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Bringing Rudin's stories to life through illustration

Three detailed graphite illustration panels side by side, depicting mythological scenes — an angelic figure offering a flower to a woman in a garden, a beast-like creature before a castle, and a woman rising from water surrounded by serpentine sea creatures beneath a crescent moon

When we worked on Rudin, the ambition was never just to create a jewellery brand that looked beautiful.

From the start, there was a much richer idea at the centre of it. Under founder and creative director Diyanah Kamarudin, Rudin was built around stories drawn from art, history and culture. The jewellery was not conceived as a set of abstract luxury objects. Each piece had its own references, its own character and its own sense of narrative.

That gave us an opportunity to build something deeper than a conventional identity system.

Alongside the logo, packaging and wider brand world, we wanted to find a way to make those stories feel tangible. Not in a heavy-handed or overly literal way, but in a way that added atmosphere, texture and emotional depth. That is where our collaboration with illustrator Caitlin Turner became such an important part of the project.

Finding the right creative voice

Caitlin’s work felt like a natural fit for Rudin from the beginning. Her illustration style is full of fantasy, whimsy and detail, with a real sense of folklore and old-world storytelling. That balance of beauty, imagination and intrigue was exactly what made the work so right for this brand.

Rudin is rooted in craft and luxury, but it is also a brand shaped by story. There is mythology in it. Romance in it. Tension in it. A feeling that each piece points to something older and more layered than the object itself.

Caitlin understood that immediately.

Her illustrations helped bring to life the characters, stories and tropes behind each jewellery design. They gave form to the references and personalities sitting behind the pieces, making the collection feel more immersive and more alive. Not decoration for decoration’s sake, but storytelling that deepened what was already there in the jewellery itself.

Two detailed graphite illustrations by Caitlin Turner: on the left, a large partial figure of a winged being amid billowing clouds; on the right, a winged youth in armour holds a laurel wreath aloft while grappling with a dark-winged figure, all set against a soft white background

The power of illustration in packaging

That became especially powerful in the packaging and product experience.

For a brand built around limited-edition pieces and layered storytelling, the artwork did more than enrich the identity. It became part of the offering itself. Including unique, beautiful illustration alongside the jewellery added a real sense of occasion to each piece and made the unboxing feel more considered, more collectible and more complete.

Rather than simply receiving a piece of jewellery, the customer is invited into the world behind it.

That felt particularly right for Rudin’s limited-edition approach. The illustrations reinforced the sense that each design belonged to its own story, while giving the customer something distinctive to keep alongside the piece itself. In that sense, the artwork was not just supporting the brand. It was enhancing the value and experience of the product.

An open Rudin jewellery box revealing a deep royal blue interior. On the left side sits a printed illustration card titled The Three Graces, depicting three women with flowing hair in a pencil-drawn oval. On the right, a blue panel holds the embossed Rudin logo above the words Rooted in the richness, magic of creativity and fantasy worlds

Something textured and human

The collaboration also helped strike a balance that can be difficult in luxury branding. There is always a risk that fine jewellery branding becomes too polished, too distant or too expected. Caitlin’s work introduced something more textured and human. You can feel the hand in it. You can feel the imagination in it. That made the Rudin world feel less like a polished storefront and more like an unfolding story.

A Rudin branded illustration card lying on a worn stone surface under dramatic directional shadows. The card shows a large detailed pencil illustration of mythological figures — a winged creature, swirling clouds, cherubs, and a woman — with the Rudin monogram embossed in the centre

Building a brand world, not just brand assets

We often talk about building brand worlds rather than just brand assets, and this project is a good example of why. The strongest identities rarely come from one element alone. They come from the interaction between naming, concept, typography, symbol, material, image and voice. In Rudin’s case, illustration became one of the key threads that helped hold that world together.

For us, this was never about adding illustration as an extra. It was about finding the right collaborator to help express what was already there in the brand’s DNA, then carrying that through in a way that enhanced not just the identity, but the product experience itself.

Caitlin’s work brought depth to the brand world, richness to the packaging and a greater sense of rarity to Rudin’s limited-edition offering.

And that made the whole thing stronger.

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