The WIA2024 New Talent Shortlist is full of the very best New Talent in the industry.
Image Credit: Yuan – Hide and Sick: Food Additives
With over 5,000 entries from 84 countries, these shortlisted projects showcase the amazing illustration work being created worldwide.
We asked our fantastic judges for their thoughts on what made these particular shortlisted projects stand out!
Advertising
“This is a great example of how you can use illustration to convey a brands tone of voice with no words – it’s cheeky, charming and fun.
The Absolut branding feels part of the image and doesn’t feel at all forced or out of place. It’s full of personality and executed really well.”
Anna Loveland – Mid Weight Art Director at TBWA MCR
Animation
“The animator gives the scissor characteristic with an unique perspective and style. I really like how the director combines both illustration and animation languages to convey his/her idea. This animation not only has the beauty of the illustrations with beautiful composition, texture, but also incorporates the rhythm and the dynamic language of animation, as well as the montages and music. The structure of the animation is also very clear, from the small animation chapter to the entire animation, they all revolve around the main theme and idea.”
Yawen Zheng – Animation Director, Illustrator and Lecturer
Children’s Publishing
We asked Wang Lijun, from the cartoon Art Committee of China Artists Association of their thoughts on this rich and colorful piece.
“This is a work of art rich in colour and meticulous in its use of hues, where each illustration presents a marvellous microcosm with various details. It is also an artistic creation distinctly different in style from other competing works.”
Wang Lijun
Book Covers
We asked Anna Ridley, Head of Children’s Publishing, Thames & Hudson Ltd for their thoughts on these gripping cover designs for Jo Nesbo’s crime novels.
“I thought this was a clever re-positioning of a crime author’s novels. The illustrations use a limited colour palette to maximum effect, and the added use of texture elevates this from a design that is purely graphic to something more nuanced. The way the landscape continues across the jacket feels very luxurious and I thought it was clever the way the illustrator aligned the horizon lines on all three to create a consistent spine design across the series.”
Anna Ridley
Exploration
“Without reading the whole comic and knowing what’s about, I immediately sense the world and culture it’s from.
Skilled execution, beautiful colour palette and original style of drawing.
Extra points for successfully using the very European ligne claire style in a non-european setting!”
Luis Mendo – Illustrator and Co-Founder of Almost Perfect creative residence in Tokyo
Editorial
“I think it cleverly shows the impact that climate change has on developing nations through the use of the subtle plane in the distance, which seems (literally) worlds away from the foreground and the man on the bridge, but yet is the reason for the river being dry in his world.
I like the use of single tones, relying on the message and depth of the illustration to tell the story instead of colour. I think this would work perfectly for an editorial story on climate change, as suggested by the artist.”
Kelley Sheenan – Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Designer of Peppermint
Design Product & Packaging
These playful designs evoking the feeling of being young were created as a final project for a packaging class. We asked Art Director, Aurelie Bert for their thoughts.
“The characters are funny, and the harmony is successful. It’s fresh and refreshing. It matches the product well!”
Aurelie Bert
Publishing
This beautiful story explores fighting back and finding your true passion. We asked Art Director of Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, Pooja Desai for their thoughts.
“I think these illustrations and compositions are really emotive and the palette is really beautiful.
Although we can’t see the whole publication here and how the story/text feeds into it, I get a clear sense of the tone from the artwork and can see how these illustrations would work inside a publication”
Pooja Desai
Science & Technology
This detailed illustration explores exposure therapy, we asked Art Director Stephanie Violo for their thoughts.
“I appreciate the artist’s approach in addressing the issue of food additives and the health concerns they create. The abundant visuals compel viewers to delve into the images and identify the various chemical elements, thus raising awareness of this issue.
The artist maintains a distinct style that is consistent throughout the series.”
Stephanie Violo
Site Specific
“Dynamic design that integrates the alcove well. Nice palette and line work”
Neequaye Dreph – Visual artist and Educator
A big thanks to our judges for sharing their thoughts. You can explore the full WIA2024 Shortlist here, or why not check out our WIA2024 Professional Judges Highlights.