TrendX - our deep analysis of what's going on in the market

July 2026

Articles talking about illustration trends are always interesting, and our eyes are drawn to the accompanying artworks. However, they tend to be arbitrary and subjective. The writer may be very knowledgeable, and might even be correct in their assertions, but usually what appears is based on intuition, leaving us to wonder: are these really trends, or an expression of the author’s own tastes or biases?

Our TrendX report has something others don’t. Because IllustrationX represents over 260 portfolios by artists from around the world, and runs a website attracting over 100,000 visitors per month, we’re able to collect a great deal of data on which artists, working in which styles, are popular with clients. Web visits, enquiries, bookings, revenue – we can use these hard facts to see what’s really happening in illustration.

Alongside the data itself, we can draw on the expertise of an experienced agenting team based in offices in the US, UK, Australia, Asia and South America, who work with a huge number of clients across a broad range of industries. Knowing the intention behind the work, and how artists’ workloads were broken down over the quarter, we can bring insight as to why certain trends are occurring.

Our overall aim in producing this report is to analyse where we’re at and where we’re going, and to share our findings with like-minded friends and partners in the industry. It can be useful to know what’s trending at the moment, and even to cross reference that against what isn’t. Structurally, our market is shifting beneath our feet, heavily impacted by economic and technological factors, but hopefully we are able to provide a grounded appraisal of what’s going on.

If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch with one of our agents. We’d love to know what you think.

 

Trending: Colourful, conceptual, maybe even cosmic

• Our highest earning artist for the quarter works in this style
• Four of our 15 busiest artists work in this style
• Two of our top 10 earners work in this style

Swirling auras, saturated colours, organic forms and dreamlike nebulas are used as mood setters as illustrators conjure up conceptual imagery full of imagination and feeling.

Using both natural media and digital techniques – often together – the artists driving this trend have strong visual storytelling skills, and are good at recognising and finessing nuance in a narrative, which makes them popular with clients in editorial and publishing. However, reminiscent of what you’d see in a beautifully printed graphic novel, the artwork also resonates with brands looking to reach a certain type of consumer. One who is beginning to transcend consumerism, perhaps.

Tonally, such illustrations tend to be serene and contemplative, floating away from prosaic everyday concerns, observing and exploring our inner selves, and expressing that in colourful ways, escaping the lines and corners of measured spaces. Playful here, introspective there, the style avoids the tropes of comic books and traditional themes often seen in fantasy art.

Soft, surreal, meditative and spiritual, without being bound to any faith, this is artwork that moves us in subtle ways. We have talked about similar trends over the last two to three years and this type of imagery remains very popular. New artists with strong conceptual thinking and astounding creativity continue to step forward, pushing boundaries and redefining possibilities.

Tuhina Sharma

Yogi Fahmi Riandito

Luiza Laffitte

 

Trending: Make learning fun

• Four of our top 20 earners for the quarter work in this style
• Our highest earner in June works in this style
• The artist with the biggest increase in web visits works in this style

Make learning fun sounds like a worthy mantra and many of the children’s illustrators we represent take it to heart. This passion shows through in imagery that is carefully crafted yet full of fun and enthusiasm for young audiences.

While individual styles vary, the idea of turning a simple geometric shape or a slice of fruit into a character is the kind of thinking that catches the imagination of children in the early years of education and engages them with what’s being taught. That might be within formal subject areas such as numeracy, literacy and science, or geared more towards culture, creativity and social skills.

Creating imagery representing what’s being taught sounds like a straightforward task, but publishers today are looking for something more – ways of getting children to feel truly interested in the content. This is where the great kid’s illustrators separate themselves from the good – they’re able to meet the practical requirements of the brief, appeal to the senses and reach the audience at an emotional level.

As a footnote – at IllustrationX we have continually worked hard to improve the way we market our children’s illustrators, and that might be why we are seeing such strong performance from them in our data.

Evandro Marenda

Maryam Seraji

Lhaiza Morena

 

Trending: The artist’s identity shines

• Our third highest earning artist works in this style
• Two of our top 10 earning artists in April work in this style

Diversity, equality and inclusion are ideals that have been under intense attack from certain political parties and administrations. However, we’ve seen unprecedented interest in artists whose work that expresses their identities as part of minority communities, cultures and lifestyles.

As an agency, we see the inclusive approach as being the correct approach, ethically and commercially. We have a diverse, global client base, and this is reflected in the demand for a diverse portfolio of artists. Organisations that connect with specific communities, and those that believe in multiculturalism, are looking for artists whose identities shine through in their work. In turn, their audiences appreciate the sensitivity, the intention and the authenticity of the work.

We have seen tremendous growth here. In fact, some of our artists are creating so much imagery that expresses their cultural backgrounds and lifestyles that, while they would love to tackle unrelated commercial projects, they’re too busy to do so!

Esther Stimphat

Alyah Homes

Mpumelelo Bhengu

 

Emerging: Paper craft

Such a huge volume of AI-generated content is washing through our lives that genuine human artistry really stands out. While the tools are getting better and better at mimicking and faking authentic craft skills, some audiences just don’t want that, nor do they want to be deceived.

In response, many clients are leaning into handmade artwork more than ever and papercraft is an area that stands out. From intricate dioramas engineered from paper and card through to complex collage work that can seem messy and chaotic – but ultimately real – it’s a type of creativity that takes time and imagination. However, the connection with the viewer is worth it.

Cutting and pasting – not on our keyboards but at classroom tables – is something nearly everyone relates to. Having done it at a basic level in art class, when we see it executed at the highest level by a professional illustrator, it’s something we can truly appreciate. We know how it’s done but can’t do it ourselves. Some of us even imagine giving it a try.

That’s one of the reasons paper craft illustrations are so compelling; the other is their physicality. Layers, textures, colour, tactility, materiality, dimensionality – even when the piece has been photographed or scanned these qualities make us want to reach out and touch it. You just don’t get that with AI slop thrown together with generic cartoon-esque characters, too much text and a vignette applied for no real reason.

Glimpsecraft

Gail Armstrong

Vicky Scott

 

Trending: Classic comic looks

• Our second busiest artist in the quarter works in this style
• Two of our top 20 earners work in this style
• Significant increase in enquiries for another artist working in this style

Adopting the heavy line work, primary colours and ink dot patterns of 1960s comic books in his Pop Art collections, Roy Lichtenstein inadvertently turned the classic comic look into a cultural statement. By associating it with what was then the zeitgeist, he gave it a timeless quality and although we are recognising it as a trend because its popularity has ticked up this year, it’s an aesthetic that has evergreen appeal among clients.

Just as Lichtenstein used the style in contexts well away from comic book narratives, art directors work with illustrators who specialise in this look to create imagery with a broad variety of applications. It’s immediate and impactful, making it ideal for commercial projects. There are endless opportunities for dynamism, humour and storytelling.

Ironically, the style is now so closely associated with glamour, high living and the pursuit of happiness – the things Lichtenstein often depicted – that when comic book heroes appear in their classic forms it is often regarded as pastiche. Yet sometimes that is what creative directors are looking for, subverting a style that has been subverted. This could be the subject of a thesis, but we’ll leave it there…

Jessine Hein

Cat Sims

Joseph McDermott

Words by Garrick Webster