Illustration system / Confidential client since 2019

A custom illustration system built to scale for a global science and philanthropy organization. Built for inclusion.

Our longest active partnership began in 2019 with a confidential client whose work spans science, education, technology, and community. They needed a custom illustration style that could unify those wide-ranging initiatives under one cohesive visual language. It needed to represent the full diversity of the communities they serve, not as an afterthought, but as the foundation the system was built on.

We researched and developed a comprehensive framework for inclusive illustration. That meant going well beyond skin tone. We considered body weight and size, physical ability, age, hair texture, clothing, cultural background, religion, gender expression, and neurodiversity. We developed guidelines around how people interact with each other and their environments, how to break rather than reinforce stereotypes, and why to use realistic rather than abstracted skin tones. We built a bias checklist that the organization's internal teams use to evaluate every new illustration created from the system. The result is a toolkit that doesn't just look inclusive, it's designed to stay that way.

DEI Research and Framework / Bias Checklist and Usage Guidelines / Illustration Strategy / Custom Illustration System / Figma Asset Library / Brand Guidelines / Animation

Key qualities of the illustration style

Texture & Color

Because geometric forms can often feel cold and flat, we introduced halftones to add warmth and nostalgia, shadows, and depth. A limited color palette keeps illustrations cohesive and optimistic.

Geometric forms

The majority of the illustration assets are based on geometric shapes. This gives a nod to the tech and science part of the brand, and works well with the modular layouts.

A community of real people

Each illustration tells a story, and the people in it have purpose. Diversity across gender, body type, ability, sexual orientation, religion, and more is considered in each illustration so that the community is representative of as many people as possible.

Adaptable + functional

We developed a full library of customizable assets (people, objects, scenery) that can be rearranged to create new compositions. The modular layout style allows many concepts to come together and adapt to any size.

Gridded illustration of a community, with buildings, trees, and diverse groups of people talking.

The Challenge

The client needed a distinct illustration style that could:

Represent multiple initiatives across science, education, tech, and community
Feel cohesive across digital, print, and merchandise
Embed DEI values authentically, not superficially
Scale across campaigns and internal teams
Avoid generic or stock illustration aesthetics
Remain flexible for long-term use

The system had to balance clarity and warmth with structure and consistency, all while supporting inclusive storytelling.

A Custom Illustration System Built for Scale

We developed a highly adaptable illustration style built on geometric, modular forms that can be rearranged and recombined to create a wide range of scenes and narratives.

This system allows the organization to communicate new ideas quickly while maintaining visual cohesion across departments and initiatives.

The illustration toolkit includes:

People and character sets
Objects and environments
Modular scene components
Flexible composition structures
Clear usage guidelines

This modular approach ensures the system remains functional and expandable over time.

Illustration: students seated at desks in front of teacher (all wearing masks)

Illustration: female scientist holding up beaker

Puzzle with illustration of a city, people talking, and woman on bike

Visual Style & Art Direction

Geometric foundation

Illustrations are built primarily from geometric forms, creating a visual language that nods to science and technology while maintaining clarity and structure.

The geometric approach allows elements to scale easily and work seamlessly within grid-based layouts across digital and print environments.

Texture, depth & warmth

To prevent geometric compositions from feeling cold or overly technical, we introduced halftone textures, shadows, and subtle depth.

A limited color palette keeps the illustrations cohesive while creating an optimistic, welcoming tone that aligns with the organization’s mission.

Illustration for Inclusive Storytelling

A central goal of the project was ensuring that diversity and inclusion were not treated as surface-level additions, but intentionally built into the illustration system itself.

Each illustration was designed to reflect a broad and authentic range of:

Cultural backgrounds
Body types and abilities
Gender expressions and identities
Ages and roles
Interactions and environments

Rather than simply depicting diverse individuals, the system emphasizes meaningful interactions and representation across scenarios.

Our top 5 DEI learnings for inclusive illustration

01 General diversity

Consider different religions, cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, income levels, education, and neurodiversity. This list is not exhaustive, nor are these aspects always possible to convey visually—however it is important to keep all types of diversity in mind when creating or choosing an illustration.
02 Physical diversity

Rather than using generic or idealized body constructs, include a range of body types and abilities. Ability can range from the use of a wheelchair to a hearing aid. Also consider height, weight, race, hairstyle, age, clothing, and gender.
03 Interactions and roles

It is not enough for people to look diverse in illustrations. They also need to be positively interacting with each other. Consider who is interacting with who, and how. Consider gender norms, body language, class, race, age, etc. Also consider how people interact with objects and environments.
04 Break stereotypes

Depicting stereotypes reinforces the narrative, while breaking from stereotypes helps to redefine the narrative. Consider whether you are reinforcing any stereotypes—especially across gender, race, and ethnicity.
05 Use real and varied skin tones

Avoid using stark white, black, or yellow as a skin tone: realistic skin tones achieve ethnic and racial diversity in a way that using unexpected (or branded) colors, such as purple and yellow, can’t. Using white or black is inadvisable as it creates an oversimplified dichotomy of racial and ethnic diversity.
Further reading

Designing Adobe’s Brand Illustration Style
You Can’t Just Draw Purple People and Call It Diversity
Designing Inclusive Illustrations (or, A Brief History of the Meeple)
Brand Illustration Systems: Drawing a Strong Visual Identity
Building a Brand Illustration Style That (Finally) Pays Homage to the Gig Economy Workforce

Illustration of diverse group of people doing varying activities

DEI Illustration Guidelines & Use System

We created a comprehensive illustration usage guide to help internal teams maintain inclusive representation as new visuals are created.

The guide includes principles such as:

Considering broad forms of diversity and lived experience
Depicting varied physical abilities and body types
Avoiding stereotypes and default roles
Showing positive interactions between people
Using realistic and varied skin tones

By embedding these principles into the system itself, the organization can continue creating visuals that align with its values over time.

Modular Asset FIGMA Library

To ensure long-term usability, we delivered a full illustration library of customizable assets that can be rearranged to create new scenes and compositions in Figma.

This includes:

Character variations
Environmental elements
Scientific and educational objects
Community settings
Modular layout components

The Figma library enables internal teams to quickly generate new illustrations without starting from scratch, preserving both consistency and efficiency.

A glimpse into our comprehensive Figma illustration library.

Applications Across Brand Touchpoints

The illustration system was designed for use across a wide range of applications, including:

Brand and marketing materials
Educational content
Community initiatives
Merchandise and promotional items
Digital platforms and presentations
Environmental and campaign graphics

Because the system is modular and scalable, it can adapt to any format while maintaining a cohesive visual identity.

Outcome

The final illustration system provides the client with a flexible, inclusive, and highly recognizable visual language that supports ongoing communication across departments and initiatives.

The work enables: