There’s no hard or fast rule here. You can find an illustration style that maps to both the voice of your core product, as well as your marketing voice. Particularly as a small startup — both sides are basically trying to say “we think this idea trucking rules, just give us a minute to show you.” At Shopify, however, because we are such a large company, and because there is a gravity that comes with asking people to trust us with their livelihood, our product and marketing voices are at odds.
In product, there’s a necessary solemnity. We want to make it fun, and be buds when you’re successful — maybe even crack a joke every now and then. But mostly, we just want you to know that we’ve got your back when shit hits the fan. No, wait, we want you to know that we are actively building new ways to arm your fan against said shit. We want to be trustworthy, optimistic, and confident. We want to say “I always knew you could do it, keep going.” in Morgan Freemans voice as we fade into the background and resume our caretaker role.
In marketing, there’s a necessary enthusiasm, eagerness and clarity. Shopify marketing is not Morgan Freeman. It’s Aladdin. He’s standing on a magic carpet, reaching out to Jasmine and asking if she trusts him before he shows her the world (shining, shimmering, splendid). We see a brighter future for you. We’re not hopeful, we’re so confident that we’re already proud of what you might do. We’re painting the picture of what we see for you, and handing the brush to you to fill in the blanks.
