Art – including every kind of illustration – is one of the things that makes us human. And, like us, art adapts to and reflects its surroundings. With 2025 now well underway, we can reflect on 2024 and remark on what a tough year it was – for just about everyone, including artists. But we can also take strength and encouragement from how resilient illustrators, artists and creatives of all kinds have been in the face of a tough economy, crazy politics and technological tumult.
There is a sense of tentative optimism in the air, supported by the data we’ve collected and analysed for this report. IllustrationX has a roster of over 200 artists and is one of the busiest illustration sites on the web. Because of this, we’re able to track which artists and styles people in the industry are looking at and see who generates the most enquiries online. This can be taken in the context of our wider bookings data in terms of both volume and value to give us a good idea of what creative directors are looking for.
Talking to agents located in territories around the globe, we’ve interpreted this data and included various qualitative and quantitative insights – such as where new bookings are coming from, what clients tell us, the types of work emerging creatives are producing and how clients have responded to new artists who have joined the agency.
It can be a lot to take in, but we’ve sifted through all of this for you, and it will be interesting to see whether the six trends we’re seeing chime with or contradict your own experience. The data we worked with covers October, November, and December 2024, and the analysis reflects some trends that we saw throughout the past year and some new ones, too. We’ll also share three or four artists to watch in that field for each trend.
Trending: Let the Line Define! Comic-style Illustration
- Two of our 10 most-booked artists for the quarter are comic artists
- Two of our 10 highest-earning artists work in this style
- Comic art received the most enquiries in both November and December 2024
- The second most popular style on our site by visits in November and December 2024
Our trend report examined the popularity of retro comic styles this time last year, and there is no sign that this trend will abate in 2025. Our data shows that IllustrationX artists working in this style continue to attract strong interest from clients and are prospering.
Clear line work, well-defined forms, motion and dynamic points of view are some of the aesthetic factors that give comic art its impact. Meanwhile, the long history of the comic book genre has embedded this look in popular culture – it’s a style people of all ages recognise and can relate to.
When an image or a series of images is required to communicate a message clearly and make an impact,