Developing the corporate illustration style for Kaspersky Lab
Information technology is a rather abstract concept and it can be hard to choose visuals for it. Then — there is IT security, which is even more abstract in terms of visual language. This is why we needed a handy tool to create visual explanations for our complex products and services, while also channeling brand values and character — innovation, expertise and a friendly, human approach. We also needed to think about communications globally — so that various designers and creative partners around the world could apply our signature style and make all communications visually consistent.
Taking this into account brand illustration style and demonstration of its implementation and evolution with the broadest range of examples seemed to be solution. Having a tool-kit with simple, readymade elements for illustrations was also a benefit.
Kaspersky Lab didn’t have any illustration style before. Our illustrations were diverse and not aligned, so we had to start from scratch. The initial brief included developing signature traits of all corporate illustrations and setting rules for their use in special guidelines. The brief also included creating a key character, additional characters with options of various emotions, graphic elements of settings in interiors and outdoors as well as infographics. In other words, the goal was to create an entire visual world with a signature look and its own rules. In order to do that we partnered with studio «Thoughtform» for this project and started cracking.
Visual Research
Before getting started we conducted design research. We looked what the trends in modern illustration are and decided that it was extremely important for us to escape the trends as we wanted to create something clean, precise and something that would have a contemporary feel for at least the next 5 years.
Based on research and our conclusions we made several test illustrations. It was a series showing how the same illustration plot would work in different graphic styles. We landed on a combination of options one and three, with whole-color blocks with the use of occasional textures and contour illustration. These may look like the most popular and trendy style of illustration today, but wait for it.
Creating the character
Along with creating the main visual direction we worked on defining the traits of the main character in the illustrations. In the first stage of our work the following character concept was developed (see below). This was a sketch on the topic of time-saving automated processes built into the company’s products for the convenience of customers.
Then we moved on to working on the character’s face traits. We developed several options in different styles based on visual research of trending animated characters. Eventually we chose the illustration style with the partial use of sharp angles.
We also worked on the forms comprising the overall shape of the character. This was a milestone, because the choices we made would define how we would draw other characters and visual elements, and how our brand would be perceived.
Through defining face traits, lines and forms, we got our final version of the character. The archetype and general perception are of an open, present-day guy, office-worker, laid-back but with a good ability to concentrate when necessary, happy with his work, proactive, an enthusiast. We wanted the character to convey a certain mood and be funny, charming or attractive in different contexts. You could say the character resembles a number of the company’s employees, especially the red pants part.
Kaspersky Lab provides products and services to clients of different ages and to all family members. That’s why the new communications system had to include characters of different ages.
Since the characters are to be animated, we gave each one a range of face emotions — from pure happiness to moments of sadness.
To support the global range of our communication and the diversity it needs we created characters of different ethnic backgrounds.
Color palette
We drew up the primary color palette and signature colors priority rules for the guidelines. The key recognizable brand colors are green and red. Red was too dominating, so we replaced it with a more neutral coral. We offered ready-made semi-tone color combinations to be used for creating a 3D effect in the aesthetic of a Flat-style illustration. After a few tests and friendly discussion with the product design team we offered additional shades of color in order to create volume and clarity in our images.
The Style elements
So when collected all elements above we understood that we need something to stand out, something that will make our illustrations unique. Our brand is unique in its expertise, and we are endlessly сomitted to our work and never compromise when it comes to cyber safety. That’s why we needed to visually and metaphorically express our company’s diligence in project conception, planning, tests and all the stages of our work as true professionals. The result is a number of key style elements that make our illustrations unique and so ‘us’. We tried out technological and geometrical feels, produced a range of options and discussed every detail, up to consistency in line width, shifts in color balance, etc. Along with the work on creating the character we looked for decorative visual elements and signature objects that would form his surrounding.
We came down to the following core visual elements:
1. The circle putting extra focus on the character or the key plot.
2. The borders of the illustration marked by contour lines.
3. Some of the visual elements having footnotes assigned to them, resembling the style of an encyclopedia or scientific publication.
4. Some background objects filled with a texture made up of diagonal lines. The same texture is applied to floors in illustrations with interiors.
The perspective
Every illustration serves the purpose of delivering a message to the viewer. Secondary visual objects can’t attract too much attention. So next we had to form rules on how objects interrelate in an illustration and what color palettes mark central, secondary and background objects. These are rules for composition and color mapping, accents and secondary objects.
Storyline illustrations (hero)
For the whole range of formats the company uses, we needed three types of visuals: large-scale hero storyline illustration, mini-illustration and a product feature pictogram. After determining the core visual invariables, we moved on to hero illustrations, which tell the viewer about the advantages of the company’s products. These are the main format, so we started with working on them. While we were in the process of style development, we had a fortunate opportunity to put our solutions to practical test and to create several illustrations based on real briefs from business divisions of the company. As a result, we got a great ad campaign out of it targeting small business.
We also worked out options to adapt illustrations for various formats — city to digital. Below you can see that the green color is the main brand identity code, and it can serve the additional purpose of creating a visual ‘bridge’, fitting illustrations into advertisement or interface formats which already have similar color shades in them.
Color of background
Since the illustrations were developed to be used in various formats and visual contexts, we needed to create solutions for modifying the core visual elements to adapt them for different user cases. For example, a city format like a poster or a billboard can convey a specific message, or serve as an attention magnet, so it needed a bright color for background. We selected four primary background colors — white, gray, green, and black.
Animation
We developed a test animated illustration to see how visual elements move around and interact with characters and visual context.
Additional design elements
It can be said we created parts of a specific ‘design construction kit’ that would be used to easily put together corporate illustrations. A collection of readymade secondary and background objects consists of a number of interior objects, outdoor objects, and transport samples. The design construction kit is useful to our designers and partners — they can quickly put together illustrations and narrative that they need. This is a time and money saver that helps to keep our look and feel.
Mini-illustrations (spot)
The next step was to create product mini-illustrations. The company has a lot of products and each illustration had to be a visual of the product function and user experience. We did a lot of tests to find the right visual for each product icon. The product design team ran some qualitative tests of the user experience with product illustrations, which helped us catch some problems with developed images: decorative elements and color choices gave the icons additional meaning we didn’t really need. We had to go through several modifications to be able to both keep the décor and send a clear message. The new illustrations add the brand look and feel to all interfaces and are a great tool to clearly explain how to use specific product functions or instruments.
We also made a number of illustrations showing only the user’s hands interacting with different devices. Such images are constantly used in video guides for the company’s products.
Product feature icons
A special selection of pictograms is used to highlight specific features of products. The pictograms are all diamond-shaped with the lower angle the same as in the hexagonal shape used in product icons. The main graphic element is a mini-symbol depicting the product feature.
Contour line width
For the consistent feel, we developed a systematic ratio for scaling contour width in narrative illustrations, mini-illustrations and product icons.
Infographics
Ultimately, we developed a system of statistics and analytics visualization. The infographic samples were created based on the selected color palettes and core visual elements.
The result
We put the result of our work into a 40-page manual with detailed guidelines on style elements, rules, and logic of using them. The guidelines also include an image library with all readymade visual elements that can be used without divergence from the overall style, no matter what illustrator works on the visuals, or which country the regional office is in. The company will benefit from this greatly in time and costs of visual materials for years on.
It usually takes a while to implement a corporate illustration style in a big company, but we managed to get many teams in sync and our new illustration style is already used in many visual materials — consumer products designs, the website, videos and ads — the same year it was created. Our image library already has several hundred readymade visual objects and their number continues to grow fast.
Project team
Kaspersky Lab in-house Brand Design team
Creative director: Nikita Morozov
Art-direction, design and animation: Roman Mironov, Evgeniya Pletneva, Stepan Kukharev, Product Design team
Thoughtform, Inc
Art-direction and Design: Ilia Kalimulin
Illustration: Oleg Beresnev, Dmitriy Schtolz
Animation: Oleg Beresnev
