Graphic Design and Illustration: Which Is the Right One for You?

Graphic design and illustration are part and parcel of any successful business’s branding and marketing efforts. It connects you with your audience to form deep relationships that result in brand loyalty and trustworthiness. However, given today’s short attention span, luring more prospects to your brand can be an even bigger challenge. 

It’s a good thing that graphic design and illustration services have now emerged. These can do a bang-up job of communicating your story, leaving you with only one concern: finding the right fit. Read on as we outline the differences between the two design types and explain how to use them.

What is Graphic Design? 

Graphic design is solely used for commercial purposes. It entails graphic design principles and concepts to create communicative imagery. The primary aim of graphic design is to communicate with a particular target audience. 

To do this, there is a psychology that goes into graphic design. For example, you can impact people in different ways using the right:

• Colors
• Fonts
• Icons
• Lines
• Imagery

Although the exact design psychology is also applied in creating illustrations, graphic design relies on specific elements to create cohesion.

But what are graphic design services? A graphic design service encompasses the creation of visual content, including logos, marketing materials, web design, and branding, to communicate messages effectively.

With graphic design in marketing, designers must have a branding kit to ensure consistent visuals. This style guide is vital for branding consistency to instill top-of-mind awareness within a brand’s target market. The process begins with a brand’s identity. From there, designers put in all the brand’s assets, such as:

• Logo and logo variations
• Color palettes
• Typography
• Images

As businesses increasingly rely on compelling visuals to engage audiences and build brand identity, the demand for professional graphic design continues to grow. The commercial value of graphic design is also one reason brands invest in professional graphic designers. From branding to advertising materials, graphic design is present every step of the way. 

Related Post: On-Demand Graphic Design Benefits that Can Boost Any Business

When to Use Graphic Design

Marketers and entrepreneurs use graphic design mainly for branding as well as marketing. Due to graphic design’s explicit nature, marketers and entrepreneurs choose graphic design over illustrations for these reasons:

• To express clarity. Brands need to communicate the right message to their target audience to connect and, hopefully, make them convert. If brands want to express their brand identity, graphic design is the key. Overall, use graphic design to make your branding and messaging clear and straightforward to avoid confusion.
• To stay relevant. As mentioned, graphic design should be created around a brand’s style guide. Without a style guide, the design will come out confusing and mundane. However, when using the right colors, typography, or icons, brands can stay relevant within their niche. 
• To create visual cohesion. Designers use certain techniques to make the graphic design outcome work. One misplaced line or shape can be the death of your design. So if you want to ensure that all elements cohesively weave together, hire professional graphic designers. 
• For simple branding and marketing materials. One of graphic design’s main ingredients is simplicity. Graphic designs are more clear-cut compared to illustrations. That said, if you want simple branding and marketing materials, you can rely on graphic design. 

Types of Graphic Design

Check out these common types of graphic design so you can differentiate between both graphic design and illustration.

Branding

Having a unique branding is what makes a company popular among its target audience. Your branding is what breathes life into your company logos, websites, and advertising materials. Branding graphic design is the most common type as every entrepreneur does this step first in their journey.

Marketing and Advertising

Another common graphic design type is marketing and advertising graphic design. After creating your branding and identity, you need to promote your offers via advertising. Because graphic design relies on marketing psychology to invoke particular emotions within your audience, it is a constant need for brands. Some examples of where you can apply graphic design in marketing are packaging, promotional items, and online ads. 

User Interface

A company website and business apps are now considered business assets. However, there are techniques to make your website and app enjoyable to use and browse. And it all boils down to your user interface. User interface (UI) pertains to how users interact with your website, application, or device. Therefore, your user interface graphic design should be easy to use and cater to an excellent user experience. 

Motion Graphics

Motion graphics is another type of graphic design that entrepreneurs and marketers utilize for their marketing. Also, motion graphic design includes any design in motion such as GIFs, videos, film, animation, or audio. This is perfect for presentations, apps, banners, tutorial videos, and more. 

Publication

Some brands release long-form content for advertising their products and services. Marketers try to diversify their campaigns, and long-form content like blogs, eBooks, and catalogs are effective methods. In addition, custom images for this content can make the information easier to digest. 

Environmental 

Environmental graphic design refers to connecting people and places. Consumers must have seamless navigation in public and private spaces. Some examples of environmental graphic design are billboards, signage, office branding, trade show spaces, conferences, wall murals, and more.

What is an Illustration? 

An illustration relies more on fine art. Although illustrations for marketing and branding still revolve around a brand’s style guide, the outcome has a lot to do with the artist’s imagination. Illustrations have more storytelling in them as compared to graphic design. A lot of creativity, personal and professional design perspectives, and abstract ideas are behind illustrations. 

That’s because illustrations are a way to visualize text or a concept. First, illustrators take into account the idea, concept, subject, or story. Then they start to unleash their creative juices to put together an illustration that conveys the whole idea, story, or subject. 

Diving deep into the matter, what is a brand illustration? A brand illustration is a custom visual element designed to represent a brand’s identity, values, and personality through unique, cohesive artwork.

In today’s visually-centric era, illustrations can also come in various forms. Realistic and abstract illustrations are the most common ones. But other types of illustrations such as watercolor, hand-drawn/pencil illustrations, or cartoons are also used for branding and marketing. 

Icon illustrations are perfect to use in websites and apps as they offer users easier navigability. Also, illustrations are great for bigger media or materials as illustrators can play around with the details. On top of that, use illustrations for:

• Logos
• Websites/Apps
• Landing pages
• Hero images
• Infographics
• Icons
• Maps
• Typography

Between graphic design and illustration, illustrations lean towards a more creative and interpretative design.

When to Use Illustrations

Illustrations should be used carefully. These types of designs aren’t suitable for all projects. Therefore, using illustrations on some of your branding and marketing assets must be assessed by an expert illustration design service. However, use illustrations if you want to:

• Interpret abstract concepts. Graphic design is more apparent. While some illustrations are also clear-cut, some can be used for interpreting abstract concepts and ideas. For example, it’s easier to interpret happiness with a sunshine illustration or a free-flying bird illustration. Either way, go for illustrations if you want to depict an abstract idea.
• Make ordinary images extraordinary. For example, your logo is an image of a surfboard. In graphic design, the surfboard can be what it is precisely. On the other hand, a surfboard illustration can come out quirky or abstract yet interesting. Overall, this increases the image appeal.
• Create memorable designs. Illustrations are fresh and modern. Also, illustration design services use their specific creative skills to make stellar illustrations. So if you want to create memorable designs, then illustrations are the key.

Types of Illustration

Between graphic design and illustration, the illustrator’s personal touch is more evident when creating the latter. It all boils down to what the illustrator’s particular skills are. Here are the types of illustrations you can use for branding and marketing.

Watercolor

A watercolor illustration is perfect if you want to achieve a feminine and soft design. Without lines and sharp edges, watercolor illustrations are suitable for health and fitness brands or brands with a female audience demographic. 

Cartoons/Caricature

Cartoon illustrations are also a way to poke fun at your audience. Create cartoons or caricatures for a lighthearted design. This type can add humor and fun to your advertising collaterals.

Realistic

Abstract illustration’s counterpart, realistic illustrations offer a sense of clarity to the viewers. This type of illustration is more refreshing and provides a more straightforward message to your target audience.

Flat

Flat illustrations have a cleaner look, and they are viewed only from one angle. They have clean lines and edges, and there are no other distractions, which is appealing if you want a straightforward design. 

Isometric

Isometric illustrations are the opposite of flat illustrations. This type relies on two rules. First, the x, y, and z axes should be at a 120-degree angle. Secondly, all horizontal lines must never converge even at a vanishing point. Because the angles and measurements are equal, isometric illustrations don’t have converging lines. 

This type of illustration is great if you want to add depth yet maintain simplicity in the design. And because isometric illustrations are three-dimensional, they can be viewed from the top and from one corner. 

Related Post: Illustrations for Websites: The Best Free and Paid Options

Graphic Design vs. Illustration: Main Differences

While both graphic design and illustration are visual art forms, they serve different purposes and follow different approaches. Below is a comparison of their main distinctions:

Aspect	Graphic Design	Illustration
Primary Purpose	Commercial, used for branding and marketing	Fine art, focused on creative storytelling
Audience Connection	Designed to connect with audiences and drive engagement	Primarily tells a story or conveys an artistic vision
Application	Versatile, applicable to various projects	Limited to specific projects like books and posters
Core Approach	Follows design principles for clarity and function	Relies on the artist’s creative intuition
Clarity	Clear and direct communication	Sometimes abstract or open to interpretation
Common Uses	Advertising, branding, web, and UI design	Publishing, editorial content, and select marketing materials

Graphic design is an essential tool for businesses, helping them create impactful visual communication, whereas illustration offers more artistic freedom and storytelling potential.

Cost Differences Between Graphic Design and Illustration Services

Pricing varies depending on the scope of your project, as well as other factors. This includes the project’s complexity, the designer/illustrator’s experience level and region, to name a few. But there are differences in costs between graphic design and illustration design services. 

For one, graphic design work—such as logos, social media graphics, or brochures—can have a more standardized process. It also has clearer pricing structures. On average, a graphic designer charges hourly rates that go between $25 to $150, depending on expertise, etc.

Illustration design services, on the other hand, are typically more labor-intensive and customized. It’s because it involves crafting original artwork from scratch. This is also the reason illustrators tend to charge more, especially when the projects require detailed or hand-drawn pieces. Their hourly rates can range from $50 to $200 or more, which can also include licensing fees if the work is for commercial use.
So, if you need both graphic design and illustration services, the most cost-effective option for you is to use an on-demand design service. And we have the best of the best—Penji.

Conclusion

Now that we’ve come to the end of our article, have you decided on which one to use for your next project? If you don’t know where to source your graphic designs and illustrations, Penji offers unlimited designs at half the cost.

As you can see from the examples above, Penji assures high-quality graphic designs and illustrations for clients. Watch a short demo and learn why Penji is trusted by ventures of all sizes from around the globe.