Tesco Finest tea illustrations by Tom Haugomat (Image credit: Tesco)

In a world increasingly saturated with machine-generated imagery, illustration is having its moment of rebellion. I’m starting to see a number of common themes in the creative work that’s coming across my desk at the end of 2025, including a hunger for authenticity, imperfection and the human touch.

Whether it’s hand-drawn squiggles or story-rich scenes, more and more illustrators seem to be reaching for styles that feel crafted, honest and unmistakably made by people. To work out just what’s going on here, I spoke to a number of design and branding experts.

01. Childlike and playful

Left: branding for Sad On Sundays by Cristian González from Inmigrante Studio. Right: Studio Frith’s identity for Jolene Bakery (Image credit: Studio Frith/Cristian González)

Kate Binns, senior designer at FutureBrand, puts it plainly: "In 2026, the big trend is clear: embrace the mess. It’s all about being naive, imperfect and human." People are already tired of pixel-perfect design, and Kate believes this will only increase over time. "With the rise of AI rapidly shaping the creative process, hand-drawn illustration will grow in tandem to provide authenticity and personality to brand identities.

So what will this look like in practice? "Colour palettes will be minimal and intentional," she predicts, "injecting contrast and supporting medium textures and movement. Think bold, expressive and intentionally messy; illustration that is crafted on a page, not on a screen."

By way of example, she points to Studio Frith’s identity for Jolene Bakery, which features childlike drawings and rough textures that feel like they were scribbled on a napkin… in the best possible way. The imperfection is the point; it signals care, craft and human hands.

Similarly, Pentagram’s work for Super Peach embraces wonky lines and playful compositions that reject corporate polish in favour of personality. Such projects prove that messiness, when intentional, can feel more considered than perfection ever could. Expect plenty more of this type of thing in 2026.

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02. Hand-drawn styles

Illustrations by Lindsey Laseter for Little Wolf Coffee (Image credit: Lindsey Laseter/Little Wolf Coffee)

Recently Vlad Sherbatov, co-founder and president of Simplee Digital, has spied a rise in the use of hand-drawn lines, doodle-style characters and tactile, imperfect textures.

"This style stands out in crowded feeds, reads clearly at small sizes and builds trust for food, wellness and eco-minded DTC brands," Vlad notes. "It also scales well across packaging, social and web without heavy load times, making it both distinctive and practical. I’ve notice this style more in the eco-friendly, ‘down-to-earth’ brands that use natural materials, etc."

He points to the example of Oatly, with its scribbly type, uneven linework and poster-like panels across packs and website. It looks like someone drew it in a hurry, and that’s exactly the point; it feels approachable and real.

Similarly, Little Wolf Coffee uses mascot-style drawings and relaxed, pencil-like textures by Lindsey Laseter on bags, merchandise and digital platforms, creating a visual identity that feels like a friend rather than a corporation. It feels like in 2026, wonky will be the new polished.

Becca Jones, a designer at ilk Agency, believes this shift will be a highly positive one. "I think a drive for real hand-crafted illustration instead of the bland throwaway styles we’ve seen in recent years will be a huge win for the illustration community," she says.

"We’ve especially noticed this with some of our more corporate clients, who are wanting to balance out their serious and straight-edged content with more human illustrations," she adds.

03. A sense of fun

Shruti Shyam, senior designer at PearlFisher, reckons one of the biggest trends of 2026 will be to stop taking ourselves so seriously. "It’s okay to have fun," she explains, giving the example of the lighthearted drawings in this case study by type foundry Dinamo.

One common way to bring the fun, she adds, is by leaning into juxtaposition. "The combination of rough analogue illustrations with beautifully set digital type layouts feels elevated yet approachable," she observes. "Every imperfect stroke feels perfectly considered.

"Adding frame by frame motion exaggerates roughness to tell an engaging story, as with Con McHugh’s musical illustrations. Hand-drawn moments signal care and human connection. Sprinkle in a unique sense of humour, and that’ll make the world a happier, less robotic place."

04. Naive authenticity

Spotify Wrapped prioritises feelings over professional slickness (Image credit: Spotify)

Kate identifies a related trend in which illustration is leaning more into rawness and charm. This isn’t about being unsophisticated: it’s about prioritising feeling over technical prowess, and connection over perfection.

"This shift is already visible in the hand-drawn charm of 2025’s Spotify Wrapped, Clue Perfumery’s Every Apple project – which interprets the fruit in a variety of unique ways – and the Boots x ARTHOUSE Unlimited collaboration, which highlights the artistic talents and skills of adults who live with diverse learning and physical disabilities," she explains.

05. Quiet graphic minimalism

Illustrations for Zocdoc (Image credit: Zocdoc)

While imperfection and visual chaos dominates much of 2026’s illustration landscape, that’s not the whole story. Jason Boertje, head of marketing at Supra Boats, champions something that might be seen as something of a counterbalance: what he calls quiet graphic minimalism.

"This trend blends simple line work, flat geometric shapes and restrained colour with generous whitespace," he explains. "The effect is calm, legible and premium, and it works especially well for lifestyle and outdoor brands that need to communicate guidance or quality at a glance.

"In 2026 this trend will gain traction," he continues, "because consumers reward clarity in saturated feeds and small-screen environments. Such illustrations scale cleanly, print crisply, localise easily and support accessibility with strong contrast and reduced visual noise, making them a practical choice for digital products, packaging and wayfinding."

Zocdoc, an app that connects patients with healthcare providers, exemplifies this approach with friendly line-and-flat illustrations across its UI and marketing, all bathed in whitespace that lets the eye rest. Similarly sleep brand Casper uses clean-line scenes and flat shapes in campaigns and out-of-home advertising for instant legibility, even when you’re half-asleep on the Tube.

Quiet graphic minimalism might sound rareifed, but it’s actually very practical. This is a style built for digital products, packaging and wayfinding in a world where attention is fractured and screens are small. Its rise proves that sometimes, breathing room is the boldest statement of all.

06. Narrative packaging

Illustrations by Jens Nilsson for PangPang Pusher sour beers (Image credit: Jens Nilsson/Pang Pang)

When it comes to packaging specifically, it feels like the days of flat icons and minimal graphics are increasingly far from us. Instead, brands are turning packaging into mini storybooks, says Anthony Church, digital marketing consultant at Sports Art Direct. "Narrative packaging uses richly illustrated, story-driven labels to anchor products to a place, process or ethos," he explains. "Brands are shifting from flat icons to scenes, characters and vignettes that act like mini editorials on shelf.

"This resonates in 2026 because shoppers want meaning at a glance, and these illustrated worlds signal provenance, care and craft far faster than photography or minimalism. The same visual storytelling also travels well into social, where distinctive illustrated packs earn stronger saves, shares and recall."

Take Tesco Finest Tea’s destination-led packaging by Tom Haugomat, where each flavour is anchored to a richly illustrated locale: think stylised landscapes that transport you before you’ve even brewed a cup. Then there’s Innocent Drinks, whose playful, narrative-driven design once made people’s jaws drop when they discovered the brand was owned by Coca-Cola. The hand-drawn charm and chatty packaging created a world so distinct it felt like a scrappy underdog, not a corporate giant.

The same visual storytelling trend travels beautifully into social media, where distinctive illustrated packs earn stronger saves, shares and recall. In an age of scroll fatigue, narrative makes products feel like characters worth following.

Tom May is an award-winning journalist specialising in art, design, photography and technology. His latest book, The 50 Greatest Designers (Arcturus Publishing), was published this June. He’s also author of Great TED Talks: Creativity (Pavilion Books). Tom was previously editor of Professional Photography magazine, associate editor at Creative Bloq, and deputy editor at net magazine.

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