The criteria for this project was to create an advertising visual which in some way incorporated an image of a watch as part of its marketing message.

The final visual is an illustration composed of hand-drawn ink outlines which I then ​​​​​​​coloured and shaded digitally, within Adobe Photoshop.

The digital illustration process featured the use of low-opacity brushes, gradually & repeatedly applied in layers to build up areas of tone and colour, and similar use of a very low-opacity (<10%) eraser tool for highlights and points of reflection. The ‘rough’ effect from using frequent, light brush strokes over fewer, heavier strokes gave the visual a softer and more organic feel. While far more time consuming, this allows for a much greater seamless blending of colours/tones. 

Then for the finishing touches. In order to avoid the possibility of any digital illustration appearing too clean, smooth & artificial, I went over and conservatively applied different types of textured brush packs to add cosmetic blemishes to both the skin (freckles, bumps) and one or two on the watches (smears, scratches). 

As research shows, people do not respond as amicably to images which appear remotely ‘airbrushed’ as it reduces familiarity, empathy, and trust, and leaves room for scepticism - which is bad for business! Instead, the viewer is less likely to see an illustration of watches & a wrist, and imagines themselves as the individual in the picture, responding to its message more favourably. This is reinforced by the first-person perspective and cropped field-of-view of the rest of the arm.

The colour scheme of the visual is consistent with that of the ToDoIst corporate ID and the app itself. The cloudy background, as a way to emphasise the main illustration without distracting or hindering impact, features a shade of blue as a split-complementary colour to the red brand colour. Colour theory also dictates that, used effectively, this shade of blue has subliminal associations with trust, stability, and security, as well as the sky having connotations of freedom. These are all things which line up with the app’s USP and marketability.