How (and why) I Created
My Visual Identity as an Illustrator

No, I wasn’t one of those lucky illustrators at university who already had a clear, defined style. Back then, I didn’t even see the point of having a style. Why stick to one when you can explore several? The first time I had to commit to a specific style was for my bachelor’s project, a comic book. The second time was during my master’s, when I realized… I don’t actually enjoy the comic book style. So let’s go back to that moment.

Where it all started…

Icinori, illustration style and inspiration

It was in 2014, I was doing my Master’s degree in illustration and I needed to choose a style of illustration because I did not have my own yet. While doing some research, I fell in love with the graphic style of Icinori. I used their illustration style as a guide, and after several drafts, I finally created my first illustration in what became my own style, for the year at least. I was hoping that it did not look like a bad copy of Icinori’s style, that was not my point anyway. Fast forward, I didn’t get the grade I was expecting, and I thought my work wasn’t good enough. I didn’t return to this style until 2024.

Fun fact: I met Raphael from Icinori in 2024 at the Salon du Livre de Montreuil, and he told me that he really liked my work and that he didn’t see at all similarities between our styles of illustration.

2023, Zoha Nassif and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair

Sometimes you spend five years at university without gaining any truly relevant insight into your work, and then, years later, you meet someone special, and it takes them five minutes to give you the most meaningful advice. That person is Zoha Nassif, a renowned Lebanese artist. I met her in 2023 through her son, a friend of mine, and as she flipped through all my projects, she said: “Why all these different illustration styles? You have something very special here,” pointing at my Master’s degree book. I had tons of illustration styles, because I had no idea which one I was supposed to focus on. I didn’t act on Zoha’s advice right away, but it stayed in the back of my mind.

In 2024, I decided to go to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, to try finding a publisher for my book Nuage, and to ask questions. I made a sheet with three of my illustration styles to show to publishers, hoping they’d help me figure out which direction to pursue. I didn’t include the “graphic” style (my 2014 master’s style) at first. But I had room for one more, just to balance the layout nicely, and I thought of Zoha. So I added it. And guess what? It turned out to be every publisher’s favorite.

Illustration Styles Timeline

from 2012 to 2024

A Quiet Pull

I needed more proofs. I needed to know if people in general would be drawn to this style of illustrations: Gen Z, Gen X, Millennials, artists, non-artists, men, women, non-binary individuals, everyone. I took the opportunity that the French Institute of Aachen gave me to exhibit my work during the Aachener Kunstroute in Aachen, where people visit various galleries and venues that host art and cultural events. The Kunstroute takes place at the Aula Carolina, a well known venue that serves as the starting point for the route and hosts over 30 exhibitors. They gave me the freedom to display about 10 artworks, under the condition that they reflect both French and German cultures. I chose my French film illustrations from my Master’s book and newly created pieces inspired by German films, all showcasing my 2014 illustration style, aka my 2024 visual identity.
During the exhibition, I decided to quietly observe how people reacted to my illustrations. Compared to the other exhibitors, visitors spent much more time at my stand. They talked among themselves, pointed things out, and seemed genuinely curious. The style doesn’t just catch the eye, it invites people to stay, to explore, to get lost in the details.

Choices

I decided to only use this style of illustration to build a new consistent portfolio (this website). Meanwhile, I read a lot of books in my field and gained very logical explanations for why I should have a specific style of illustration and master it. It builds trust, and the more specific we are in our branding (because as illustrators, we are a business with its own branding), the more credible we become. The most useful books for me were Alex Mathers‘ “The Indispensable Illustrator” and “How to Get Illustration Clients” (You can find them on Amzon here: The Indispensable Illustrator, How to Get Illustration Clients).

And… Here We Are

The issue was that I didn’t have enough projects in this illustration style to fill my website, at least, in my opinion. Something very important I learned while reading is: it’s better to have 5-7 very good projects than 20 average ones on our website. We are judged by our worst projects. However, I still wanted to start with 12 projects because I have 10 years of experience in my field, and I thought that having only 5-7 would make me appear like a beginner. I started by organizing what I already had: illustrations from my Master’s project and the movie posters from the Aula Carolina. Then, I did almost every new project in this style. Sometimes, I even lowered my prices just to get quickly more projects that I could do in my new visual style, so I can fill my website.

You can check some of my newest projects with my specific illustration style here: