Client: XWP
2023
I engaged in a long-term collaboration with agency XWP to craft website hero world illustrations, established with creative characters representing distinct branches of their business. XWP specializes in aiding larger companies transitioning to WordPress, presenting a unique challenges in visually symbolizing this service.
Our primary aim was to cultivate a distinctive style reflective of their forward-thinking brand. Given my expertise in developing new illustration styles, I got the brief. The initial focus centered on establishing a central mascot, per their request—an astronaut—alongside defining the stylistic direction for future illustrations.
Examples of the final work can be seen on their site: xwp.co. All of the illustrations used here are the property of the client.
Design Process
The initial color-blocking design laid the foundation, followed by numerous iterations involving color, line, and texture adjustments until the illustrations landed their final form :). The characters, featuring the company logo, were designed to be versatile, suitable for both light and dark backgrounds. Additionally, a smaller companion character was created to further reinforce the brand identity.
The concept for the landing page illustration revolves around a small flag, representing a previous website, being transformed into a larger and improved version by the agency’s astronaut mascot.
Subsequently, I was tasked with creating multiple poses of the main mascot for internal use, including: floating, waving, hitchhiking, giving thumbs up, and, of course, dancing. Some examples of the charaters in use are also displayed.
Website Cover Illustrations
Below are some of the website hero illustrations created for the client:
- The first illustration showcases the website scalability service with the flags, featuring a character representing the service offered.
- The second illustration depicts performance technology, represented by a rocket ship that transforms from a sketched plan into an actual spaceship. This symbolises how the agency helps clients realize their plans effectively.
- In the third illustration, ‘engineering for good’ is portrayed through a giant spaceship construction site, highlighting the agency’s commitment to assisting clients in building future-proof solutions.
- Lastly, the illustration for ‘best talent in the world’ features futuristic projector-bots creating a holographic globe with talent markers worldwide, emphasising the agency’s ability to attract top talent globally.
Character World Building
The next step involved populating this brave new world with a diverse range of characters. These characters were developed and designed to represent different sectors of the companies. Below, you’ll find some early sketches of the character creation process. Additionally, the characters were crafted in various poses to add depth and versatility to their portrayal.
