YouTube illustration standards

My role

Art Director
Designer
Writer

From in-app promos, to blog posts, to technical explainers, YouTube’s sprawling ecosystem requires a variety of illustrations for a variety of purposes. Additionally, as a media brand, YouTube must be sensitive to the ever-shifting cultural zeitgeist. A single, rigid illustration style is incapable of addressing the brand’s full suite of needs so I created a highly adaptable system who’s consistency arises from adherence to core brand principles and to secondary brand elements such as colors and patterns.

02 — In application

The visual treatment of an illustration depends on its function. Even within a single product experience, an image may need to speak quietly or loudly in order to best serve its particular use case.

In conterpoint to the flexibility of the system, it is still necessary to maintain visual consistency within a given user experience. Furthermore, styles are not arbitrary. Each style is designed to support the needs of its application.

Designing for a global audience is a daunting task which should be approached with thoughtfulness and humility. Principles of inclusion are infused throughout the illustration standards, addressing not only the portrayal of characters but symbology as well.

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Creative Director — Chris Bettig

Producer — Ash Qualischefski
Consulting Designer – Amy Yip

Editor – Tim Bauer

Engineering Lead — Maegan Clawges

Illustration — Sol Cotti, Jiaqi Wang, Lucas Wakamatsu, Rafael Mayani, Niv Bavarsky, Chelsea Beck, Jackie Ferentino, Yeojin Shin