The Story Behind our Custom Portraits

For the past five years, we've enhanced projects with custom portraits and illustrations. Yes—you heard that correctly. We've created hundreds of hand-drawn assets to represent the people we work with and what they care about. Nothing more, nothing less.

So, you're probably wondering: Why?

In this article, we explore our custom visual work and personal touches that help clients envision themselves in the world of innovation. Let's do this.

Why illustrate custom portraits?

First things first, drawing hundreds of stylized characters is time-consuming. The pressure is on when knowing your work will appear on countless slide decks, conference pamphlets, and Linkedin profiles. Every portrait has to help tell a story; that story must be unique.

None of this, however, explains why we go through all this trouble for a few pretty pictures. The answer might surprise you.

No, seriously why?

As artists, custom portraits are refreshing. They're a great little touch to knock presentations out of the park by making people say: "hey, that's really cool!" More importantly, though, custom portraits ground the more nebulous aspects of innovation work.

It's easy to plot tangible steps to achieve your goals, but it's harder to execute those steps over time. Portraits are a reminder to continue innovating. Drawn in the visual style of the initiative, people become real stakeholders in the innovation story, true catalysts for change.

And, with each subsequent slide deck, gallery, profile, and LinkedIn post containing a custom portrait, they are reminded of this responsibility. Our portraits change how people see themselves; no longer innovation bystanders, but champions of electric change and lasting improvement.

How do we create custom portraits?

It all starts with a vision. Business designers request a few photos (both headshots and non-professional photos are welcome) to capture someone's likeness. Then our talented visual design team sketch, illustrate, and color the final product.

Every portrait reflects the project, digital hub, or event deck's unique artistic style, helping leaders inhabit their initiatives' world. This makes illustrative styles different for each project.

"My background as an illustrator helps me see a visual style for projects early on. Once I have that visual down, I use their likeness to create a portrait." Says Lauren Cox , Visual designer, "It's a little human touch, but people are really blown away when their peers walk on stage alongside a beautiful representation of themself."

Ready to become a champion of innovation? Set up a chat at https://dotankdo.com.