Google – Land Illustrations
Wildlife illustrations of California flora & fauna breathe life into workspaces within Google's Pacific Shores campus
Illustration
As a contract illustrator at Media Objectives, I was given the chance to research and depict some of California's most iconic wildlife. I took this opportunity to try out a variety of illustration techniques, including my first wallpaper design.
The native residents of Yosemite National Park provided inspiration for this wallpaper design. After sketching the faces I went over the drawings with pen on tracing paper. Handy stuff, that tracing paper.
With a quick scan of my inked drawing, I soon had my illustration vectorized. With wall dimensions in mind, I cloned and distributed the animal portraits until all the space was evenly filled.
For this illustration of the piercing face of a great grey owl, I drew inspiration from Charley Harper's geometric nature depictions.
When considering color for these illustrations I didn't want to brand them too heavily with Google's signature red, blue, yellow and green palette. If someone were in the building, they already knew they were in Google territory – no need to be redundant. Instead, I employed a range of other hues along with a subtle use of the Google palette (as seen in this feather-pattern illustration).
This depiction of intertwining succulents was the final piece I created while at Media Objectives. It took some experimentation to arrive at the sizzling palette, and I imagine it is now adding warmth to the room it occupies.
