Review of the Year 2019: Top 25 Illustration and Animation

Illustration and animation will always be the butter to It’s Nice That’s bread, and 2019 has been yet another eye-opening year of discovering new and exciting talents.

Occupying the space where expression rules over direct communication or lifelike representation, this year we’ve seen all manner of tools being used within both mediums. Whether it be displaying illustrative prowess by magicking a pet dog out of clay, or perfectly illustrating the facade of a building, it will never fail to amaze us how illustrators can take something we think we’ve seen a thousand times, and turn it on its head.

Within animation, it’s also been a year in which we’ve seen brands once again turning to the medium to display new ideas or reach new audiences, such as Cheerios placing its trust in Johnny Kelly, or Corona commissioning Nicholas Ménard to animate thousands of miniatures. The medium has also been perfect for visually imagining different narratives, from a teenager’s quest for a coldsore to creating a visual representation of calm.

Supported by Google

Google is proud to support It’s Nice That’s Review of the Year in championing a broad and inclusive creative community. We believe that design is critical to building great products and experiences, and we’re committed to supporting best-in-class efforts like Material Design — a unified system combining theory, resources, and tools to help designers and developers craft beautiful, digital experiences — and Google Design. At Google Design, we produce original articles and videos, host events, and champion creative and educational partnerships, with the goal of supporting and inspiring designers and design technologists. Sign up for the Google Design Newsletter to learn more.