Inspiring Illustrations With Plenty Of Bright Colors And Cool Patterns

It’s almost time to leave winter behind us here in the Northern Hemisphere. Most of the time, the weather can’t quite make up its mind, and so the days pass by with half of the sky sunny while the other half gray. Nature usually tends to have a strong impact on my mood, and so these days I feel like I’m literally in a gray zone — between winter and spring.

I’m not sure about you, but with springtime lurking around the corner, my need for extra inspiration is even bigger. So, I hope that this month’s set will give you just that spark you need to cheer you up and boost your creativity.

Further Inspiration on SmashingMag: Link

SZ Magazin Link

The style and the little details such as the bottom band on his pants, his shirts and his handbag are the cherries on the cake.

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Image credit: Rami Niemi⁷

The Classics Are Coming! Link

Exciting times ahead for cycling fans. This nice design however was to celebrate Chris Froome winning Le Tour for the third time. Love how the body is arched over.

The Best Things In Life Are Free Link

Illustration for Lonely Planet‘s book. A illustration style reminiscent of mid-century hand-painted billboards.

Mountains – Steve Wolf Link

Probably not your average color combo but it sure works.

Control 4 Link

Part of a murals series for a company that is leading the way in smart home technology. They turned out wonderful. See them all¹⁴.

Buy Local Link

Cool idea to visualize a campaign to ‘buy local’ this way. Creative! Also digging those grunge effects.

Elementi – The Rise And Fall Of British Pound Link

An editorial illustration that accompanies an article about the history of the British Pound.

The Handmade Soap Company Link

I have seen this technique of combining real products with simple shape paper-cut elements a couple of times already and the result is really beautiful.

Star Trek Postage Stamps Link

In order to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the original Star Trek television series on CBS, the Philadelphian design studio ‘The Heads Of State’ created these stamps. Large view here²³.

Umami Link

An illustration for Umami, a chain of restaurants based in Zagreb, Croatia. It was made as a part of a poster series which takes on curiosity and exploration of different tastes and flavors.

Tsawwassen Mills Link

The hair, the skirt but especially her stockings are what makes this illustration what it is. Such class! Look at that shadow.

Nestlé Link

These vegetables are beautiful. They have a certain edge. They are items for new packaging.

Create Your Own Summer Adventure Link

Wonderful color choices. Love this special 2D approach where things are viewed from 2 different angles, top and front. Makes you hardly wait for summer to arrive!

Smart Wardrobe Link

Artwork that shows us a beautiful way of how the illustrator’s imagination thinks and works.

Raúl Soria – Sport Link

I need my weekly dose to keep me sane. Interesting bright colors and cool pattern details.

Van Morrison Las Vegas Poster Link

Talk about making the most of a limited set of colors. The neon lightbulbs are so well done. Incredible piece of work. Be sure to watch the process video³⁸!

The Minimalism Of Winter Link

Great textures and atmosphere. Just by looking at it you can almost feel the cold.

Tycho World Tour Link

I have been enjoying Tycho’s latest album and wanted to go see Scott live in Brussels but it’s sold out already. This is the world tour poster.

Q & A Link

Sometimes you don’t need much to get an interesting result. Look up! In his series, Alexander Missen captured many fundamental symbols of America.

Marketing Page Link

Love the illustration style. Inspiring color choices, too.

Crane Capsul Link

So simple, yet so amazing! Love deconstructing this. So much to learn.

Forms | Shapes Link

Great personal project by Peter Tarka. Such great details and attention to colors and backdrops in this series. There are a few more⁵¹ to check out.

Making House Link

Very nice how the objects are placed so you are really looking inside.

Connecting The Dots Link

Pictures like this make you forget the cold. Some nice light and colors shot in Ringerike, Norway.

Bicycle Retro Cruise Link

A poster for a bicycle Retro Cruise in Kyiv. Original style! Patterns on the socks and jacket are simply fabulous.

An Autumn Office Depression Link

Quite busy, I admit, but I admire how everything flows into each other. Well done, especially since it’s not that easy using only a limited amount of colors.

Genome Magazine Link

This cover for Genome is just absolutely brilliant! So fitting, and just look at those colors. So yummy!

Green Link

I’ve heard so many good things about Iceland and by looking at this picture they all must be true.

Teddy’s Link

Big neon sign for Teddy’s Nacho Royale, a burrito joint on the campus of a large social media company. Had no clue that they could create such attractive neon signs.

Voyage To The Deep Link

The vintage atmosphere is lovely. Makes me think of a Jules Verne novel.

Crowd Goes Wild Link

The artist’s style is obviously inspired by 1940s comic book art in this piece, as well as the Russian avant-garde movement and printed materials from the 1950s/60s.