Have you ever seen how increasingly more illustrated work is showing in promoting, packaging and branding just lately? I definitely have, and from my vantage level as a journalist within the design trade, I do not suppose it is a coincidence.
An increasing number of, I am listening to from manufacturers that they are discovering illustration provides one thing images can’t. Particularly, the power to create new, bespoke worlds that seize folks’s creativeness and talk values with unparalleled readability.
From packaging to pageant installations, 2025 has seen manufacturers pushing the boundaries of what is doable after they collaborate with gifted illustrators. And listed below are six standout examples, every created by illustrators represented by Good-looking Frank, which showcase the varied methods the self-discipline is reworking model storytelling proper now.
1. Cinematic storytelling: When Nissan took over Piccadilly Circus
The Japanese vehicle producer Nissan is well-known around the globe. Nevertheless, with the trade at the moment present process a change with electrical applied sciences, nobody’s future is definite, and standard promoting can not be relied upon. That is why Nissan took a contemporary route, working with illustrator Matt Saunders. Collectively, they created a spectacular 30-second infinity zoom animation that took viewers on a journey by means of futuristic worlds: from racetracks to cyberpunk Tokyo nights.
The technical achievement was staggering. Matt labored with manufacturing company Grand Visible for 4 months, establishing every scene in three detailed sections: background, mid-plane, and foreground, all anchored round a single central level. And whereas the venture was initially designed for on-line use, the outcomes have been so compelling that Nissan booked Europe’s largest promoting show—the 783.5m² Piccadilly Lights display—to indicate it off to the world.
Key takeaway: When manufacturers give illustrators bold briefs and the time to execute them correctly, the outcomes can actually cease site visitors.
2. Pageant tradition: Costa Espresso’s experiential illustration
Boardmasters is an annual five-day pageant held in Newquay, Cornwall, that mixes a significant music occasion with surf, skate and BMX competitions. It was an amazing alternative, then, to advertise coffeehouse chain Costa Espresso to a youthful, hip and influential viewers. But the model did not simply need to slap a brand on some merchandise; it needed to create a tangible expertise that folks would need to interact with.
As such, Costa commissioned illustrator Luke McConkey to create a collection of vibrant artworks that may turn out to be integral to their pageant presence. Consistent with the vibe of the occasion, Luke’s method was refreshingly natural. “I simply type of let issues begin occurring, very like once you’re at a pageant,” he explains. “It is all simply occurring directly, and stuff occurs as a result of different stuff occurred.”
Luke even included himself, his spouse and son within the pageant scene; “These folks make their manner into my work subconsciously,” he notes. When executed authentically, this sort of private contact can actually inject a way of humanity into model experiences.
All in all, Luke’s detailed visuals adorned all the things from the primary set up to extremely coveted reversible bucket hats, which grew to become the pageant’s must-have accent.
Key takeaway: This case demonstrates that model activations at pop-culture occasions might be efficient with out being company intrusions. Illustration will help remodel them into areas folks really need to inhabit and can keep in mind fondly for years to come back.
3. Trend collaboration: When illustration meets streetwear
Based in 2016, Spanish sneaker model HOFF has rapidly carved out a popularity for its vibrant and distinctive sneakers. Every shoe design is an ode to a specific metropolis, neighbourhood or vacation spot, and the model usually incorporates a landmark or map of the situation on the only real.
For his or her newest assortment, HOFF wanted an illustrator whose work might match their daring aesthetic while bringing one thing contemporary to their location-based idea. Malika Favre proved the proper match. Identified for her immediately recognisable minimalist model, Malika’s ability lies in simplifying pictures to their important components, while making them pop by means of masterful use of sunshine and shadow.
The outcomes might be seen within the Mexican Bauhaus assortment, which incorporates a putting sneaker in two vibrant colourways, plus a sweatshirt and tote bag, all sporting Malika’s signature lips brand. Drawing inspiration from her favorite place, Mexico, the gathering captures the nation’s iconic colors and structure by means of reds, pinks and oranges in opposition to gentle blue skies.
“Color is extremely necessary and I used to be immediately drawn to it,” Malika explains. The gathering captured Mexico by means of what she describes as “a minimalist, architectural vibe the place colors and shapes convey the designs to life.”
The pure alignment between HOFF’s destination-focused philosophy and Malika’s means to distil locations into their visible essence created a set that felt authentically related to each model and artist.
Key takeaway: The precise artist can turn out to be a real artistic collaborator, bringing their creative imaginative and prescient to reinforce a model’s aesthetic somewhat than merely adorning merchandise.
4. Retail storytelling: Tesco’s destination-driven packaging
Grocery store packaging sometimes prioritises operate over type. However grocery store chain Tesco’s Most interesting tea vary bucked this pattern by commissioning Tom Haugomat to create 5 vacation spot illustrations. Working with design company Coley Porter Bell, Tom crafted vibrant and romantic imagery that transported customers to tea-growing areas around the globe.
Every illustration required each compositional power and extractable components that might work throughout totally different pack surfaces. Tom’s cinematic high quality and refined textural imperfections conveyed the “handmade, genuine high quality” that the transient demanded.
Key takeaway: This venture demonstrates how illustration can magically remodel mundane retail classes into premium experiences. By investing in bespoke art work that tells the story of its merchandise, Tesco elevated its tea vary from a commodity to a craft.
5. Public transport celebration: TfL’s community-focused marketing campaign
Transport for London (TfL) is a neighborhood authorities physique chargeable for managing and working most of London’s transport community. Their twenty fifth anniversary marketing campaign, Making Each Journey Matter for 25 Years, highlights how illustration will help public companies join emotionally with their communities. Charlie Davis was tasked with creating three preliminary artworks celebrating London landmarks and moments, from the ‘Child on Board’ badge to the Night time Tube.
The marketing campaign reimagined acquainted transport icons while celebrating key London moments, together with the 2012 Olympics and the introduction of cycleways. By utilizing a London-based illustrator, TfL ensured the work felt authentically related to the town it serves.
Key takeaway: This case demonstrates that illustration will help public our bodies and establishments convey their values in a manner that feels private somewhat than bureaucratic.
6. Sensory storytelling: Opihr Gin’s Spice Route in paper type
Premium gin model Opihr needed to seize its adventurous spirit in a single picture: one that may transport viewers to the origins of its botanicals. Paper artist Helen Musselwhite got down to create a key visible that may act as a ‘portal’ into Opihr’s world of flavour. Constructed fully from paper, her art work mixed arches, unique natural world, and the gin bottle itself on the centre, as if glimpsed by means of a window onto the Spice Route. Every layer was rigorously designed so as to add depth and texture, reflecting Opihr’s tagline: “Let the style take you there.”
The result’s a richly tactile piece of name storytelling — half sculpture, half illustration — that embodies the craft, color and curiosity behind Opihr’s identification. It proves that in a world saturated with slick digital visuals, one thing handmade can nonetheless really feel essentially the most luxurious of all.
Key takeaway: When a model’s story is rooted in craft and heritage, a tactile medium like papercraft could make its values really feel each genuine and unforgettable.
Branding in illustration: key traits
These six instances reveal a number of key traits shaping how manufacturers use illustration in 2025:
Collaboration over ornament. Essentially the most profitable initiatives deal with illustrators as artistic companions, not simply ‘brush monkeys’. Luke McConkey’s natural method to the Costa venture and Matt Saunders’ months-long collaboration with Grand Visible display the facility of real artistic partnership.
Authenticity by means of persona. Every venture succeeded as a result of the illustrator’s model naturally aligned with the model’s values. Malika Favre’s minimalist aesthetic complemented Hoff’s playful boldness, while Tom Haugomat’s romantic sensibility elevated Tesco’s premium positioning.
Multi-touchpoint considering. In at present’s world, illustration commissions must assess how properly art work will work throughout a number of touchpoints. Tom’s extractable components for Tesco and Charlie’s designs for varied TfL places present how good planning maximises the affect of artistic work.
Expertise over promoting. The very best campaigns at present aren’t simply top-down, however use illustration to create experiences folks need to interact with. Costa’s pageant set up and Nissan’s Piccadilly Lights spectacle remodeled promoting from one thing to be endured into one thing to be loved.
As manufacturers proceed to hunt genuine methods to chop by means of digital noise, these case research counsel that commissioning the best illustrator is not nearly creating visually interesting pictures: it is about constructing real connections that run deep and final lengthy after the marketing campaign has concluded.
