Proving Value Before Commitment
Overview
Illustration plays a crucial role in bringing character, depth, and personality to a brand's touch points. In Rocket Mortgages case It was a tool to help guide users through the experience, simplifying complex concepts like mortgage applications, escrow, and other intricate steps involved in buying a home. This was the core goal behind the creation of Rocket's illustration style for the 2019 rebrand.
Goal
Design a versatile illustration style that engages our audience and streamlines brand consistency for the team.
Role
Sole illustrator leading discovery, creation, and rollout of a new, organization-wide illustration style.
Key achievements
400+
Custom illustrations designed made adaptiable acros digitial and print.
some
Defined a bold, minimal illustration style that aligns perfectly with brand identity.
Library
Built an illustration library that streamlined workflows and improved team collaboration.
Style
Created style guidance and collaborated with teams to standardize illustration usage.
Initial Direction
In our first exploration, we used bold colors and dynamic perspectives to create drama. While visually striking, the style felt unapproachable and cold. This revealed the need for a more human connection, leading us to pivot toward illustrations inspired by real people bringing warmth, delight, and friendliness into the brand. Below are examples of the early shapes that shaped the final style.
Rolling Out the System
Rolling out a new brand across 2,000 people meant overcoming inconsistent illustration practices. I introduced a cohesive style, built a shared system, and ran onboarding sessions to align designers, animators, and project managers on process and purpose.
Where we landed
In later iterations, we simplified the characters, objects, and environments to align more closely with the brand’s overall minimalistic approach. This adjustment was key to ensuring the style was adaptable across various medium print, digital, internal marketing, and more. The goal was to create an illustration style that maintained consistency across all of Rocket’s companies and platforms.
Building the System
After establishing the illustration style, I built a Figma library organized by theme and size. The library made assets easy to find, streamlined collaboration, and let designers focus on creativity.
Impact and Outcomes
As Rocket’s sole illustrator, I created 400+ illustrations over three years, tackling complex concepts while maintaining a unified style. By establishing a scalable system and fostering team collaboration, we strengthened brand consistency, empowered designers, and set a strong foundation for the brand’s future evolution
