The real trends in illustration for 2024

Handpicked hip trends in illustrations that really matter this year with visual examples.

There are tons of articles that list trends in design every year. If you come to look closer at a lot of them, it feels like they are just changing the year number in the title sometimes, keeping the list the same. Of course, some of the ideas rule the professional world and stay with us for several years. However, in this article, we will go through mostly the newest trends in illustrations because you have probably already mastered the evergreen ones.

In this article:

• Corporative flat being not boring
• Emotional impact
  • Fun and kitsch
  • Nostalgic
• Local aesthetics
• Eclectics
• Not AI-generated, but AI co-piloted

Corporative flat being not boring

It doesn’t matter how serious your business is. If you want to look like 2024, you need to quit using plain, generic, white-collar pics. Corporative graphics better be more saturated, have up-to-date clothes and items in them, and bring a lively feeling. Even more lively illustrations would feel with the touch of animation.

Emotional impact

Nice-looking images are not enough anymore. There should be something in your images that drives emotions and calls for something relevant for the audience.

Fun and kitsch

People, animals, and just any imaginary mascot have emotions, too! And it is not only about a wide, friendly smile. The more diversity you put into the facial expression of the character in your illustration, the more engagement it will get.

Like in real life, drawn characters don’t just stay still. They jump, fail, laugh, and put themselves in some funny situations. So, for a more interactive vibe, scenarios happening in the images could be quirky and even hilarious.

illustrations can even symbolize the emotions themselves! Living anger, confidence, passion, and others, illustrations like that are the quickest way to set the mood.

Nostalgic

It’s not necessarily retro, but something that takes people back to their childhood time is up to trend now. The exact attributes can vary depending on the target audience, from vintage cameras to old-school 8-bit video games. And yes, genZ can also feel nostalgic. Make it look cool with vibrant colors and cartoonish shapes.

Local aesthetics

Hence, for the last several years, modern trends have been spinning more around globalization. Now, it is all about local beauty. Remote work, digital nomad culture, and migration are at their peak. All these helped people see how the world is different. It makes much more sense to have a cup of drink in a small local coffee shop than just go to Starbucks wherever you travel.

Consider cultural beauty in the illustration style you create since it will cause curiosity for those who have never seen something about that before and will trigger memories from those who feel related to this culture. It can be diverse character design, intricate patterns, or vivid landscapes.

Eclectics

the biggest trend of 2024 in illustration is all about being brave. Bold techniques, mashups, and surprising mix and match of different styles together — it is artists’ time to go truly beyond the limits.

Not AI-generated, but AI co-piloted

AI will never take artists’ jobs away. Especially if professionals take AI into the game as a companion. Generated touches to the images, like textures, backgrounds, and patterns, will set the futuristic atmosphere for the illustration style. And the more experimental visuals look — the greater experience the audience will get from them.

Can you guess which elements are hand-drawn and which are generated in these pictures?

Wrapping up

It is definitely not the full list of trends for illustrations in 2024, but it is pretty accurate and professionally hand-picked. Keeping these in mind will help you to develop an eye for up-to-date visuals and create trendy designs. Stay tuned for more insides and shares, and let us know what you think of our picks on Twitter.