Some business ideas are so unusual that we are surprised there is actually a market. The Croquis has one of these surprising ideas, proving that in a global market, almost any item is needed by someone. The Croquis, in short, sells personalized fashion illustrations. You know the drawings that you see in fashion magazines? Yes, those. However, with this company you can have your fashion illustration customized for your favorite fashion lover or even your favorite outfit. This is almost creating fashion logos or clothing logos.

Website Reviewed: The Croquis
Website URL: thecroquis.com

The Croquis website is created especially for this interesting niche industry. Stark black and white makes up the main palette, which is de rigeur for the fashion world. Beautiful areas filled with bright watercolors add a splash of color and interest. Because graphite drawings and watercolors are two of the main products being sold, this design is relevant to both the general industry and the particular product.

Three packages are available, and the website’s “Products” page does a great job of explaining the differences to the less fashionably inclined (such as husbands) who may be ordering the product as gifts. The process and pricing are also explained in detail. A few examples are given, although we couldn’t help but wish that there were more. It is difficult to see the range and style of the artists involved with just a handful of rather generic examples. However, there are links to a Facebook account (buried at the bottom of the page) with more examples and more information about the art form.

Another area that we wish was further addressed was the uses for these illustrations. Of course they make interesting gifts, but what about invitations? Can they be copied? Who owns the copyright to the images? As professional designers, we are sensitive to these issues and feel that a “FAQs” page addressing them would be immensely helpful.

This is a great idea—and a good website—but both need a little “filling out” before they will feel complete.

Creativity: 5 stars. We give the business kudos for using a black and white skeleton with watercolor accents, just like the art being sold. It also creates the right balance between seriousness and creativity.

Ease of use: 3 stars. The website has navigation buttons, but they didn’t take us to the information we wanted. For instance, we expected “Explore Our Products” to take us to a portfolio rather than a page describing different packages.

Functionality: 4 stars. Links to social networking are present, but difficult to locate due to small size and obscure placement. In addition, there are not enough examples for people to get a solid idea of what their finished product will look like.

Content: 5 stars. The content is beautifully written and perhaps one of the best parts of this website (besides the art). It explains the process and makes it easy to understand what is entailed.

Appropriateness: 5 stars. The color palette is particularly appropriate for the industry and the brand, although all elements have been well designed.

Overall: 4.4 out of 5 stars.

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A question that a lot of clients ask is, how illustrative can a logo be before it becomes difficult to use it effectively.

My answer would: depends on where you intend to use the logo. If you are a traditional company then your most common usage of the logo would be on your corporate stationery, your collateral marketing materials, your shop/building signage and perhaps on packaging and merchandise.

Illustrative logos are made up of complex design elements, usually illustrations of some element related to what the company does, an illustration of the company name or perhaps even a mascot or character that is used to represent the company. Not all companies can afford to get an illustrative logo.

Depending on the industry sector the company is in and the target market segment, Illustrative logo designs can be highly effective. They can be eye catching, communicate much more effectively the company message and create an overall greater impact of the brand.

For example, a music company, a construction company, a rock band, a child related product or club, a fitness company etc are all good examples of companies that can benefit from having an illustrative logo. Combining different elements of the business in an illustrative way and using effective logo colors can help create an eye catching design that can then be used in all branding campaigns.

A legal firm, a finance, accounting logo design or venture capital company etc on the other hand are examples of industry sectors where highly illustrative logo designs might not really work.

When creating an illustrative logo, we always try and come up with pencil sketches of two or more conceptual directions. Usually, again depending on the core philosophy of the company, we look for opportunities for creating characters that form part of the company logo, as well as be a stand alone company mascot.

Finally, creating the illustrative logo designs in vector file format and making sure the files are as clean as possible in terms of paths and elements is important. Perhaps creating toned down versions with lesser colors would also be useful when the client wants to print the logo and wants to keep the costs down.