Playing with shapes: Freepik’s new illustration system
Welcome to a new chapter at Freepik. You’ve probably noticed some exciting changes! We’re shaking things up with our rebranding, it’s not just looking pretty, we’re changing the way we tell our story. Right at the center of this big change is our new illustration system. We’ve put it together to really show off our roots in Malaga, a place that’s full of culture, history, and diversity. This new system is all about getting creative in a big way. It’s our way of keeping up with the fast-moving digital world while staying true to where we come from.
Malaga’s influence in our designs
Malaga’s culture is an endless well of ideas for us. The essence of Malaga isn’t just our base, it’s the main spark of our creativity. Malaga’s got this amazing cultural mosaic ranging from Phoenicians, Romans, Jews… to the distinctive geometrics of Mozarabic art. This rich heritage is not only our background, it pumps energy into our designs.
We can’t talk about inspiration without giving a shoutout to Picasso, a legendary figure from our hometown. His art, alongside Mondrian’s precise geometric patterns and Miró’s playful shapes, are big players in our creative process. These artists are like partners in our team, silent collaborators. Our illustration system mixes Malaga’s artistic legacy with a playful approach.
Our color palette takes its cues from the chill vibes of Malaga too. We’ve got shades like Malaga Red and Mediterranean Blue. These aren’t just colors, they’re the vibe of our region: vibrant, warm, and full of life.
The power of modular illustration
The big star of our rebranding show is the modular illustration system, a concept that pushes the boundaries of what we can design digitally. We are moving past a finite library of brand images, now our team is equipped with an endless and versatile toolkit. This system lets us tear down the walls, allowing everyone to produce unique, yet consistent, illustrations that reflect our vibe.
It’s a bold step towards a future where every creation tells its own story, fitting right into Freepik’s big picture. This modular approach is not just an artistic choice, it’s a strategic move to ensure our illustrations remain fresh, accessible, dynamic, and, most importantly, fun. That’s what our rebranding’s all about: constantly growing our creative game and really celebrating our essence.
The building blocks of creativity
Modular illustration is all about being flexible in design. Think of it like playing with shapes: circles, squares, triangles, you name it. These are our building blocks. Mix ’em, match ’em, scale ‘em up or down, that’s how we come up with all sorts of cool illustrations.
The cool thing about modular illustration is how it can be super consistent but also wildly different at the same time. It’s like having a set of building blocks that you can put together in a grid. This keeps our designs looking sharp and in line with each other, but also leaves tons of room to get creative and make something unique.
Meet the visionary behind our new illustration system
Leading this creative revolution is Xero Fernández, a super-talented illustrator, graphic designer, and web designer right from Málaga. He’s played a huge part in bringing this cool new system to life. Embodying the role of a “visual communicator,” Xero’s work reflects his beliefs in the expressive power of simple visual elements. His passion for keeping things minimal and abstract is evident in the new system, which is all about nailing down the basics to really get to the heart of every idea.
Xero explains his approach: “We chose to base our building blocks on geometry, as mathematics and geometry are tools humanity has developed to understand and decipher the world and the universe. Anything around us can be reduced to geometric shapes, a ‘digestible’ form for the brain to interpret everything it sees.”
He’s a big believer in the idea that sometimes, less is actually more. That’s why in our new system, it’s not about throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. It’s about using just enough to get the point across, nothing more, nothing less.
Charting a new course in Freepik’s story
As we close this chapter on our thrilling evolution, let’s reflect on the insights from Xero: “We had four major goals: create something timeless, make it usable for everyone, ensure it resonates with our brand story, and keep it dynamic, flexible, modular, and fun. With our new color palette and a set of guiding rules, we’ve achieved uniformity across all illustrations.”
We’re embracing a future where our designs are as enjoyable to create as they are to behold. We’re excited about this new journey and can’t wait for you to be a part of it.
