The top 15 illustrators of 2026, as chosen by the community

Around this time each year, our State of Creativity survey asks working creatives who inspires them most. With more than 1,000 responses already in, and the survey still running for a few more weeks, here are the illustrators who've come up again and again.

Many of the legends of illustration are absent from this top 15, but they haven't been forgotten: the likes of Ralph Steadman (now 89) and Quentin Blake (93) received nominations too. However, the names that rose to the top this year skew fresher: a diverse, globally spread group redefining what illustration looks like in 2026.

What's striking is how many of these illustrators are doubling down on the very things AI cannot replicate: a personal point of view, a handmade quality, a visual language built over years rather than generated in seconds. In a landscape where stock imagery is increasingly AI-produced and brand visuals risk homogenising at speed, the value of a distinctive illustrative voice has never felt more urgent… or, indeed, more commercially relevant.

1. Noma Bar

Noma Bar is a London-based Israeli graphic artist whose mastery of negative space has made him one of the most recognisable illustrators working today. Through flat colour and ruthless economy of line, Noma creates portraits and editorial images that carry double meanings—political, satirical and deeply human—for The New Yorker, The Guardian, The New York Times and The Economist. His 2016 animation for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, seen by over 40 million people during the Super Bowl, is now in MoMA's permanent collection.

2. Tom Haugomat

Tom Haugomat is a Paris-born illustrator whose cinematic, pastel-toned work evokes American illustration of the 1950s and 1960s: all atmospheric light, quiet moments and nostalgic warmth. Tom studied at Gobelins and has built a reputation for work that feels simultaneously still and deeply alive. Case in point: his series for Tesco's Finest tea range transported consumers to tea-growing regions worldwide, through images that worked equally as packaging art and standalone illustration.

3. Malika Favre

A French artist based in Barcelona, Malika has a minimal style rooted in a strong narrative core and a talent for making the ordinary feel extraordinary. She has created covers for The New Yorker, editorial work for Vogue and Vanity Fair, and the poster artwork for the Montreux Jazz Festival. Her monograph, published by Counter-Print, appeared in 2019 with an expanded edition in 2022. Beyond illustration, she and art director George Wu recently launched an online bazaar of handpicked design objects, which grew out of a cult Instagram account with over 320,000 followers. Read more on that here.

4. Seb Curi

Seb is an Argentine-born, Barcelona-based illustrator and animator whose cartoonish figures and vibrant palettes bring an infectious optimism to everything he touches. Trained in animation and post-production, Curi brings a storytelling sensibility to commercial illustration for Apple, Nike, Spotify, Google, Zara and The New York Times. He's exhibited in Los Angeles, Madrid, Buenos Aires and Barcelona, and holds a D&AD Wood Pencil and multiple Society of Illustrators honours.

5. Olimpia Zagnoli

Olimpia is a Milan-based Italian illustrator whose graphic, colour-saturated work has appeared in The New Yorker, Vogue Italia and The New York Times, and on book covers for Penguin, Taschen and Feltrinelli. Her commercial clients include Apple, Barilla, and Elizabeth Arden, and she's designed capsule collections for Dior, Prada, and Fendi. Most recently, she created the official poster for the 2026 Winter Olympics, depicting an athlete whose glasses are shaped like the Olympic rings: an instant classic.

6. Yuko Shimizu

Yuko is a Tokyo-born, New York-based illustrator whose intricately detailed ink-and-brushwork fuses Japanese heritage with contemporary cultural references. In a career that began as a second act (after 11 years in corporate PR, she enrolled at the School of Visual Arts in her 30s), Shimizu has become one of the most decorated illustrators of her generation. She has won two Caldecott Honors, multiple Clio Awards, more than 15 Society of Illustrators medals, and was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 2024. Clients include Apple, Microsoft, The New Yorker and the Library of Congress.

7. Oliver Jeffers

Oliver is an Australian-born, Northern Irish artist and author whose picture books have reached millions of readers worldwide. Titles including Lost and Found, Here We Are, and The Day the Crayons Quit have topped the New York Times bestseller list, won BAFTAs and earned Grammy nominations for their album art. His practice spans fine art, painting, installation and illustration, and his most recent book, Begin Again, marked a deliberate pivot toward adult audiences, exploring human division and the possibility of collective renewal. Oliver was appointed an MBE in 2022 for services to the arts.

8. Anna Micheloni

An Italian freelance illustrator and designer based in Milan, Anna brings a delicate, playful style to editorial and commercial briefs alike, adding warmth and clarity. Trained in graphic design and multimedia, with a specialism in editorial illustration from Mimaster, she works across books, magazines, packaging and brand campaigns. Her ability to make complex ideas feel simple and approachable—with a gentle sense of humour and an eye for wellness, nature and the everyday—has earned her a fast-growing following among art directors and design studios.

9. Genie Espinosa

Genie is a Barcelona-based illustrator known for fearless, unapologetic characters and handmade lettering that feels urgently alive. Her work spans editorial, commercial and cultural clients, and her graphic novel work adds yet another dimension to an already restless practice. Genie has spoken candidly about building a creative career from scratch, the mental health challenges of freelance life, and the importance of only taking on work she genuinely connects with.

10. Karlotta Freier

A German illustrator based in Brooklyn, Karlotta's light, whimsical line work—elegant, surreal and full of quiet charm—has attracted clients including Hermès, Dior, The New Yorker, Coldplay, NASA and Penguin Books Random House. She holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and has received an Art Directors Club Cube and a Pencil for Best Illustration Portfolio. In 2022, she founded Illustrators Acquainted, a monthly community meet-up that reflects her belief that sharing craft knowledge and professional experience is as valuable as the work itself.

11. Carson Ellis

Carson is a Canadian-born, Oregon-based illustrator and fine artist whose folk-inflected, richly detailed work has earned her a Caldecott Honor, two Grammy nominations and a devoted following among readers of all ages. She's best known for her books Home and Du Iz Tak?, and for illustrating the Wildwood Chronicles with her husband, Colin Meloy of The Decemberists. Ellis also contributes editorial work to The New Yorker, The New York Times and The New York Review of Books, and her paintings are represented by Nationale in Portland.

12. Javi Aznarez

Javi is a Spanish painter and illustrator based in Cadaqués whose sharp wit and Hergé-inspired ligne claire style have earned him international recognition. He came to global attention through his work on Wes Anderson's film The French Dispatch and has a client list that includes Vogue, The New Yorker and major book publishers. Inspired by Tintin, Asterix and the Argentine cartoonist Quino, Javi's illustrations blend cinematic storytelling with a timeless European sensibility.

13. Loish

Dutch digital artist Lois van Baarle, aka Loish, is one of the most influential figures in character design and digital painting today. Her luminous, emotionally charged portraits—strong, independent and often dreamlike—have earned her a global following, and her three art books sold out rapidly on release. Loish has created character designs for LEGO, Guerrilla Games, EA and Amazon, and was a key collaborator on the design of Aloy from the award-winning game Horizon Zero Dawn.

14. Con McHugh

Con is a Bristol-based illustrator and animator whose rhythmic, analogue-inspired work (think minimal linework, muted palette, hand-drawn imperfections) has made him one of the most talked-about names in British illustration. His animated poster series for Bristol Jazz Festival went viral in 2023, and he is now embedded in the festival as creative director. More recently, he was commissioned by performance brand On to create a frame-by-frame animated campaign for their Cloudboom Max running shoe: read the full story here.

15. Matt Blease

Matt is a London-based illustrator whose idea-led, graphically confident line work homes in on life's small absurdities with generous helpings of warmth and wit. Born in Liverpool, he cut his teeth designing for Nike, the BBC and PlayStation before leading the graphic design team at Liberty London. Today, he creates work that's consistently sharp, human and impossible to scroll past, for the likes of Apple, Patagonia, Google, The New Yorker, Rapha, Vogue, Penguin Books and The Guardian.