Illustrations

DESIGN ELEMENTS Illustrations

HUMAN SUBJECT

We often put have various human subjects in our materials. They can range from abstract to detailed, but they all have an illustrative feel. If it is a flat graphic, we recommend that you not put the subject’s eyes, as they can look creepy if not done right. Ensure the anatomy is correct, and we want our graphics to feature people with different skin tones, body types, hairstyles, etc.

DESIGN ELEMENTS Illustrations

ICONOGRAPHY

We often use icons for our website or presentation. Icons are meant to illustrate the general idea of the subject quickly. Icons should be minimalistic but not super abstract (the audience shouldn’t have to guess what it is).

There are different types of icons we can use. Depending on the background and other design components and the subjects, you can select various types of icons to use.

Here are two common types of icons:

SOLID ICONS HOLLOW ICONS (or filled icons) (or line icons)

There is no clear answer on which one is better. However, for icons expressing the same meaning of the original subjects, solid icons are more recognizable. Hollow icons are better for icons that are endowed with abstract meanings (speech bubble, thoughts, etc.). Regardless of which icons you use, make sure that they look uniform and look like they are from the same graphic family.

They should have consistent line weight, visual language, etc. For example, the human subject icons in “Trainings,” “Intern,” and “Peer Educator” all have a different visual language.

Make sure that they are consistent throughout, especially if they appear on the same graphic.

Generally, here are some rules to keep in mind when you design our icons: • Not overly detailed • Consistent line weight (if the icons are hollow, apply thicker stroke) • The cap should be rounded and the join should be rounded (See in stroke properties panel). This approach will help to communicate a softer and more friendly vibe.

DESIGN ELEMENTS Illustrations

STYLES

For some of the social norm campaigns, make sure the illustrations are designed carefully. This is based on our four design principles we have established earlier: bold, professional, approachable, and educational. By designing something from scratch, we have the flexibility of moving different graphic elements around for different formats. Alternatively, you can combine your visual elements or text display with a photograph. Do not take a shortcut such as imagetracing a photo.

The image was simplified and looked professional. You can use an image as a reference for you to design your work.

Do not just image trace a photograph. This looks obvious and does not look professional or show our personality as the center.

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No matter where you are Sexual Misconduct still applies.

You can use a photograph as a background for your text display.

DESIGN ELEMENTS Illustrations

HAND-DRAWN

We also often use different hand-drawn illustrations in our materials (primarily in our printed or social media). They bring out our personality as approachable and warm. That also allows us to explore our creative side (when we have time). These are often used to accompany a block of text or as coloring pages in our training.

The principles for these are the same. Consistent line weight, illustrative feel, uniform style, not overly detailed, and the caps or joins are rounded.

DESIGN ELEMENTS Illustrations

CAMPUS BUILDINGS

Sometimes, we have campus buildings on our graphic. It might be best to search for a high-quality picture of said building taken by OU Marketing and Communications team.

However, if you want to illustrate them from scratch, we recommend simplifying the image and breaking them down into simple shapes. Use the flat-viewed version of a building and make sure that they are recognizable.

If you want to pick a more complex illustration style, make sure you select a recognizable view of the building and high-quality reference photos.