8 Illustration Trends to Keep Your Eye On in 2020

We love creating artworks. We've been doing it since the early ages be it the cave paintings in Altamira or Ajanta, we have an innate desire to express and depict the world as we see it. Illustrations, on the other hand, are more than just expressions, they serve as a way to communicate to a much larger audience using a familiar visual language. In a digital age, illustrations are a powerful tool to visually express a piece of text, to empathize with the user, to simplify complex processes and even to bring delight.

Illustrations also help in building the personality of a brand and provide them with a much friendlier outlook that's approachable and professional at the same time. We see them all around us whether it is the quirky and funny Google doodles or the friendly line drawings of mail chimp.

With each passing year, we see new illustration trends emerging as the old ones slowly fade away, here we are looking at the latest illustration trends in 2020 to keep you updated.

1. Textures

Every surface around us has some texture to it, just by looking at it we can tell whether it is smooth, rough, bumpy or slimy. Like textures add another level of detail to our surrounding, they add depth and details to an illustration as well. Textured illustrations are all the rage in 2020, with artists experimenting with various organic and inorganic textures. Availability of digital textured brushes has made it easier for everyone to try them in their work. We are loving this trend and using textures in many of our work, we encourage you to look for textures around yourself, who knows you might end up using one in your own work!

2. Flat Colors

Designers these days are notably enthusiastic towards the saying 'less is more' and flat illustrations hold true to that saying. The idea is to work in constraints. Flat illustrations make use of restricted color palette to give maximum visual information to the viewer. Think of it like seeing the world around you in only 3 colors. Flat illustrations are a minimal representation that gels really well with the user interface and help you to make good use of the negative space. Next time you are making something, set constraints and see what you can come up with.

3. 3D Illustrations

Generally, illustrations were considered as 2D flat images, well that has changed and now illustrations also have mass and volume. With the introduction of 3D, artists are stretching the boundaries of image-making and coming up with illustrations that are attractive and whimsical. Adding one more dimension to your illustration is not at all a bad idea, play with simple geometric shapes, colors, light and textures. These are exciting times to dive into the world of 3D.

4. Geometric

In art school, they teach students to start with a skeleton, break things into simple geometric shapes and work your way up. Geometric illustrations are a manifestation of a world broken down into simple shapes like circles, squares, triangles etc. With the right use of colors and compositions, geometric illustrations can be used to create striking visuals that are both simple and elegant.

5. Surreal

If you ever came across the works of Salvador Dali or René Magritte, then you know what we are talking about. Surrealism has a significant place in the history of art movements, to put it in words it is a juxtaposition of uncommon imagery to create visuals that are bizarre and dreamlike. This trend is very context-specific but it can do wonders if you know your target audience.

6. Line Art

A line can be very expressive in itself, bring together multiple lines and you are telling a story. Line illustrations can be very sophisticated with strokes that have varying weights, sharp edges or round corners. many brands prefer line illustrations because of their expressive nature.

7. Isometric

Isometric projection or perspective is a way to represent three-dimensional objects in two-dimensional plane. It is also known as faux 3D. An Isometric illustration is great to put together a lot of information in one plane, this is why it is used by many brands to explain processes and functioning of their products. Isometric illustrations provide an overhead view so it can also be used to create maps and directional charts.

8. Hand-drawn

In a world of digital illustrations, hand-drawn illustrations are bringing some fresh perspective. Organic shapes, sketchy lines and imperfections set them apart. It is a happy change to see more and more brands using hand-drawn illustrations and it calls for all of us to never forget the roots i.e. the traditional drawing mediums.

Conclusion

Our lives are saturated with digital images/visuals, we see them all over our social media, websites, billboards and movies, these images tell us who we are and they communicate with us even without words, this tells how powerful illustrations can be.

Let's create amazing visuals and adapt to the new trends to create memorable brands and tell wonderful stories. Happy creating.