Wärtsilä's branded illustration library is a direct extension of the refreshed brand identity, which is closely linked to the company strategy, The Wärtsilä Way. This project was able to communicate the brand expression and company strategy through illustration styles that differentiate Wärtsilä from its competitors. The project defined 120 modular components with a consistent visual design style.
Year:
@2025
Industry:
Maritime & Energy
Client:
Wärtsilä Oyj
Creative director & illustrator
The components was developed in collaboration with Norr Design.
Business Problem
There was a high demand for illustrations to showcase our technical solutions to customers across both the Energy and Marketing teams. The biggest challenge was the lack of a cohesive visual style and foundational artwork that aligned with the brand's identity and visual language.
The work
What was done?
Research & Stakeholder Interviews: The project began with reearch and benchmarking, including interviews with seven internal stakeholders. Based on those insights, an external partner was shortlisted and hired to define the illustration style. A full procurement exercise was also conducted, evaluating four shortlisted vendors.
Development & Creative direction: The development phase explored illustration style, structure, and colour palette across two roles. Business needs were translated into a visual style aligned with the brand, while around one third of the 120 modular components were created in-house. Usage guideline were written and published within the Brand Hub.
Impact
Pilots & proof of concept: The library was validated through two live pilot projects to refine its usability and visual constancy in practice. The first pilot was an animated illustration video for the MEA Energy Marketing Campaign, where creative brand direction was provided from mood board stage through to final publication.
The illustration library in motion , an animated video applying the modular components for the MEA Energy Marketing Campaign, from mood board through final delivery..
