Closing the Visual Gap
Wellness brands know a great deal about their ingredients, from why they've chosen them to the care and research behind their products. But how much of that can their customers actually see?
I create research-led botanical illustrations that make this knowledge visible, helping brands communicate what goes into their products and why it matters.
If there's something about your ingredients or expertise you'd like your customers to understand better, book a chat. I'd be interested to hear about it.
Free, informal 20-minute Zoom call.
There's only so much information you can fit into a product description before it becomes a wall of text.
And when you know your subject inside out, deciding what to leave out can be rather difficult.
Illustration gives you another way to explain things. It can break complicated information into smaller, more manageable pieces, helping customers understand what matters without having to read quite so much.
When knowledge becomes a barrier
From…
To…
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
Why Botanical Illustration?
Photography is wonderful at showing what something looks like. But sometimes you need to show something that isn't immediately visible.
That's where illustration becomes interesting.
I research the plants, your products and what you're trying to communicate. That helps me work out which details matter, what can be simplified and how different pieces of information might fit together.
Perhaps you want to show the part of a plant that helps someone recognise it, bring several ingredients from a formulation together in one illustration, or make the science behind a product easier to understand.
And because the illustrations are created around your brand, they can work together across packaging, websites, educational material and print.
What your customer sees
- The finished product
- The packaging
- Your website
- A product description
- A social media post
You know why every ingredient, process and decision is there. Your customer only knows what you make visible.
- The care that goes into making it properly
- The research behind every choice
- Why the formulation works this way
- Years of knowledge and experience
- The principles you won't compromise on
- Why you chose these ingredients - and not others
Free, informal 20-minute Zoom call.
Portfolio
Free, informal 20-minute Zoom call.
Client feedback
“Emma is a highly reliable and talented illustrator who consistently delivers high-quality work, even to tight deadlines. She quickly understood each brief and translated it into clear, engaging visuals that aligned perfectly with the project’s goals.
She is responsive, adaptable, and easy to work with, handling feedback and last-minute changes with professionalism and speed. Emma also brought added value beyond the initial scope, supporting layout, concept development, and wider creative needs across multiple projects.
I would highly recommend Emma to anyone looking for a skilled illustrator who combines creativity with efficiency and a strong understanding of client requirements.”
— Clare Anderson, Author, Founder of Sensory Retreats, Shared Beauty Secrets and Sensory Sleep
A Little About Me
Still Growing Botanical Studio is fairly new. I, however, have been doing this for quite a while.
I've worked professionally in art and animation for 16 years, including 10 years as an illustrator. Before that, I studied Fine Art and completed a degree in Character Animation, which led me into animation and VFX.
I've always been interested in how things work and why they look or behave the way they do. That curiosity has followed me from studying movement in animation to researching the plants I illustrate today. Some of the interesting things I discover along the way end up in The Herbarium.
What I create
There are quite a few ways to use botanical illustration, and they don't all involve putting flowers on packaging.
You might want to explain why you've chosen a particular ingredient, show how something is made, or help customers understand the thinking behind a formulation.
I work within your existing brand, taking my cues from your visual identity, values and the people you're trying to reach.
Projects can include:
Botanical and ingredient illustrations
Illustrated processes and explanations
Packaging and label artwork
Educational graphics and product information
Website and product launch illustrations
Patterns and supporting brand assets
Bespoke illustration collections
Free, informal 20-minute Zoom call.
Licensed botanical illustration library
Coming Soon!
Guide prices
Illustration prices can seem a little mysterious if you've never commissioned artwork before. There are two parts to the cost:
The illustration: The research, size, complexity, detail and use of colour.
The licence: What you'll use the artwork for, where you'll use it and how long you'll need it.
The Association of Illustrators has a useful explanation of licensing if you're curious about how it works.
The prices below give you an idea of what to expect. Once I know what you're looking for, I can give you a quote based on your particular project.
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£280 per illustration pack
Perhaps you've spotted an ingredient illustration you'd love to use, but commissioning something bespoke isn't quite what you need.
The Botanical Illustration Library contains ready-made artwork for wellness brands, with a commercial licence included in the price.
Each pack includes a high-resolution, full-colour illustration, alternative linework versions and a cropped detail. You can use the artwork across your packaging, website and marketing materials, within the terms of the licence.
The licence has no expiry date, so you can continue using the illustration for the permitted purposes. It's non-exclusive, which means other brands can use the same artwork too.
It's a way to introduce botanical illustration to your brand gradually, starting with an ingredient that matters to you.
Explore the Library
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From £1,000
Is there an ingredient, process or particular piece of knowledge you'd love your customers to understand better?
We can start there.
I'll research the subject, look at how it fits within your brand and develop an illustration around what you're trying to communicate.
The project includes concept development, an agreed number of revisions, finished files prepared for their intended use and a commercial licence covering the agreed applications, duration and territory.
It might be an ingredient illustration, a visual explanation of a process, artwork for your packaging or something that works across several parts of your brand.
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Typically £2,500–£8,000
Sometimes there's more to explain than one illustration can comfortably cover.
You might have several ingredients with interesting stories behind them, a process that would be easier to understand visually, or a range of products that could benefit from illustrations designed to work together.
I'll research your subject and brand, develop a consistent visual direction and create a collection around what you want to communicate.
Projects include an agreed number of illustrations and revisions, finished artwork prepared for its intended uses and licensing covering the agreed applications, duration and territory.
The price depends on the number and complexity of the illustrations, the research involved and how the artwork will be used. Larger projects are quoted individually.
Free, informal 20-minute Zoom call.
Frequently asked questions
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We start with an informal 20-minute chat about your business, your ingredients and what you'd like your customers to understand.
I'll have a look at your website beforehand, so I'll already have some idea of what you do. You can tell me what you're working on, what's important to you and whether there's anything you wish your customers could see more clearly.
If there's a project worth exploring, we'll work out what actually needs illustrating. You might already have a particular ingredient or idea in mind, or we might discover something worth showing while we're talking. I'll then develop a brief and recommend an approach that fits your brand.
You'll then receive a proposal explaining what I'd create, how long it would take, what it would cost and how you'd be able to use the finished artwork. You can decide whether you'd like to go ahead from there.
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Nothing!
If you've already got an idea of what you'd like, brilliant. If you've never considered using botanical illustration before and you're simply curious about what it could do for your business, that's absolutely fine too.
Book a chat, and I'll have a look at your website beforehand. We can talk about your business, what you're trying to communicate and whether there's anything I could help with.
And if I don't think illustration would be useful for your business, I'll tell you. There's no obligation to take things any further.
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Illustration licensing can sound rather complicated, but the basic idea is straightforward.
When you commission or buy an illustration, you're purchasing permission to use the artwork. The copyright remains with the illustrator.
The licence explains what you can use the artwork for, where you can use it and for how long. For example, you might want to use an illustration on your packaging, website and printed materials.
Bespoke illustrations are created specifically for your brand. We'll agree on how you need to use the artwork, and those permissions will be included in your quote.
Botanical Illustration Library packs come with a non-exclusive commercial licence. It covers permitted print and digital uses worldwide, with no expiry date. Other brands can licence the same illustration too.
Both bespoke commissions and Library purchases include a commercial licence. You'll know which uses are covered before you commit, whether that's packaging, your website, social media, printed materials or a combination of them.
If you'd like to understand licensing in more detail, the Association of Illustrators has a helpful explanation.
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If you commission bespoke illustrations, the artwork is created specifically for your brand and is exclusive to you.
Illustrations from the Botanical Illustration Library are different. They're licensed on a non-exclusive basis, which means other brands can purchase and use the same artwork.
If having something that's entirely yours matters to you, bespoke illustration is the way to go.
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You'll have opportunities to review the artwork as it develops, beginning with the composition and moving through the details and colour. That way, we can discuss changes while they're still relatively straightforward to make.
If something isn't working, tell me. I'd much rather know while we're developing the illustration than discover it when everything is finished.
The number of revision rounds will be agreed before we begin, so you'll know what to expect. If something doesn't match the approved brief, we'll look at what needs correcting and work out how to put it right.
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Absolutely. I'm based in Surrey, but I work remotely, so there's no need for us to be in the same country.
We can discuss your project by video call or email, and I'll make sure the illustration licence covers the countries where you intend to use the artwork.
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Of course. You don't need to have everything finished before we talk.
If you're still working on your packaging or visual identity, we can explore how botanical illustration might fit into what you're developing.
It's useful to have a clear direction before the final artwork begins, but there's plenty we can discuss while you're still figuring things out.
I Wonder What Your Customers Aren't Seeing?
You know an enormous amount about the ingredients, decisions and processes behind your products. I'm interested in the parts of that knowledge that don't always make it through to your customers.
If you'd like to explore whether illustration could help, book a chat. I'd be interested to hear what you're working on.
Free, informal 20-minute Zoom call.