Custom illustration with a style of its own
Gjethe creates custom illustrations for websites, apps, marketing campaigns, editorial content, packaging and presentations: hero scenes, spot illustrations, character sets, icon families and full illustration systems. We develop a style that fits your brand, deliver vector and high-resolution files, and document the style so future illustrations stay consistent. You own the final artwork once the project is paid.
- Free first consultation
- Written quote for your project
- Flexible payment milestones
At a glance
- Uses
- Web, apps, marketing, editorial, packaging
- Styles
- Flat, line, textured, 3D-look, hand-drawn
- Files
- SVG, AI, PDF, PNG, Lottie-ready layers
- Rights
- Yours once paid
Definition
What is illustration?
Illustration is artwork drawn to explain, decorate or give personality to content, from small spot drawings and icons to full scenes and characters.
Stock illustrations are everywhere, which is exactly the problem: the same smiling characters appear on hundreds of sites. Custom illustration gives a brand something nobody else has. It can explain an abstract product, make a dry topic approachable, and create a recognisable look across every channel, as long as the style is defined and applied consistently.
Who is it for?
SaaS and tech companies
Explain abstract products and give interfaces a friendly personality.
Marketing teams
Campaign artwork that stands out from stock imagery.
Publishers and blogs
Editorial illustrations for articles, reports and newsletters.
Consumer brands
Illustrations for packaging, merchandise and social media.
What's included, and what you keep
What's included
- Style exploration with moodboards and sketches
- Hero and scene illustrations
- Spot illustrations for features and sections
- Character design and poses
- Icon families in a matching style
- Empty states and error illustrations for apps
- Editorial illustrations for articles
- Social media and campaign artwork
- Layered files ready for animation
- An illustration style guide
What you receive
Handed over at the end. Yours to keep.
- Final artwork in SVG, AI or PDF
- High-resolution PNG exports
- Layered source files
- An illustration style guide with colours, line and composition rules
- A licence confirming your ownership of the final artwork
Finding the right style
Every illustration project starts by deciding what the artwork must do and how it should feel. We collect references, look at what competitors use, and sketch two or three style directions on one of your real subjects, not a generic example. You choose a direction before we produce the full set.
The style needs to work everywhere it will appear: large on a homepage, small in an app, in colour and sometimes in one colour. We test the chosen style at those sizes before committing to it.
Common illustration styles
| Style | Feels | Works well for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat vector | Clean, modern, friendly | SaaS sites, apps, explainers |
| Line art | Light, precise, editorial | Documentation, editorial, minimal brands |
| Textured or grain | Warm, crafted, human | Lifestyle brands, publishing |
| Isometric | Technical, structured | Infrastructure, logistics, data products |
| 3D-look | Tactile, premium | Product marketing, landing pages |
| Hand-drawn | Personal, playful | Children's products, creative brands, food |
Illustration systems, not one-off drawings
A single beautiful illustration is easy. Twenty that clearly belong together, drawn over many months by different people, is harder. We build an illustration system: a limited palette, line weights, how people and objects are drawn, how much detail to include, and how scenes are composed.
The style guide records these rules with examples, so your designers or future illustrators can extend the set without the style drifting.
Ready for animation
If the artwork will move, as part of a website, an app onboarding flow or an explainer video, we prepare layered files with separate parts for animation in After Effects or Lottie. Planning this at the drawing stage avoids redrawing later.
Original work and AI
Our illustrations are drawn by our illustrators. We don't deliver AI-generated images as custom illustration, because ownership and originality of such images can be unclear. If you want to explore AI tools for early concepts, we'll discuss it openly and keep final artwork human-made.
What a good illustration brief includes
- Where the illustrations will be used
- The message each illustration must carry
- Your brand colours and typography
- Styles you like and dislike, with examples
- How many illustrations you need now and later
- Whether any will be animated
Illustration in product interfaces
Inside an app, illustrations do practical work: an empty state explains what to do first, an error screen softens a problem and points to the fix, an onboarding screen sets expectations. These illustrations need to be light, quick to understand and consistent with the interface's icons and colours.
We design them together with the UI, export them as optimised SVGs or Lottie files, and check them in light and dark themes so they don't look out of place.
How illustration works, step by step
Every step has a clear output you can review. Timing is agreed in your quote.
- 1
Brief
Uses, messages, audience, brand and the number of illustrations.
- 2
Style directions
Moodboards and sketches of two or three directions on real subjects.
- 3
Sketches
Rough compositions for each illustration, approved before colour.
- 4
Final artwork
Clean vector or painted artwork in the chosen style.
- 5
Revisions
Two rounds of revisions at the sketch and final stages.
- 6
Handover
Files in all formats, the style guide and the licence.
Tools, and what shapes your quote
Pricing is based on your project and agreed in your quote. These are the things that move it.
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Number of illustrations | More pieces need more drawing time, though a defined style speeds up later ones. |
| Complexity | Detailed scenes take far longer than simple spot illustrations. |
| Style development | A new style needs exploration; working in an existing one is quicker. |
| Characters | Recurring characters need design sheets and consistent poses. |
| Animation preparation | Layered, animation-ready files add work. |
| Usage | Large print or packaging use may need higher detail and resolution. |
| Area | Tools |
|---|---|
| Drawing | Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, Affinity Designer, Figma |
| Painting and texture | Photoshop, Procreate brushes |
| Animation hand-off | After Effects, Lottie, Rive |
Common mistakes to avoid
What we see go wrong most often, and how a good project avoids it.
Choosing style before purpose
Decide what the illustration must explain before deciding how it should look.
Mixing illustration styles
Stock art next to custom work looks inconsistent. Commit to one system.
Too much detail for small sizes
Spot illustrations and icons need simpler shapes than hero scenes.
No style guide
Without written rules, the next set of illustrations won't match.
Frequently asked questions
Do I own the illustrations?
Yes. Once the project is paid, the final artwork is yours to use and modify, and we confirm this in a licence.
Can you match our existing illustration style?
Usually, yes. Send examples and any style guide, and we'll confirm after a test illustration.
Do you use AI to create illustrations?
No. Final illustrations are drawn by our illustrators. We avoid AI-generated artwork as custom illustration because ownership and originality can be unclear.
Which file formats do you deliver?
Vector files (SVG, AI, PDF), high-resolution PNGs and layered source files, plus animation-ready layers where needed.
Can you animate the illustrations?
Yes. We prepare layered files and can animate them as Lottie files for web and apps or as part of a video.
Can you create icons in the same style?
Yes. Matching icon families make an illustration system feel complete.
How many revisions are included?
Two rounds at the sketch stage and two at the final stage.
Can you illustrate for print and packaging?
Yes. We prepare artwork at the resolution and colour mode your printer needs.
How is illustration priced?
It is quoted on the number and complexity of illustrations, style development and the files you need.
Can you create a mascot or brand character?
Yes. We design the character with a full sheet of poses, expressions and usage rules so it can appear across your channels consistently.
Can your illustrations be used in our own designs?
Yes. We deliver organised, editable files so your designers can reuse and adapt elements within the style guide.
Related services
Children's Book & Comic Illustration
Picture books, comics and character art.
Brand Identity Design
Logo, colour, type and guidelines as one system.
Motion Graphics
Animated titles, logos, lower thirds and UI motion.
Infographic Design
Data and processes turned into clear visuals.
UI/UX Design
Research, wireframes, prototypes and interfaces.
Illustration by industry
Give your brand art of its own.
Tell us what you need. You get an honest assessment, a clear plan and a written quote. The first consultation is always free.
- What happens next
- 1You tell us what you need
- 2We aim to reply within 24 hours with questions
- 3You get a written quote for your project