Comments on: Name this (illustration / graphic design) style!

Question: Name this (illustration / graphic design) style!

zpousman — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:54:04 -0800

I know you've seen this style of illustration (example, another example). But what's it called? There are a bunch more illustrations in the same style on each site, but I can't for the life of me figure out what the style is called. Any ideas?

I am asking because I want to learn to do some of these (simpler probably, at least for the start) illustrations myself. But I can't find an illustrator /photoshop tutorial on them, because I can't describe what I want. So if you have tutorials on this, that'd be great too. But I still want to know what they're called....

By: ISeemToBeAVerb

ISeemToBeAVerb — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:59:23 -0800

It's called vector art.

By: brautigan

brautigan — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:00:08 -0800

Just looks like ubiquitous Illustrator elements. Have seen it used everywhere.

By: ISeemToBeAVerb

ISeemToBeAVerb — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:02:47 -0800

Here's one site with tutorials Vexel, there are literally TONS more. Do a simple Google search for vector art tutorials and you'll be in hog heaven. Also, Computer Arts Magazine has a bunch of good tutorials, but you have to pay for some of them.

By: theiconoclast31

theiconoclast31 — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:05:05 -0800

I've heard that kind of stuff derogatorily referred to as trendwhore. This is obvious, but how about just vector art? Some of what you're seeing may just be the result of brushes, although the sunset piece looks hand drawn. Maybe someone will come up with a better term.

By: FlyByDay

FlyByDay — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:59:45 -0800

It is vector art, but that doesn't describe the style, which is what the poster is asking. "Trendwhore" is probably as close as you're going to get, as I'm guessing it has no actual name. It's just a current popular look. Sort of an urban-retro thing. But calling it vector art as the style is inaccurate, since vector art can be absolutely anything. I mean, this is vector art too, but totally different. Cute, though.

By: zpousman

zpousman — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:35:43 -0800

Yeah, thanks. I'm most interested in *that* particular, "trendwhorish" style. The gritty urban + 70s funk + clouds made from circles + dots and shit. Designers republic from 2001 is not good enough.

By: Metroid Baby

Metroid Baby — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:44:54 -0800

I've seen similar illustrations described as "grunge" - try searching for vector + grunge.

By: kpmcguire

kpmcguire — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:03:57 -0800

I call it "vector wanking."

By: dhartung

dhartung — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:14:09 -0800

It's strongly derived from earlier forms of pop art. As far as a genre name, geometric abstraction is as close as anything. It was enormously popular (using pre-digital techniques, of course) in the sixties and seventies, with the best known artist being Peter Max (though he's deemed fairly lowbrow).

See also crop circles ....

By: kidbritish

kidbritish — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:20:47 -0800

Concentric circles, solid circles, dotted lines, horizontal lines, transparency, high contrast images of dripping ink, stars, silhouettes. Nothing there is particularly difficult to make, and you should find plenty of tutorials for the individual elements you may be having trouble with.

For gritty urban: scan an image of a degraded wall, or some dripping paint, and use the threshold tool in Photoshop to make it high contrast. Or manually adjust the contrast. Or use some of the rough brushes in Illustrator.

For 70s funk: I believe it comes from the colors. You can try searching Google.

For clouds made from circles: make some circles in Illustrator & move them around to form clouds.

For dots: make smaller circles or squares.

By: odinsdream

odinsdream — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:59:53 -0800

Just now on the Blue.

By: dpcoffin

dpcoffin — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:31:39 -0800

This mag has had lots of tutorials on this style; some back issues available.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:10:08 -0800

I call it rococo nouveau, but no one listens to me (vector art, also).

By: smackfu

smackfu — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:07:32 -0800

It seems almost like faux-screenprint. Solid bold colors in solid shapes, printed over each other. The first example especially... it even has ink splatters.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:52:50 -0800

Calling the style "vector art" is like calling all photoshopped images "bitmapped"

By: zpousman

zpousman — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:36:59 -0800

Just now (er, a month ago) on metachat as well.... They like post-Nouveau and other art nouveau inspired appellations.