Black Illustrations

How Black Illustrations Reached 100K Downloads by Fulfilling a Crucial Need

February 14th, 2025

Founded By

John D. Saunders

Founders

Monthly Traffic

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2019

Customer

B2B & B2C

Founded By
John D. Saunders: Founders
1

Monthly Traffic
0: Profitable
Yes

Year Started
2019: Customer
B2B & B2C

Who is John D. Saunders?

John D. Saunders is a web designer from South Florida, who transitioned from banking to founding 5Four Digital and Black Illustrations, both focusing on representation in digital design.

What problem does Black Illustrations solve?

Black Illustrations solves the lack of diverse digital imagery by providing free, high-quality illustrations of Black people, filling an essential gap in representation for designers and creators.

Black Illustrations Homepage

How did John come up with the idea for Black Illustrations?

John, a web designer, discovered a gap in the market when he constantly struggled to find high-quality illustrations of Black people for his projects. As he searched for diverse illustrations that accurately reflected the varying skin tones, hairstyles, and body types of Black individuals, he realized that the offerings were limited and often fell short in representation.

Motivated by this lack of diversity, John decided to create a solution himself. He engaged with the community to gather ideas and concepts, ensuring that the illustrations resonated with the needs of other designers facing the same challenges. Through collaboration and input, he was able to refine his designs and offer a diverse collection that would be valuable for various digital projects.

Before launching Black Illustrations, John validated his idea by witnessing the enthusiastic response from the community, evidenced by a staggering number of downloads shortly after the launch. This experience taught him the importance of filling overlooked gaps in the market and the impact of creating inclusive resources.

How did John D. Saunders build the initial version of Black Illustrations?

John D. Saunders created Black Illustrations to address the lack of diverse representation in digital images. The development process involved collaborating with the community to generate concepts that accurately depicted Black individuals with various hairstyles, body types, and skin tones. Leveraging tools like Sketch and digital art software, the team produced high-resolution illustrations in multiple formats like PNG and JPG for widespread usability. The first collection comprised over 30 detailed images and was built in a relatively short span of time, rapidly achieving over 40,000 downloads in the initial weeks. The primary challenge was ensuring that the illustrations met the diverse and nuanced expectations of users, which required careful attention to detail and iteration based on user feedback.

What was the growth strategy for Black Illustrations and how did they scale?

SEO

Black Illustrations leveraged search engine optimization (SEO) to drive traffic to their website. By creating content that was relevant to their target audience and incorporating keywords related to diversity and illustrations, they increased their visibility on search engines. This approach effectively catered to a market looking for diverse visual representation in digital projects, attracting users who were actively searching for such resources.

Why it worked: By focusing on SEO, they attracted users who were specifically looking for diverse illustrations. The use of targeted keywords helped them rank higher in search results, making it easier for potential customers to find their offerings without extensive advertising costs.

Free Resource Strategy

Black Illustrations offered high-quality illustrations for free, which proved to be a significant driver of website visits and downloads. By providing free content that appealed to their target users—designers in need of diverse illustrations—they encouraged people to visit the site, download the content, and potentially share the resources within their networks.

Why it worked: Offering valuable content for free lowered the barrier for users to engage with the brand. It not only increased traffic and downloads significantly but also fostered goodwill and amplified word-of-mouth marketing. This strategy helped establish the brand as a leader in promoting diversity through design resources.

The use of social media platforms was instrumental in promoting Black Illustrations. Social media provided a platform to showcase their diverse illustration packs to a broader audience. By engaging with users and other creatives on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, they amplified their reach and attracted new users to their offering.

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Why it worked: Social media allows for visual storytelling, which is ideal for a platform focusing on illustrations. By strategically posting content and engaging with their audience, they built a community around the diversity and representation that Black Illustrations stand for, driving traffic back to the main site.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Black Illustrations formed partnerships with educational institutions and large organizations like the CDC and Harvard. These collaborations helped introduce their illustrations to new and wider audiences, enhancing brand credibility and extending reach.

Why it worked: Collaborations with reputable organizations provided additional trust signals and exposure. By aligning themselves with educational institutions and large enterprises, they gained access to broader networks, helped validate their product's utility, and brought in a new wave of users who were passionate about using diverse illustrations in their projects.

What's the pricing strategy for Black Illustrations?

Black Illustrations offers over 40 free digital designs featuring Black people, with optional donations to support the platform's growth.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Black Illustrations?

Solving a Real Problem: Black Illustrations came to life because John couldn't find diverse and accurate images of Black people for his projects. Creating Black Illustrations filled a gap in the market and provided value to a community that was underserved.
Community Involvement: By involving the community in the design process, Black Illustrations ensured the collections reflected true diversity in hair styles, skin tones, and body types. This approach not only enhanced the product's authenticity but also built a strong connection with the audience.
Leveraging Free Resources: Offering illustrations for free download encouraged widespread adoption and helped Black Illustrations gain massive traction quickly. This strategy built awareness and trust, and opened the door for monetization later.
Focus and Passion: John built Black Illustrations due to a personal frustration and passion for diverse representation. Building a business around something personally meaningful can drive success and resilience through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.
Efficient Use of Technology: Building the platform using tools like WordPress allowed Black Illustrations to create a professional and functional site without excessive cost or resources, showcasing the power and accessibility of modern web tools for small businesses.

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More about Black Illustrations:

Who is the owner of Black Illustrations?

John D. Saunders is the founder of Black Illustrations.

When did John D. Saunders start Black Illustrations?