Icons + Illustrations

So much of being a designer involves getting ideas across. Icons and illustrations can be invaluable in communicating what's at stake for a given project.

Icons + Illustrations

So much of being a designer involves getting ideas across. Icons and illustrations can be invaluable in communicating what's at stake for a given project.

1. Swivel Icons

[↓] These icons were developed for exploratory vision documentation and wireframes for a data sharing startup.

2. mtvU Icons

[↓] These icons were designed for wireframing a MTV-branded local guide for college students.

3. Graphics Tech Illustrations

[↓] These illustrations and icons were designed to describe the product architecture for a CAD visualization platform.

4. Concept Storyboards

[↓] These illustrations were used to describe a north star vision for a data platform for CAD.

5. Bikepacking Bag Illustration

[↓] I created these illustrations to commission a set of bicycle bikepacking bags for long off-road touring adventures. The maker of the bags liked them so much that he commissioned an illustration for his website.

6. Porcelain Rocket Illustration

[↓] This illustration was commissioned by a custom bike bag maker for his website. It was created with Adobe Illustrator and a Wacom Cintiq tablet display.

1. Swivel Icons

These icons were developed for exploratory vision documentation and wireframes for a data sharing startup.

2. mtvU Icons

These icons were designed for wireframing a MTV-branded local guide for college students.

3. Graphics Tech Illustrations

These illustrations and icons were designed to describe the product architecture for a CAD visualization platform.

4. Concept Storyboards

These illustrations were used to describe a north star vision for a data platform for CAD.

5. Bikepacking Bag Illustration

I created these illustrations to commission a set of bicycle bikepacking bags for long off-road touring adventures. The maker of the bags liked them so much that he commissioned an illustration for his website.

6. Porcelain Rocket Illustration

This illustration was commissioned by a custom bike bag maker for his website. It was created with Adobe Illustrator and a Wacom Cintiq tablet display.

1. Swivel Icons

These icons were developed for exploratory vision documentation and wireframes for a data sharing startup.

2. mtvU Icons

These icons were designed for wireframing a MTV-branded local guide for college students.

3. Graphics Tech Illustrations

These illustrations and icons were designed to describe the product architecture for a CAD visualization platform.

4. Concept Storyboards

These illustrations were used to describe a north star vision for a data platform for CAD.

5. Bikepacking Illustration

I created these illustrations to commission a set of bicycle bikepacking bags for long off-road touring adventures. The maker of the bags liked them so much that he commissioned an illustration for his website.

6. Porcelain Rocket Illustration

This illustration was commissioned by a custom bike bag maker for his website. It was created with Adobe Illustrator and a Wacom Cintiq tablet display.

7. Impact + Takeaways

A lot of my value as a designer is to help a product team inexpensively work through what it wants to make and why. The more clearly I communicate ideas, the faster a product team can decide what to build.

  • I draw the majority of my illustrations by hand with a Wacom Cintiq and Adobe Illustrator. This gives me a deeper connection to the thing I'm designing and the people I'm serving.
  • Many of the artifacts I generate during the course of a project are only a means to an end. Despite this, I feel it's important to put care and craft into the things I make.
  • Over the course of several projects, I'll often build up a library of illustrations that can be reused for new contexts. Over time, this allows me to have a greater strategic impact.

7. Impact + Takeaways

A lot of my value as a designer is to help a product team inexpensively work through what it wants to make and why. The more clearly I communicate ideas, the faster a product team can decide what to build.

  • I draw the majority of my illustrations by hand with a Wacom Cintiq and Adobe Illustrator. This gives me a deeper connection to the thing I'm designing and the people I'm serving.
  • Many of the artifacts I generate during the course of a project are only a means to an end. Despite this, I feel it's important to put care and craft into the things I make.
  • Over the course of several projects, I'll often build up a library of illustrations that can be reused for new contexts. Over time, this allows me to have a greater strategic impact.

7. Impact + Takeaways

A lot of my value as a designer is to help a product team inexpensively work through what it wants to make and why. The more clearly I communicate ideas, the faster a product team can decide what to build.

  • I draw the majority of my illustrations by hand with a Wacom Cintiq and Adobe Illustrator. This gives me a deeper connection to the thing I'm designing and the people I'm serving.
  • Many of the artifacts I generate during the course of a project are only a means to an end. Despite this, I feel it's important to put care and craft into the things I make.
  • Over the course of several projects, I'll often build up a library of illustrations that can be reused for new contexts. Over time, this allows me to have a greater strategic impact.

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© Jess Ruefli 2025