Editorial Illustration Process: Article to Animation

I'm an illustrator based in Turkey. For The Guardian Labs, I created four animated isometric illustrations for Iberdrola's series on the future of the electricity grid. Each header had to explain a complex energy topic at first glance. Here is how the editorial illustration process went, from reading the article to the published animation.
How I start an editorial illustration: read the article first
The brief asked for one header illustration and one drop-in element per article, in a 5:3 format at 5000 × 3000 px. The articles covered how a clean power network works, national energy security, and how AI can make the grid smarter and more resilient. Before drawing anything, I read each article closely and marked the key ideas. Every article comes from a different part of the energy sector, so I have to understand the subject properly. Without that, I can't find the right image.
“It’s never just about drawing something beautiful.”
Rough sketches on paper and iPad
Next come quick sketches in a notebook, then on the iPad. At this stage I'm not drawing a beautiful picture. I'm testing which single image can carry the whole article. For "Grid, meet AI," the central idea became a smart control hub connected to the energy sources around it.
Hand-drawn sketch of a smart grid control hub connected to solar buildings, wind turbines, electric cars and a robot dog, concept for the Iberdrola article Grid, meet AI
Isometric illustration of a smart grid control hub linked to solar buildings, wind turbines, electric vehicle charging and a robot dog, for Iberdrola and The Guardian Labs
Client feedback and a second idea
The sketches went to The Guardian for approval. For the national resilience article, I presented two concepts: a city protected like a fortress by wind and sun guardians, and a city under a glass dome made of hexagons, shielded from storms.
Hand-drawn concept sketch of a fortress city protected by wind and solar guardians holding shields
Hand-drawn concept sketch of a city under a glass hexagon dome protected from storms, with hands adding wind turbines and solar panels
Neither worked, and a revision request came back. I returned to the article and found a new idea: an endless loop, an energy system that keeps renewing itself. The client approved it.
“Every brief is a new sector. I have to master the subject to find the right image.”
Hand-drawn sketch of an infinity-loop energy system with wind turbines, solar panels, roads, buildings and vehicles
Isometric illustration of an infinity-loop green energy network with wind turbines, solar panels, city buildings and vehicles, for Iberdrola and The Guardian Labs
From approved sketch to vector illustration and JSON animation
Once the sketches were approved, I redrew them as clean isometric vector illustrations. Then I animated them and exported the animations as JSON files for the web, and the pieces went live on Guardian Labs.
Isometric illustration of two hands lifting a modern renewable energy city above an old fossil-fuel city, for Iberdrola and The Guardian Labs
What I take from this
A good editorial illustration is not only about drawing well. It is about understanding the subject, then making it clear and memorable in a single image. That is what I try to do in every project.
Recognition: "The Grid, Unlocked" received an Honorable Mention from 3x3 Magazine!
Client: Iberdrola, via The Guardian Labs.
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