ACV Puls — Making Corporate Communication More Human
Year
2019
Project type
Illustration, Animation, Communication design
Client
ACV Puls
Role
Animation, Illustration, Storyboarding, Graphic design, Developed within the Shtick team
ACV Puls came to Shtick with an existing brand identity that was clear and professional, but lacked the visual character needed to stand out in a fairly traditional sector. Instead of relying on the same corporate photography used throughout the industry, ACV wanted a more distinctive way to communicate with its members and workers.
I developed an illustration language that brought more personality to the brand while staying clean and structured enough for a corporate environment. What started as a small set of illustrations quickly grew into an extensive visual library, covering everything from everyday communication to complex topics and campaigns.
As ACV's communication needs grew, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, my role expanded beyond illustration into graphic and information design. I developed layouts and materials including flyers, folders, informational documents and other communication tools, helping give the growing volume of content a consistent and recognisable visual structure.
01 — THE CHALLENGE
ACV Puls already had a clear corporate identity, but it was difficult to distinguish from the visual language commonly used by organisations in the sector. The brand relied heavily on conventional corporate communication, while ACV wanted to become more recognisable and approachable to its members.
The challenge was to create a visual language that could make complex and sometimes serious subjects more engaging, while remaining clean, professional and flexible enough to work within an established corporate brand.
02 — THE APPROACH
Rather than replacing the existing brand identity, I used illustration to give it a more distinctive visual layer. The style was deliberately clean and structured, with enough personality to stand out while remaining suitable for ACV's corporate communication.
The illustration language was built to be flexible and scalable, allowing it to cover everything from simple everyday messages to more complex topics. As the demand for new communication grew, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, I also expanded the visual system into graphic and information design, creating layouts and communication materials that kept the growing volume of information clear and recognisable.
03 — THE SOLUTION
What started as a small illustration series grew into a much broader visual communication system for ACV Puls. As the collaboration developed, the illustrations became a recognisable signature across an expanding range of formats and subjects — from campaigns and informational materials to websites, banners and animations.
We also created illustrated avatars of prominent figures in the sector, translating recognisable people into the same visual language, while animations developed by Yves and I brought the illustrations to life. The system could stretch from a single character or icon to an entire campaign without losing its visual identity.
The growing scope of the work was also a reflection of the trust built throughout the collaboration: what began as a way to make ACV's communication more distinctive became an ongoing visual language used across much of their communication.
