Zscaler IT Heroes
The marketing and design teams at Zscaler had the idea to highlight their impressive list of clients in a monthly comic strip they named "IT Heroes". Each strip features a client who has been an outstanding brand ambassador, and consists of three panels depicting the hero transitioning their companies cloud security from a cobbled together "best of breed" situation where different systems might have trouble working together, to a system like Zscaler that is built to integrate out of the box.
Below are a few examples, followed by a quick rundown of my work process of concept sketches, color comp, and then the final vector artwork.
BioIVT - Chad Pallett
Chad Pallett, the CISO for BioIVT, originally introduced the use of Zscaler products in his home office in Kansas City before it was rolled out internationally to the rest of the company. The concept for these illustrations was for Chad to be "The Wizard of Z". The main characters, representing BioIVT employees and customers, are being harassed by the Wicked Witch, and her minions. Fortunately she can not hack their data with her crystal ball because it is protected by Zscaler. The main characters reach the Emerald City, made up of test tubes and double helix towers.
Eaton Corporation - Jason Koler
Jason Koler is the Deputy Chief Information Security Officer at the Eaton Corporation. Eaton has a history going back to 1911, making gears for truck axels. They have expanded not only in just automotive parts production, but aerospace and electrical as well. The company positions itself as a global "power management" company at the "leading edge of change". The concept for these illustrations is inspired by Kaiju monster movies, and giant robots like in the movie Pacific Rim. The monsters in the first panel represent the challenges of being a leader of change, and the online threats to sensitive data. The three robots represent the three areas of expertise in Eaton's manufacturing, offering protection, and a vision of the future.
Oxfordshire County Council - Stewart Griffiths
Stewart Griffiths is the Principal Technical Architect at Oxfordshire County Council, and it was his responsibility to set up a system that could serve and protect the information of 725,000 residents. The old security system is represented in panel 1 by a clunky mechanical Frankenstein's Monster of old security solutions mashed together, and barely working. Stewart then builds a new system represented by a more modern elegant looking robot. The brain driving the system is Zscaler. The new robot looks more like a hero than a monster.
United Airlines - Deneen DeFiore
Deneen DeFiore is the CISO for United Airlines. For this concept, the analogy is of an old looking, hastily packed cumbersome suitcase representing out of date VPN services. The suitcase has travel stickers on it, but instead of world famous locations like "The Great Wall of China" or "I Love NY", they say "The Great Firewall", "I Love IT", "VPN", etc. She then hands the baggage over to a Zscaler attendant, and she's off, unencumbered.
Southwest Gas -Larry Rosenbusch & David Petroski
Southwest Gas is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, and provides natural gas service to over 2 million customers in parts of Arizona, Nevada, and California. This concept uses the Neon Boneyard Museum as an analogy for obsolete network security services like VPN that are competitors to Zscaler. Larry and David come across a sign pointing them in the direction of Zscaler, and a more comprehensive cloud based network security solution.
Hydro - Armin Auth
Hydro is a leading aluminum and renewable energy company that builds businesses and partnerships for a more sustainable future. As the name suggests, hydroelectric power is part of their portfolio. Armin Auth, IS Manager at Hydro turned to Zscaler for a better cloud security solution that is also more energy efficient. For this concept Hydro's old VPN systems are likened to a smoking motorized raft being caught up in the rapids. Armin then upgrades to a more stable, clean energy solution with the Zscaler security service represented by a sailboat.
Royal Caribbean Group - John Maya
For Royal Caribbean Group, John Maya, VP of IT infrastructure starts off swimming in the ocean surrounded by sharks, wearing a pair of floaties representing their old VPN system. As a cruise ship pulls along side, a Zscaler life preserver ring is lowered down to save John from the dangerous waters. He is pulled onboard and sails off into the sunset.
Process
The following is a look into my process of creating a Zscaler IT Hero comic. I review the information provided by the client, and search around online for any additional information that may be helpful. Once I feel familiar with the project, I begin by creating a word association list to help me think of possible ideas, then move on to creating thumbnails.
Thumbnail Sketches for BioIVT
Option 1: Wizard of Z
Chad is from Kansas, and his first rollout of Zscaler was at their Kansas City location, so let's make him the Wizard of Oz, or just Z! The main characters are being harassed by the Wicked Witch and her minions, but she can't hack their system with her crystal ball because it's protected by Zscaler. The main characters reach the Emerald city, which is made up of test tubes and double helix towers, and is protected by The Wizard of Z.
Option 2: Zombie Virus
This concept plays on BioIVT being a provider of biological samples for research into creating vaccines and other treatments. A Zombie Computer Virus allows a hacker to remotely control an infected computer. In this concept, Zscaler is the cure for the Computer Zombie outbreak.
Option 3: Data Vampires
Reading about BioIVT, and how they can supply specific blood samples for testing, Vampires came to mind. Blood, like their data, is a company resource, so either one being stolen would be a problem. This concept starts with a Vampire in a graveyard containing the tombstones of data security systems like VPN and Firewall. Chad introduces Zscaler, and the Vampire reacts the same as he would being exposed to sunlight.
Color Comp
Once the thumbnail ideas are reviewed and the client has chosen a direction, I collect and create any photo reference I may need, then refine the drawings, and comp them up in color. All of my sketching and coloring at this point is done in Photoshop. The client has usually provided the copy at this point, and it is put in place to be sure it fits well within the frame compositions.
Final Vector Art
Any final adjustments are usually handled during the color comp stage. After the color comp is approved, the last step is to recreate the artwork in vector format using Adobe Illustrator. Vector art was stipulated by the client to be a necessity as it is easily scalable, and great for various applications. The artwork is printed on a plaque and presented to the client in appreciation for their brand advocacy. It is also posted to social media as a marketing tool to build brand awareness.