Illustrations & Characters

A colorful abstract painting on paper, featuring a purple paintbrush, sitting on an easel.

We specialize 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 colorful abstract painting on paper, featuring a purple paintbrush, sitting on an easel.
A group of chocolate candies on a blue and gold geometric background featuring stairs and arches.
A smiling tooth character with arms outstretched against a light blue background.

3D illustrations

We can create versatile 3D illustrations for a variety of purposes: illustrative images, conceptual renderings, compositions overlaid on photographs, and more.

A detail from Riesen Design's Christmas greeting.

Kopari's strategy image.

A three-dimensional abstract composition with a technological theme, featuring various black, green, and gold geometric shapes and bubbles against a light background.

Modular illustration for Funktio.

A 3D model of sustainable energy production featuring wind turbines, solar panels, a hydroelectric power 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, the process industry, data centers, and maritime transport within a renewable energy system.

VEO's service overview, of which we also created an animated version.

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

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

A three-dimensional illustration of a strategic vision, featuring apartment buildings, windmills, a lake, and a hot air balloon bearing the words “Finland’s Vision,” with strategic priorities and values displayed above the buildings.

Sivista's strategy image.

A man and a woman are examining a scale 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 is leaning against the balcony railing next to her cup.

Illustration for a TV commercial created for Sanoma.

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A cartoon city skyline featuring a church with a blue dome, a white high-rise building, a large yellow Ferris wheel, and other gray-blue buildings.
A green and turquoise abstract print featuring a person with long, wavy hair holding a snake against a circular, ring-shaped background.
A picturesque farm with blue buildings and red roofs, tractors, and the Finnish flag.
The black coffee maker has a water measuring cup and a coffee pot filled with dark coffee, set against an orange background.
A Christmas tree, a snowman, gift packages, and candles arranged around a red and green theme, with the text: "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 approachable and fun characters that 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 arms outstretched against a light blue background.
Two figures wearing blue and yellow work clothes and caps, with the text "Rauman Energia" in the background.

Characters for Rauman Energia.

An animated character that looks like a potato, wearing a blue shirt and a yellow beanie, with red safety goggles.

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

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Cartoon characters from Lauri Joona and Janni Hussi’s rally team, dressed in senior-orange racing gear in 2024.

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

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A cute gray and light beige rhino with blue eyes is waving its hand.
Three cartoon characters who look alike—with red hair, white shirts, and blue pants—are making different facial expressions: happy, neutral, and pensive.

A mascot created for Parhaan Palvelun Talo.

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Three cartoon characters wearing large yellow and green glasses are waving their hands; the figure on the left is wearing a green hoodie, the woman in the middle has red hair and is wearing a pink shirt, and the older man on the right is wearing gray clothes.

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

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An animated turtle standing upright and raising one of its hands in greeting.

A turtle character for  Plan International.

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Two colorful, caricature-like figures: one is running through a snowy area with a wooden club, while the other is standing against a blue background, wearing horns on his head and holding a three-pronged staff and a golden object.

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

Projects

Project

DNA's illustration style

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Starting point

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When we began our collaboration, DNA was in the process of developing a new, unified illustration style. The foundation of the style was already in place, but the challenge was to bring the style’s various elements and execution techniques together into a cohesive whole. The folks at DNA were impressed by the quality of Riesen Design’s work and how we interpreted the illustration style—which was still in the development phase at the time—so we agreed to join forces to finalize the illustration style.

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Solution

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Together with the client, we explored the fundamentals of the style and the requirements for different levels of implementation. The project encompassed development work ranging from simple user interface icons to impressive 3D compositions. One challenge was integrating traditional 2D vector illustrations into the overall design in a way that remained stylistically cohesive, even though the design was dominated by more striking 3D illustrations. Together with the client, we also ensured that the overall style would allow for the production of various illustrations by other illustrators and DNA’s partner agencies. In addition to the finished illustrations, we provided the client with various working files for illustration versioning.

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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 are a few highlights from our collaboration so far.

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Riesen Design

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  • Designing the illustration style in close collaboration with the client
  • 3D and 2D illustrations
  • 3D modeling and character rigging
  • Animation
  • Printing and 3D printing materials

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Concept: DNA

Original 3D elements:Foreal

A colorful 3D illustration featuring three characters surrounding a large pink cube with the word "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 scenes in different colors, each showing a female figure sitting on a chair and painting a canvas on an easel against different background colors.

The new illustration style had to work seamlessly with all of DNA’s color palettes.

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An animated boy in a blue shirt is holding a yellow ball and looking at a dog sitting against a pink background.
Half of the figure is realistic, and the other half is a cartoon character against a pink background.
Eight colorful cartoon portraits, each featuring two identical characters, with different background colors: blue, orange, light, and pink.
A child and a sitting dog seen from different angles against a bright red background.

The characters were sketched from the most important angles for instructional purposes.

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Two smiling pink-faced robots, a graphic one on the left and a 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 bring DNA’s annual sustainability report to life.

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

Illustration for the electrical panel

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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 wearing bunny-ear earrings smiles as she looks at a pink house and a bunny sitting in the tower against the blue sky.
A cartoon forest scene featuring a bear dreaming of honey, a girl with bunny ears, a red cottage, a fox in the bushes, and a boy with binoculars.

"Julien's work uniquely combines insightful creative thinking, professional expertise, Swiss precision, and reliability. It is a pleasure to collaborate with a partner like this."

Ville Teuronen

Lead visual designer, DNA

We do that too

Logos & visual identities

An open book featuring purple graphic symbols and three colored 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 featuring purple-tinted bottles on an orange background, with a white circle in the center containing a purple play button.

User interfaces

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

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

Request a quote from us or ask for more information about our services and pricing by sending us a message. We will respond by the next business day at the latest.

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