Why should there be an illustration guideline for Shopee?
- Why don’t we create every image as needed?
Problem 1: Inconsistency
Based on what we gathered from earlier employer branding collaterals, Shopee had explored many different styles in various channels. And the lack of consistency was particularly striking to us.
With a guideline, we can make sure every part of the illustration remains consistent. There will also be no second-guessing for designers if we set specific rules when creating new visuals.
Problem 2: Inefficiency
Illustrating from ground zero without source materials can be time-consuming. A designer spends approximately 3–5 hours researching and designing to produce a single scene. Therefore, establishing a system and library can save them time and help them become more efficient.
Plan Overview
As with every design project, setting the scene is critical before getting into the main plot. We initiated our plan by defining our style first. We did this by taking references from our brand personality, “Simple, Happy, Together”. After which, we built the guideline and library.
Once those materials were in place, we promoted their usage to the local teams. The local designers could then localise them and produce visuals more relevant to their audience based on our guideline.
Process Breakdown
1. Searched for references (internal and external)
We performed a thorough audit of all the current states of illustrations used by Shopee in the past and discovered many different styles used across the region.
While we understand and respect the localisation effort from local teams, it is also crucial to maintain a consistent style globally for better brand recall. We did not create the guideline to replace their illustrations but to build a deeper bond with our audience through familiarity.
We also researched brands such as Google, Airbnb, Uber, Gojek, Dropbox, just to name a few, to learn how they communicate their identities. We compared design keywords in every brand and took references on the structure and content to build our guideline.
2. Referenced our brand personality: Simple, Happy, Together
We used these three keywords as our core foundation to develop our style while incorporating other supporting keywords like fun, innocent, modern, youthful, and vibrant.
We always start design projects with a mood board to help clarify the often abstract initial direction. In this instance, we created a mood board based on the references extracted from the keywords stated to determine our illustrations’ overall look.
3. Determined our direction: Simple, Scalable, Inclusive
a. Simple. We wanted our illustrations to be simple and straightforward.
b. Scalable. We wanted to give designers enough freedom to create, use and customise illustrations easily.
c. Inclusive. We wanted our illustrations to include different skin colours, body types, and cultural metaphors. They should represent the diversity in Southeast Asia and Latin America, expressing happiness and togetherness within the Shopee brand.
4. Define our style
a. Simple
As most of the illustrations will be displayed on-screen, we wanted to make them as simple as possible to avoid visual fatigue. So we created objects based on structured geometric shapes and refrained from excessively using organic shapes.
We also minimised intricate details and complicated backgrounds to help the audience focus their attention on the primary object. Additionally, we wanted to avoid making the elements appear too small and cluttered when viewed on smaller screens. Hence, we decided to do away with unnecessary decorative elements.
b. Scalable
We envisioned a system where designers can easily customise components to suit their varying illustration needs. By referring to the principles discussed in Atomic Design Methodology by Brad Frost, we were able to apply them to illustrations, too.
Here’s an example of how we used the same hand component on two different characters. We also thought about providing other components to allow designers to pick the parts they want when building their character.
c. Inclusive
We tried to be mindful when creating the characters, ensuring that we show inclusivity in our designs. We provided various body types and skin colours to represent people of all ethnic backgrounds from Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Small Details Matter
A set of individual objects was also included in the library. We adapted the style from our Shopee logo to evoke a fun and youthful vibe and align them with our icon system.
5. Creating the guideline and expanding it into a library
We listed all the possible rules, reviewed existing designs and thought about the parts we could improve.
We also added character components such as hands, face, and body to the library. These components make it easier for designers to pick the desired pieces and create their customised character.
With all those materials, we then expanded them to various scenarios and illustrations for employer branding and marketing.
The Result
As of today, Shopee Illustration Library provides more than 150 assets, primarily for employer branding. We also regularly update it as per the requests from different teams. Users can easily download the file and customise it by adhering to our guideline.
In the long run, we plan to provide branded assets and service/tools to enhance efficiency further and empower local teams to contribute to our library. But for now, we’re just glad to see our illustrations used extensively on corporate communication materials internally and externally.
We look forward to updating you with more exciting projects. So stay tuned!
Shopee is the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Shopee connects shoppers, brands and sellers across Asia and other fast-growing markets, empowering anyone to buy and sell anywhere and at any time.
Shopee offers an easy, secure, and engaging experience that is enjoyed by millions of people daily. It offers a wide product assortment, supported by integrated payments and logistics, as well as popular entertainment features tailored for each market. Shopee is also a key contributor to the region’s digital economy with a firm commitment to helping brands and entrepreneurs succeed in e-commerce.
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