Instagram is the perfect platform to unleash your creative juices. If your art has a unique edge, it can garner thousands of followers overnight once it goes viral. And before you know it, you could be one of Instagram’s most followed artists or graphic designers, just like these 24 top graphic designers and artists. From quirky to bold and minimalist artwork, these creatives are virtuosos in their field. Learn a thing or two from their different styles and showcase your artistry on a channel with like-minded users.
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1. Steven Harrington
Harrington has traveled to incredible places but has always been fond of his city, Los Angeles. He says the Easternmost part of Los Angeles is a melting pot of cultures. And that has a significant influence on his craft. He is known for his surreal and psychedelic work with various colors and iconography. Lacoste fashion, Nike sports, Converse footwear, and Coca-Cola are just a few of his satisfied clients.
2. Mike Kus
Amassing over 800,000 followers on Instagram, Mike Kus is a successful graphic designer with mad web development and photography skills. Growing up in the United Kingdom, Kus had sent sneaker designs to Adidas. But what kick-started his graphic designing career was when he joined The Body Shop’s visual merchandising team. From there, his interest in honing his skills in the digital world grew. That’s when he started learning cascading style sheets and HTML for web and app design.
3. Leta Sobierajski
Sobierajski has been a graphic design freelancer since 2013. Her work is well-known for its diversity, from traditional characters to peculiar styles. Some of the clients that she worked with were Gucci, IBM, The New York Times, Target, Tate Modern, UNIQLO, and more. She also has a couple of recognitions under her belt, such as the Art Directors Club Young Guns 15 and Print Magazine’s New Visual Artist. When not doing killer designs, she trims her bangs, wears sunscreen, and learns Japanese.
4. Velvet Spectrum
Luke Choice is the creative genius behind Velvet Spectrum. This artist from Sydney, Australia, has always been fond of comics growing up. He started to venture into demolition and bartending jobs but soon found a strong urge to pursue his creative aspirations. That’s when he began to learn the ropes of design and made 21st invitations for friends. He kept these as an initial portfolio. He got into a marketing agency in Sydney as a junior designer, moved to New York to take another position at Vault 49, and the rest, they say, is history.
5. Stefan Sagmeister
Born in Bregenz, Austria, Stefan Sagmeister is the co-founder of Sagmeister & Walsh. He went into a partnership with another talented graphic designer, Jessica Walsh. It’s no surprise that Sagmeister’s work shines through as it’s known to be intriguing and provocative. His impressive designs earned a spot in The Rolling Stone’s, Pat Metheny’s, David Byrne’s, and OK Go’s album covers. Stefan’s Instagram features the work of notable designers and artists worldwide.
6. Brenton Clarke
Clarke’s passion for design emanates through any medium, whether it’s a breathtaking scenic panorama, family iPhone snapshots, or bold graphics. He gets his inspiration from nature, beauty, color, and his growing family.
7. Erik Marinovich
Marinovich, a lettering artist and designer based in San Francisco, has offered his services to prestigious companies such as Nike, Google, Facebook, Sonos, Hilton, Sharpie, Gap, and Ford Motor Company. He is the co-founder of a famous sketch blog called Friends of Type.
8. Mike Perry
An Emmy-winning artist, Perry is a household name in graphic design. He has ventured into animation, sculptures, books, public art installations, exhibitions, monographs, drawings, silkscreens, and more. He says he’s forever curious about what life has to offer. This drive has opened up a few international exhibitions in Australia, Germany, China, Singapore, Japan, Holland, and more countries are coming for this influential artist.
9. Supermundane
Rob Lowe is the graphic artist who coined “Supermundane.” He liked the contrasting sound of the word, and it has helped him stand out in an industry with so many other amazing graphic artists.
10. Dschwen
David Schwen and Jessica Ekstrand spearhead Dschwen. Both believe that good design starts conversations. And through word of mouth, their design studio has kept people talking about it. Their designs go beyond any medium. According to them, it doesn’t matter how simple the design is. How it delivers the message is what’s important.
11. Lauren Hom
Lauren Hom is an eccentric designer, letterer, and copywriter. She was raised in Los Angeles, went to school in New York, and now lives in Detroit. Her bright color palettes and bold letterforms reflect her bubbly personality.
12. Jessica Walsh
Walsh was Stefan Sagmeister’s protégé. Sagmeister gave her a position in his design studio, and they established a strong partnership for the Sagmeister & Walsh design firm. Walsh loves to blend painting, photography, and handcrafting. Her artistry shines through in her branding and typography works, website design, and art installations.
13. Sam Larson
Reigning from Portland, Oregon, Larson founded Steel Bison – a nature and American West art and designs. He draws in his studio whenever he’s inspired, basically every day. Larson finds beauty in people, landscapes, and animals. So when he’s not drawing, he’s out hiking and camping.
14. June Digann
Digann is a graphic designer from Manila, Philippines, with an eye for all things creative. She has a substantial social media following, with over 90,000 followers on Instagram and counting. She is known for her comical watercolors and elaborate letterings.
15. Rylsee
Cyril Vouilloz, aka Rylsee, is a master of words and letters turned into creative compositions. Rylsee is well-known for his witty quips on slogans that transcend through smartphones. One thing that Rylsee always carries with him is his sketchbook. He says sketchbooks are hard to identify because they involve the process and result at the same time, and I quote, “We should embrace the fact that people do something, rather than judge the final product. Well done doesn’t mean interesting.”
16. Orawan Siripin / Oraarts
Typography is one crucial factor in graphic design. The typeface must be unlike any other computer-generated font style. And Orawan Siripin, a lettering and illustration artist from Thailand, is an expert in this field. Her style is mostly black and white on paper canvas — all done by hand in astounding precision.
17. Calob Castellon
With almost a million followers on Instagram, Calob’s unique style garnered a few accolades. He transforms mundane photos into mind-blowing ones by using ordinary objects.
18. Will Paterson
One of the top graphic designers who specializes in logo design and hand lettering, Will Paterson, ensures artistry in his pieces. Every piece is unique and has a depth that could make for a stunning overall cohesive look.
19. Meera Lee Patel
Deemed the watercolor queen, Meera Lee Patel showcases her writing and painting skills. Her best-selling book My Friend Fear: Finding Magic in the Unknown is just as compelling as her works of art.
20. Timothy Goodman
Timothy Goodman is an “artist,” even his Grandma says so. On top of that, he is also a talented illustrator, muralist, graphic designer, and author. His art banks more on heavy and bold typography that’s unique and unlike all the others. Goodman’s art has been displayed in almost any medium and material you can think of. Shoes, clothing, buildings, walls, packaging, cars, people, books, magazines, jackets, galleries, etc.
Some of his biggest clients are Airbnb, Uniqlo, Samsung, Target, The New York Times, and Google. Goodman also has a few awards from the most significant illustration publications.
21. Mister Doodle
As the name suggests, Mister Doodle’s style is stellar doodles with inspiring quotes and unique typography. He showcases some handcrafted typography and lettering work on Instagram and his projects. He’s also a skilled logo designer with a long clientele list. His clients include Element Skateboards, Sullen Art Collective, The Sunday Times UK, Pointless Blog, SummerBreak, Melissa Polinar, Ollan Rogers, Cosmic Clothes, Solar City Corp, Front Apparel, Kinetic Global, Citizen Apparel, and the list goes on.
22. Joan Cornellà
Joan Cornellà is a Spanish cartoonist and illustrator known for his surreal and darkly humorous comics. He gained popularity on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook for his distinctive style, often featuring brightly colored and exaggerated characters engaged in absurd and disturbing situations. His work has been exhibited in galleries worldwide and featured in publications such as The New York Times, Playboy, and Rolling Stone.
23. Morag Myerscough
Any passerby won’t miss Morag Myerscough’s art in the streets. Her style is vivid, bold, playful, and colorful. This creative from London considers herself a city girl fascinated by words and colorful patterns. She says it can change people’s perspectives on city-dwelling, environments, and spaces. She is also enthralled by Belonging, and this obsession is deeply rooted in her artwork.
24. Andreas Hansen
This artist from Copenhagen, Denmark, has worked with prominent brands and publications worldwide. Andreas Hansen is well-known for his sleek and sharp style. The almost monochromatic photos on his Instagram feed would be a perfect diversion from other artists’ colorful patterns and shapes. Some of his biggest clients are The Washington Post, Hermes Paris, HP, Elle, and more.
Graphic Designers Group
To inspire fellow graphic designers on Instagram, Graphic Designers Group sources the best design work from talented and skilled graphic designers worldwide. They also collaborate with clients to create visuals like logos, packaging, and brand identity.
How to Request Illustrations on Penji
Amazed at how these graphic designers create illustrations? Let Penji designers show off their design chops when you request illustrations.
1: Create
The first step is to request an illustration through the Penji dashboard. It takes three easy steps to submit your design brief.
One, click on Create a Project.
Two, scroll down and click Illustrations.
Three, provide details of your design brief.
Ensure that you’ll make your illustration specific. This way, your designer would design it based on your preferences.
2: Connect
Once you submit your design brief, you’ll be connected with a Penji designer. Your design is in good hands with Penji designers. We hire the best designers in the industry, so you receive high-quality and compelling designs.
Once you’ve connected with a designer, they’ll update you that they’ll work on your illustration.
3: Review
Between 24 to 48 hours, you’ll receive the first draft. In most cases, the first drafts may not be what you envisioned. But that’s fine.
The review process for any design project is crucial. This way, your designer will know how to improve your design.
To provide specific feedback, you can use the point-and-click feature to leave revision notes. This allows the designer to know which area to improve. You won’t have to use an external tool. Point, click, and let the designer work on the revision until you’re 100% satisfied.
4: Download
Love the illustration you received? Download it in two easy steps.
Click on the down button. A window will pop up to let you review the design again. If you’re 100 percent satisfied, hit the Download button and save it to your computer.
You have full ownership of the designs you receive and use them any way you want.
If you need to access your file again, log in to the Penji dashboard and download it again.
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That’s why you should subscribe to Penji. Run your business while our designers produce the designs you need. For only $479/mo., request all the designs you need for your business to get traction. This plan includes website design and illustrations. You won’t get this deal anywhere else.
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