Illustrating Alongside a Design Team - A Project Highlight
Hey, friends! It’s been quite a while! I’ve been super busy lately with projects, new and old. I am currently a contract designer for Metric Marketing, working on Product Design for Glow, and am branding and designing websites for several small businesses! I also have some fun paintings I’m working on.
I thought I’d pop in, though, to share a recent project that was a blast to work on. 2|42 Community church is putting on their third annual Fall Weekend for students looking for a chance to celebrate God and experience great community! If you have a high schooler or a middle schooler in mid-Michigan, check out this amazing event!
A few months ago, the 2|42 design team reached out asking for some super hero and villain illustrations to be used in the event’s marketing materials, and of course I said “heck yes!”
I’ve never really been into comic books or the whole superhero thing, but I have always been into is trying something new. Luckily (or maybe un-luckily) 2|42’s design team is comprised of superman, batman, fill-in-the-blank-man-loving men and women. So, knowing I was walking into this project with a major weakness, and that there would be a pretty high standard, I was excited and a little nervous to begin putting together images for the team.
This brings me to one very neat lesson that I was blessed to learn through this experience - there is a lot of value to be gained from working with a team.
My first iteration of our superhero character was embarrassing.
But, this team gave me some great feedback, and I tried again. After a few rounds of constructive criticism (graciously wrapped up in kindness and a topped with a sprinkle of encouragement), my character molded into something so much more interesting and attractive! A few more iterations after that, and I was able to add a little more of my own spin to develop a look that was just right!
Once the illustrations were finished, the design team placed them into a series of scenes that were then used in several printable and digital advertisements.
I was shocked when I saw the final results. They. Were. So. Cool.
Team team used darker blues, shadowy backdrops, and bursts of light to create a feeling of excitement and anticipation in the images. The best part: I know I could not have done this on my own!
It’s so good to get feedback from other creatives, to strive to make things better. To collaborate. To humble yourself in a way that allows a final product to exemplify the skills of multiple talented people.
This project really showed me the benefits of working with a team to get the best work out of yourself, and to see how far your work can be taken. I will definitely be looking for opportunities like this in the future!
Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by, and hopefully I’ll be back on here soon to share more projects and more lessons learned.
Love,
Brittany
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