BTC Manager
BTC Manager was a news outlet specializing in cryptocurrency and blockchain. We created editorial illustrations designed to keep pace with its constant flow of stories.
We turned a time constraint into the foundation of a new illustration style.
Context
BTC Manager launched in 2015 as a publication focused on Bitcoin and later expanded its coverage to the broader crypto ecosystem.
Our work began with illustrations in the publication's existing style. Later, when we took on art direction, we saw an opportunity to make the process more efficient and better suited to its production deadlines.
Problem
The outlet needed to illustrate a constant stream of news quickly.
Objective
Make every story engaging and easy to recognize visually.
Approach
Streamline illustration while keeping the images clear and visually striking.
Challenge
Each illustration had to be completed in roughly 30 to 60 minutes. In that time, we needed to distill the story's central idea into an engaging, clear image that would still read at thumbnail size.
The existing style looked simple, but building it with outlines took too long for that publishing pace and did not stand out at smaller sizes.
Solution
We developed a style built from a few strokes, broad areas of color, and detail concentrated where it mattered. At publication size, the images felt rich without requiring the same level of finish in every element.
We distilled stories into recognizable situations and visual metaphors, personifying companies and concepts to represent relationships, conflicts, and ideas directly.
Results
The new approach made it possible to produce more illustrations in less time and better meet the deadlines of a news publication. Some images even became recognizable symbols within the niche.
Between 2017 and 2019, the illustrations gained a strong presence in the crypto ecosystem. Other outlets began using them for related stories, extending their reach beyond BTC Manager.
