Hybrid Work Illustration System

Creating a Visual Narrative Across the Hybrid-Work Experience

Overview

Developed primarily for Cisco's Hybrid Worker Bundle program, the Hybrid Work Illustration System provided a cohesive visual language for communicating the employee experience across physical and digital touchpoints.

Built using Cisco's established brand illustration style, the system combined individual scenes into larger visual narratives, helping communicate complex ideas in a more approachable and engaging way. Its modular structure and documented standards allowed the illustrations to be adapted and reused beyond the Hybrid Worker Bundle, supporting other Cisco IT initiatives, including smart buildings, Help Zone Kiosk, the Hybrid Work Operations Center, Cisco Live activations, and additional employee experiences.

Creating a Visual Language

The system focused on the employee experience rather than simply depicting devices or technology.

Individual scenes illustrated people interacting with workplace technology in real situations, providing a human-centered way to communicate ideas. A shared set of visual characteristics and construction standards ensured consistency while allowing the illustrations to be adapted to different subjects and applications.

Designing the Narrative

The illustration system was built around two fundamental components: scenes and journeys. Scenes are individual illustrations that communicate a specific idea or moment, while journeys combine multiple scenes into larger compositions that tell a more complete story.

For the Hybrid Worker Bundle, individual scenes represented key touchpoints in the employee experience, from ordering and shipping notifications to delivery, unboxing, and setup. Each helped communicate a specific moment in the journey and what came next.

Larger journey illustrations, featured on packaging interiors and the device portal, were organized around three themes: Create, Connect, and Collaborate. These compositions brought individual scenes together to communicate broader ideas about the hybrid-work experience.

This modular structure allowed illustrations to function independently or as part of a larger narrative, adapting to different communication needs while maintaining a consistent visual language.

A System Built to Travel

The illustration system was designed to work across different formats, scales, and environments.

Individual scenes, larger journey compositions, and simplified spot illustrations could be adapted for packaging, digital communications, presentations, and environmental applications. Documented standards governing proportions, line characteristics, color, and composition helped maintain consistency across these uses.

Storytelling Across the Journey

Within the Hybrid Worker Bundle, the illustrations became a recurring narrative thread across packaging, ordering and setup experiences, and employee communications.

As employees moved through the experience, the illustrations helped connect those individual interactions. The goal was to establish narrative continuity, creating a recognizable visual language that helped turn a series of touchpoints into a cohesive journey.

Extending the System

While the Hybrid Worker Bundle was its primary application, the illustration system also supported a broader range of Cisco IT experiences.

Illustrations were adapted for smart buildings, Help Zone Kiosk, the Hybrid Work Operations Center, Cisco Live booth experiences, and other activations. These applications demonstrated how the system could communicate different subjects while maintaining a recognizable visual language.

My Role

Working within Cisco's established brand illustration style, I developed individual scenes, larger journey compositions, and the standards governing how those elements could be combined and applied.

I created a modular illustration system that supported narrative storytelling, established consistency across applications, and enabled artwork to be adapted and reused across multiple Cisco IT initiatives.