Top illustration trends of 2020
It is in the nature of human beings during a time of crisis to look back at something familiar, at something that makes us feel comfortable and reminds us of simpler times. For some that means taking up knitting, for others attempting baking (were you even in a pandemic if you didn’t make banana bread?). For us, artistic folk out there, that means finally having the time and place to pick up a brush, real or digital, and paint. Paint, draw, illustrate, whatever keeps you going. Spending so much time in front of a computer on virtual meetings that, let’s face it, could have just been an e-mail, for hours and hours a day is undoubtedly so exhausting that our hands are itching to create something visual, something that will stay with us longer than the 40-minute-permitted Zoom call.
Is it of no surprise then that websites with freelance illustrations, which people like me consider their online habitat, have been booming since March 2020. Since more and more people either take up illustrating for the first time or return to their long-standing hobby, many new illustration trends begin to emerge. Then, why don’t we take a look at what styles and artistic movements did people employ in their illustrations during 2020?
Geometric Patterns
Isn’t it funny how exactly 100 years ago in the 1920s geometry was the hottest trend in art, particularly in cubism, futurism, and constructivism? Digging even deeper, geometric patterns were central to the geometric phase in Ancient Greek art in 800BC, with men’s torsos consisting strictly of a triangle and women’s hair abstractly depicted as straight lines. The point is, geometry has never really been ‘out’ in illustration – there is something so soothing to the human eye to see harmonic symmetry of lines and shapes.
The main reason for geometric popularity is the fact how easy it is to replicate in an illustration and how effective it is in any design. Geometric motif can be exploited in any way, for instance to amplify the playfulness of the illustration or to keep the work as minimalist as possible. That is why geometry has strongly solidified its primary spot among the hottest 2020 trends of not only illustration, but also in branding, web, and packaging designs.
Limited Palette
For those always saying ‘less is more’, this trend is for you. 2020 has seen many limitations and regulations of our lives, and fascinatingly enough, those restrictions have subsequently been applied to the artistic world. For the past months artists have started to experiment on their illustrations while working with a limited palette of hues. Perhaps, illustrating with a limited palette allows the artists to have a sense of control, which many of us lack in the real world at the moment.
While definitely presenting a challenge to artists, limited palette actually helps the illustration focus on the most important information it is trying to convey. Having no distractions of abundant detail and unlimited colours makes the message of the illustration stand out much clearer, while the monochromatic style making the work much cleaner and more sophisticated.
3D, Illustration with Animation
It is not a secret that our technology has been advancing much faster and far more intensely than we had ever imagined. Blending reality with an animated setting by the means of a VR headset or even GIFs has become such a natural part of our lives that eventually artists equally started to erase the boundaries between reality and animation by blending traditional illustration with animated one by the means of 3D. Thanks to the ever-developing 3D software, from 2019 onwards artists have been fusing our physical world with the digital one, combining illustration with sound design and motion video, transcending our understanding of what’s real and what’s not.
Additionally, 2020 has also witnessed a movement of Retro Futurism in animated illustrations. By using retro palette and vintage style in 3D animations, many artists today apply modern technology in their retro-inspired illustrations to evoke a sense of nostalgia for the past, giving them an almost ‘Back to the Future’ feeling.
Gradients
“A long forgotten past”- that could be said about our next illustration trend of 2020, namely the atmospheric gradients. Originally popularised in the early 2010s, gradients today are nothing like they were a decade earlier – they have become much more sophisticated, once again proving our rapid ongoing technological leap. However, this time gradients in illustration look much more atmospheric than they ever used to because of the soft brushes used to evoke a sense of airiness and dreaminess in the work.
Similarly to the animated illustrations, gradients have become another blast from the pas’ in illustration – although one of the most used colour combinations in gradients is undeniably red-blue, many artists prefer to use retro palettes of neon purple and yellow, as if imitating popular imagery from the 1980s.
Line Art
Minimalism is definitely on the rise in 2020: first the limited palette and flat colours, and now line art. And we don’t mind it at all! With so many things happening in the world right now, sometimes what we need to see are simple strokes, sharp edges, and elegant, unobtrusive background. Line art is refined and clean and can be created without the usage of technology, relying solely on the right strokes and the artist’s schematics.
Bonus: for those, who prefer to print their illustrations rather than only upload them online, line art’s greatest advantage is its affordability due to absolutely minimal printing costs.
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