Illustrations & characters

A colourful abstract painting on paper, with purple paint ink, on an easel.

We specialise in 3D illustrations, but we also offer 2D-style illustrations and a wide range of characters, from fantasy to realistic. Our expertise also includes character rigging and animation in both 3D and 2D. We have also designed numerous strategy and process images, examples of which can be found below.

Projects on this page

DNA's illustration style
A colourful abstract painting on paper, with purple paint ink, on an easel.
A group of chocolate candies on a blue and gold geometric background featuring stairs and arches.
A smiling tooth character with outstretched arms on a light blue background.

3D illustrations

We can create versatile 3D illustrations for various needs: illustrative images, strategic visuals, 3D elements embedded in photographs, etc.

A detail from our own Christmas greeting.

A three-dimensional abstract technology-related composition featuring various black, green, and gold-colour geometric shapes and bubbles on a light background.

Modular illustrations for Funktio.

Kopar's strategy image.

A three-dimensional model of sustainable energy production, featuring wind turbines, solar panels, a hydropower plant, urban buildings, and a thermal power plant, all connected to a green energy bank.
A 3D illustration depicting wind power, solar energy, hydropower, energy storage, process industry, data centres, and maritime transport within a renewable energy system.

A service image for VEO, for which we also created an animated version.

A radiant purple and blue polygonal gem on a black background.

An example of numerous 3D illustrations that we designed for the Edge of Earth mobile game.

A three-dimensional depiction of a strategic vision, showing apartment buildings, windmills, a lake, and a hot air balloon with the text 'Suomen visio' (Finland's Vision), with strategic priorities and values displayed above the buildings.

Sivista's strategy image.

A man and a woman examine a miniature model of an apartment building surrounded by moving lines of light.

Illustrations for Finnpark’s advertising campaign. Concept and image editing: OSG Agency / photography: Pasi Salminen.

2D illustrations

In addition to 3D illustrations, we also create 2D illustrations. Our style is typically geometric and colourful, but we can adapt to other styles as needed.
A woman with yellow hair and a red dress leans against a balcony railing next to her cup.

Illustration for a TV commercial created for Sanoma.

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A drawn city skyline featuring a blue-domed church, a white tower block, a large yellow Ferris wheel, and other grey-blue buildings.
A green and turquoise abstract graphic featuring a person with long wavy hair holding a snake within a round, ring-like background.
A cartoon-style farm with blue buildings with red roofs, tractors, and the Finnish flag.
A black coffee maker has a water measuring cup and a coffee pot containing dark coffee, on an orange background.
A Christmas tree, a snowman, gift packages, and candles themed around red and green, with the text: 'Hyvää Joulua ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta' (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year) in two languages.

A Christmas card for the United Nations Women's Guild.

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Characters

Riesen Design creates approachable and fun characters to help you engage your target audience in a memorable way. We can also bring both 2D and 3D characters to life through animation.
A smiling tooth character with outstretched arms on a light blue background.
Sello's Jellona

3D version of Sello's Jellona: modeling, rigging, and animation.

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Two characters in blue and yellow work clothes and caps, with the text 'Rauman Energia' in the background.

Characters for Rauman Energia.

An animated character resembling a potato, wearing a blue shirt and a yellow beanie with red goggles.

A fun and approachable mascot for the Helsinki-based swimming club Simmis.

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Cartoon characters of Lauri Joona's and Janni Hussi's rally team, dressed in blue and orange racing gear in 2024.

Caricatures of Lauri Joona and Janni Hussi for the rally season's opening campaign.

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A funny grey and light beige rhinoceros character with blue eyes waves its hand.
Three identical cartoon characters with red hair, white shirts, and blue trousers display different expressions: happy, neutral, and thoughtful.

A mascot created for Parhaan Palvelun Talo.

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Three cartoon characters with large yellow and green glasses wave their hands; the left person is in a green hoodie, the middle is a red-haired woman in a pink shirt, and the right is an older man in grey clothes.

Characters – including Keke Rosberg on the right – for Sweco.

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An animated turtle standing upright and raising one hand in greeting.

A turtle character for  Plan International.

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Two colourful and caricatured characters; one is running with a wooden club in a snowy area, while the other stands against a blue background with horns on its head, holding a three-pronged staff and a golden object.

A series of characters called Fasnacht, inspired by traditional Swiss carnival customes.

Projects

Project

DNA's illustration style

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Starting point

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When we started our collaboration, DNA was in the process of conceptualising a new unified illustration style. The foundation of the illustration style was already in place, but the challenge was to bring the different levels and implementation techniques of the style into a cohesive whole. The people at DNA were impressed by the quality of Riesen Design's work and how we interpreted the illustration style, which was still in development at the time, so we agreed to combine our forces to finalise the project.

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Solution

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Together with the client, we delved into the fundamentals of the style and the requirements for various implementation levels. The project encompassed development work ranging from simple user interface icons to more complex 3D compositions. One challenge was to seamlessly integrate traditional 2D vector illustrations into a cohesive whole, which was dominated by 3D illustrations. We also ensured, together with the client, that the overall style would allow for the production of various illustrations by other illustrators as well as DNA's partner agencies. In addition to the finished illustrations, we provided the client with various working files for versioning the illustrations.

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But the story doesn’t end there: After designing the illustration style, we have continued to work closely with DNA, creating numerous illustrations and animations for all kinds of materials, such as magazine ads, events, presentations, reports, user interfaces and playing cards. The characters even took on a physical form when the DNA team printed them in 3D for an internal event.

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Below you will find a few excerpts from our collaboration to date.

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Our part

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  • Illustration style design in close collaboration with the client
  • 3D and 2D illustration
  • 3D modeling and character rigging
  • Animation
  • Print and 3D printing materials

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Concept: DNA

Original 3D elements: Foreal

A colourful 3D illustration featuring three characters surrounding a large pink cube with "DNA" written in white letters; one character is painting graffiti, another is sitting on top of the cube, and the third is leaning against it, smiling.
Three different coloured scenes where a female character sits on a chair and paints a canvas on an easel, with different background colours.

The new illustration style had to seamlessly work with all of DNA's colour palettes.

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An animated boy in a blue shirt holds a yellow ball and looks at a dog, which is sitting against a pink background.
Half of a human figure is realistic and the other half is a cartoon character on a pink background.
Eight colourful drawn facial images, each with two similar characters and different background colours: blue, orange, light, and pink.
A child character and a sitting dog from different angles against a bright red background.

The characters were drawn from several key angles for the illustration guidelines.

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Two smiling pink-faced robots, one graphic on the left and one 3D model on the right, both with dark and bright pink backgrounds.

DNA Assistant concept: Folk

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Sustainability report

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We designed numerous new characters and illustrations to enliven DNA's annual sustainability report.

Five characters of different ages and backgrounds are sitting and standing on a pink sofa against a bright red background.
In 2024, five different human figures stand against a pink urban background, accompanied by analytical graphic elements.
A female character sits in a modern office at a pink computer on a pink chair, with her feet resting on a wooden box with wheels.
A man stands at a desk, looking at his phone and using a laptop in a minimalist workspace.
An elderly woman sits in a blue armchair, reading a smartphone, with a framed drawing of a child in the background.
A character illustration of a person working on a laptop while sitting at a table with a pink tablecloth and a parasol.

Illustration for an electrical substation

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We also had the opportunity to develop and test DNA’s new 2D illustration style by designing a giant illustration for the electrical substation of a transmission tower near Turku. The mast is located next to a small daycare centre, so we wanted to design a fun, nature-themed illustration that would appeal especially to young children. Unfortunately, the project didn’t end up happening, but you can see what it would have looked like below.

A girl with bunny ear decorations smiles as she looks at a pink house and a bunny sitting in a tower against a blue sky.
A drawn forest landscape featuring a bear dreaming of honey, a girl with bunny ears, a red cottage, a fox in a bush, and a boy with binoculars.

"Julien's work uniquely combines insightful creative thinking, professionalism, Swiss precision, and reliability of delivery. It's a pleasure to collaborate with such a partner."

Ville Teuronen

Lead visual designer, DNA

We do that too

Logos & visual identities

An open book with purple graphic symbols and three colour blocks: black, yellow, and red.

Packaging & product images

A purple bottle with an ornamental label and cap in shades of orange and yellow.

Animations

A repeating pattern of purple-toned bottles on an orange background, with a white circle in the middle featuring a purple play button.

User interfaces

A webpage with a yellow background, featuring a purple bottle on a pedestal and a repeating pattern of purple bottles.

Comprehensive graphic design services — ‍hassle-free, straight­forward, and cost-effective.

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