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8 Do’s and Don’ts While Applying Illustrations in Your Design
Nowadays, you can get a set of ready-made illustrations and use them in your design. Despite that, choosing a correct image and using it in the right way is not a piece of cake.
So what are the do’s and don’ts when applying illustrations in your design? Here are some examples from a delivery app — the OmaPosti.
Let’s dive in.
1. Do customize your graphic to the context.
Customizing the graphic makes the experience more personal and likeable. For example, in the OmaPosti app, if a user picks up an item from a locker, we display a parcel in a cabinet with confetti; if a user gets a delivery behind the door, we illustrate that scenario accordingly. In other words, we customized the graphic a user sees according to how they receive a parcel.
2. Do use explanation text if you wish the graphics to communicate a specific meaning.
One picture can communicate many meanings. Creating texts along with the graphic can avoid double readings.
When designing for the OmaPosti app, we kept in mind that our users wanted to know how big is an item. Therefore, we showed a human holding their item to indicate the parcel size. After releasing the design, people complained that the graphic we provided was a useless decoration picture. Then, we understood the illustration itself was not self-explanatory. Hence, we added a speech bubble — your item could be as big as this one. Since then, I have heard a lot of positive feedback, e.g., “Now I know if I can pick up the item after my grocery shopping”.
