ModuLine: an illustration system

A system, not a set of drawings

Illustrations usually get drawn one at a time. That works until a client needs ten new ones next week, all in the same style, each tailored to a different brief. Or if your illustrations need to be used by several clients without your supervision.

So I built ModuLine: a modular, geometric illustration system where every element is a reusable building block. Mix and match them, and a new scene takes minutes instead of days, while still looking like it belongs with the rest.

Why does this matter? Consistency and speed usually pull against each other. A system lets you have both.

Each element is designed to work in many contexts. The same plant, shelf or mug can show up in a home office, a living room or a kitchen.

The rules that hold it together

A system is only as good as its constraints. ModuLine runs on a few simple ones:

• Line: a single centred stroke weight of 1pt across every element, so anything can sit next to anything.
• Vectors: shapes are built as vectors, which allows for any element to cleanly fit in any new illustration and its scale.
• Colour: a deliberately small palette of 8 base colours (plus dedicated spot brand colours), with modular shadow and highlight systems, as well. This makes it incredibly easy for any brand to adapt it to its own palette.
• Naming: every SVG is named and tagged, so finding the right piece is a search, not a scroll.

One scene, many briefs

Because elements and colours are independent, one scene can be adapted to different briefs in a few clicks. See if you can spot the differences:

The reduced palette is deliberate. It makes it easier for clients to:

1. Picture the illustration in their own context.
2. Add their own personality on top, through brand colours, extra objects or a different layout.

Tidy files, messy bathroom

My SVG files and keywords are much tidier than these toiletries:

What it taught me

Building ModuLine felt a lot like building a design system for a product. You define the smallest pieces, set the rules for how they combine, and accept that the constraints are what let you move fast. It’s the same thinking I bring to designing interfaces. Good systems make the hundredth screen as easy and consistent as the first.

Want to talk illustration systems or design systems? Drop me a line at zemonteiro@gmail.com.