Dear Readers,

The human mind is often limited, but the human spirit is unlimited. I recall a heart-rending anecdote, which is permanently impinged in my consciousness. In his foreword to Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov wrote about how a scientist was attempting to teach a chimpanzee to draw while keeping him imprisoned in a cage. Finally, one day, much to the excitement of the scientist, the ape took the piece of charcoal and drew. The sketch showed the bars of the poor creature’s cage - wrote Nabokov. 

What cannot be explained in words, can be conveyed much more effectively with a picture. Further, illustration liberates our minds from conventional models of thinking and seeing. Each brand, like every person, is similar yet different, and each brand has its own special story. A unique style of illustration can get a brand closer to its audience in an authentic way.

In this issue, Picture, Places and People, we bring to the canvas how our studio has used illustrations to bring brands alive. Discover how we conceived illustration systems in many path-breaking projects in Anthony Lopez’s article, Not just pretty pictures. Read about how we created pictorial designs for the global coalition Transform Health in my piece Digital Healthcare for Everyone.