This week we looked at illustration within user interfaces.
Illustration in UI design can do a lot more than just add a bit of visual flair. It can help guide the user through an experience, or even inject some personality into an otherwise functional space. I’ve always liked how some interfaces use illustrated characters to make things feel a bit more human, like in the case of Mailchimp. They’ve got their little mascot, Freddie, popping up now and then throughout the interface, making the whole experience feel a bit friendlier. It’s not in your face or distracting, but it’s just enough to make the UI feel more personal, like there’s someone behind the screen. Using characters in UI is a smart way to add warmth and approachability without overwhelming the user or taking away from the functionality.
Diagrammatic illustrations in UIs are simple visuals that help explain things more clearly. They usually use shapes, lines, and icons to make information easier to understand. You’ll see these in places like progress bars or guides, where they help break down steps or show how things work without a lot of text. Basically, they make it easier for you to get what's going on at a quick glance.
Thematic illustrations are visuals that follow a consistent style or mood across a product. They’re not just decorative, they help build a certain tone and guide how the interface feels overall. Headspace is probably one of the clearest examples of a brand using this well throughout their UI. The visuals all follow the same soft and friendly style which makes sense for something built around mindfulness. What I like is how consistent it all feels. The little characters, calming colour palette and slow-paced animations help build an experience that feels gentle from start to finish. Even though the illustrations are quite simple, they do a lot in terms of setting the tone and guiding you through the app without making it feel overly instructional. It’s the kind of design that doesn’t need to shout, it just sits in the background and quietly holds everything together.
This week offered more insight into the nature of illustration when paired with UI’s. I really like the idea of thematic illustration within UI’s and like shown above Headspace’s just looks absolutely beautiful. This makes reconsider illustration, even with my limited abilities. I will have a think now going forward, looking for suitable opportunities to include illustration within my project where I can.