THE PROJECT
COUSE
COUSE
Bridge between illustration & design systems
This project focused on creating a digital illustration system that aligns with the brand’s visual identity. Developed in collaboration with the University of Coimbra and the company doDOC, the system includes clear guidelines and a user manual to ensure consistency across all brand illustrations.
INSDUSTRY
Scientific writing
DATE
2019-2021
ROLE
Designer ✺ Illustrator
CHALLENGE
Inconsistent illustration styles across product interfaces and social media channels can weaken brand recognition. Adapting illustrations for diverse platforms and screen resolutions often presents challenges due to a lack of standardized guidelines. This can complicate the onboarding of new team members and the maintenance of consistent visual execution.
SOLUTION
An Illustration System as part of a broader design system that provides clear guidelines for a unified visual style. This includes detailed specifications for color palettes, line styles, shapes, composition, and character design, establishing a cohesive illustration ecosystem.
Defining the illustration style was essential to reflect the personality of the doDOC brand. The challenge was finding the right balance between my designer side, focused on creating something cohesive and systematic, and my illustrator side, which aimed to bring a strong visual presence that authentically represents the company’s identity.
Sketches
The goal behind sketching was simple: to freely explore references, experiment by replicating relevant elements, and generate as many sketches as possible. It created space to reflect on the ideas, recognize patterns, and define a clearer design direction.
STYLE
Consistent
Illustrations should be easy to understand and recognize: not something people need to memorize.
Playful with personality
While illustrations are mainly used to communicate a message clearly, they can also carry a touch of humor.
Diverse and inclusive
llustrations should reflect gender and cultural diversity in an inclusive way, making them accessible to everyone.
COMPONENTS
LIBRARY
Components are one of the main building blocks of the illustration system, and their systematic reuse helps create visual and functional consistency across illustrations. All components in the illustration system were designed according to established principles, with the goal of working together in harmony as parts of a larger whole.
The components library is a centralized repository, organized into Characters and Scenes. Designed to work together, these components enable story-driven compositions while ensuring flexibility and visual consistency.
RESOURCES
Figma
To bring consistency to the design process, we created a component library in Figma. It acts as a single source of truth where all components are kept organized, up to date, and ready to use across different projects.
Zeroheight
The system manual is hosted on Zeroheight, centralizing guidelines and component usage. This platform lets us create a web-based manual that stays updated in real time. any changes made to components or styles in Figma are automatically reflected on the site, ensuring everything is always current without extra work.
