Vector Art

A while back I received a mailer that had some exciting, fresh, seasonal looking art on it, and I thought: I have seen this so many times in so many places. I think this look for design has become the standard for fresh exciting and edgy, and depending on what colors are used, a season can be implied. So when is it that a fresh look for design becomes stale, predictable, the status quo? I don't have an answer yet, but here are some examples of this 'look' as it matures and grows in its popularity.






Here are two examples of album art work that have so much in common, but the artists themselves have very little. Illuminated streaks, concentric lines and circles, gradient gradient gradient, abstracted shapes from nature. busy busy busy. Both albums have very dreamy titles, so the artwork gives a sense of infinity, an expanding world. I think that this look can also exemplify creativity. things flowing out of a person into the world around. this, perhaps as an action that was explored in the HP commercials, where Jay-Z or Pharrell Williams' hands did all the talking.





Here is a selection from Istock and an album cover from Euro artist Mika, both very much in the same vein and in a similar vein to the Blake and Common cover, if not the same vein but abused by several years of intravenous drug use. This cover exudes the 'creativity' edge of the others but also uses the handmade aesthetic (Napoleon Dynamite, Eagle vs Shark, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) common in so much media today as well as putting the title 'Life in Cartoon Motion' to good use. I found the Istock image by searching with little more than the words 'vector art'. And here we see, illuminated light streaks, concentric circles, abstracted items from nature, and don't forget the gradients.







Two music players that should try to keep away from each other as best as possible, (or at best the Samsung away from the Zune).

And how simple is this? I took a brush set I found on Deviant Art and threw this together, it has illuminated light streaks, and concentric circles and the necessary speakers.



And this look is all over TV right now. I know that in this area, it's the basis of the look of 1st National Bank. You can see remnants of it in the graphics for Lifetime's creepy dance show, "Your Mama Don't Dance." There's a new ad, man, I wish I could remember who it's for, but it's all these people opening boxes and it looks just like all of this stuff.

What can this mean? Is it a movement? Is it a trend? Is it annoying and uncreative yet? This is a really old post that I took my time publishing. I'm sure there's more to be said, but I've beaten this subject to death in my head.