Articles & Inspiration
Fractal art is a fascinating genre of digital art that is made using algorithms and scripts. Freeware programs such as Apophysis allow artists to create a series of still images that form extremely detailed patterns with mind-blowing intricacies. In today’s inspiration showcase I present 30 captivating pieces of fractal art from a range of artists. See how complex mathematical calculations result in a variety of colourful outcomes that stimulate the imagination.
Designs that are based on the theme of the great outdoors are a popular sub-category of the vintage design trend. They’re influenced by classic design material associated with outdoor activities, such as the logos for national parks or the different styles of scout badges and souvenir patches. In today’s inspiration showcase I present 60 creative logo designs, each incorporating elements like mountain scenes or animal graphics that give the design a sense of adventure and wanderlust.
Landscape scenes have been a popular subject for illustrators for some time now. They’re often associated with game development art, or just personal experimentations that provide that same wanderlust feeling as exploring the great outdoors for real. Vector illustrations that feature crisp lines and simplified shapes are common styles, whilst others make use of textures and digital painting techniques. Prevalent themes throughout are vibrant colours, idyllic sunrises/sunsets and beautiful scenes of nature, from snowy mountains to summer lakes.
In today’s inspiration showcase I feature a range of logos designs and branding projects for craft breweries. Being small and independent businesses often means they’re are full of character with unique names and pride in their roots, which provides plenty of creative opportunities to experiment with mascots and illustrations that visually represent the brand. See how these designers use the company’s values to develop a distinctive identity, typically with a handmade or vintage design style that reflects the history and artisanal spirit of brewing craft beers.
The style of a character design often depends on the software it was created with. Raster based applications like Photoshop lead to digitally painted artwork with realistic texturing and shading; 3D modelling programs like Maya allow artists to produce easily animated characters with realistic surface materials; while vector software like Adobe Illustrator typically lends itself to more stylised and abstract designs made from basic shapes, hard outlines and bright colours. In today’s inspiration showcase I present a variety of fun vector character designs from a range of artists. See how they all adopt a different illustration style, but they all feature the recognisable aesthetics of vector artwork.
Album cover art is always a great source of inspiration because there’s such an eclectic mix of styles to feast your eyes on. There’s no rules that determine what an album cover should look like, it just needs to be attention grabbing, possibly relate to the genre of the music it represents, and present the name of the artist along with their album title (although some examples don’t seem to make this requirement much of a priority!). This gives the artist or designer complete creative freedom to experiment and innovate, which can sometimes lead to their work becoming iconic as their artwork forms a recognisable identity for the album. In today’s design showcase you’ll find over 50 creative album covers, made using all kinds of disciplines from complex illustrations to clever photography.
