Digital illustrations have been changing a lot in the last few years where we witnessed the emergence of some really cool styles and techniques adopted by the best in design. Some fabulous old-school designs made their comeback and stayed.
Achromatic/Monochromatic color palettes
Achromatic and Monochromatic color palettes were on the rise in early 2022 and right now they’re being used very widely. You’ll find them used in anything from a creator’s Dribbble or Behance page to big Netflix posters.
This style uses Black and White color palettes from the monochromatic colors in different tones. Sometimes, the artwork may even use different combinations of colors. If you want to make your piece feel timeless then you can mix it up and use Achromatic and Monochromatic color palettes together.
Maximalism
You’ve probably heard of the term ‘less is more’ which has a lot to do with minimalism in the visual medium and it works really well. But there’s something called ‘more is more’ and it has to do with the maximalism arm of design.
Also, this isn’t something that just sprung up among us, it has been around for centuries. Wealthy people have, throughout history, practiced maximalism to showcase their wealth. It is an aesthetic to celebrate luxury and grandeur.
Abstract Illustration
Abstract illustrations are inspired by the reality of shapes, colors, and lines and become a way to express a new worldview of the artist to their audience. Its extending arms are Cubism, Abstract expressionism, and Surrealism.
In nature, this trend is similar to minimalist design but abstract illustration has created a niche of its own and takes the minimalism torch forward with more beautiful and simplistic art. Outlines of objects are drawn in either thin lines or simple strokes while colors are used in parts and most area of the illustration is left blank.
Psychedelic Abstract
All the leaves are brown, and the sky is gray. Psychedelic abstract in illustration has stepped and stayed in 2022. Highly recognized for its character of complex abstractions and vivid colors that add intricate and symmetrical detail to the art.
Surrealism is the extension of this psychedelic art trend and can be seen behind many doors in 2022. This one definitely grabbed a lot of attention and proved relevant in 2022.
Retro Styling
The Retro aesthetic became mainstream in 2022, and in a good way. Your favorite social media apps now have more retro filters to fuel the trend and take users back to the era of the 80s and 90s. Nostalgia is great for targeting an audience that is in their mid-life at the moment.
Hand drawn
Square one, right? This is where it begins. This is how the old-school players did it when there were no screens or smart pens to tinker around with. Hand-drawn illustrations always have so much to bring to the table, such as a cozy, warm, and homely feeling.
Adding to that, the originality is widely appreciated and adds more value to the brands using this style of illustration.
Conclusion
So in this post, we talked about which trends in 2022 had dominated in the illustration area. We hope this was useful and you can use some of them as inspiration for your next amazing illustration work.
