8 stunning graphic design examples and the artists behind them
Whether or not you’re new to graphic design, sometimes we all need a little inspiration. One of the best ways to find it is to take a look at how other graphic designers and artists have turned disparate elements into stunning, beautiful designs.
While some of the examples below may make you wish you’d created them, they’ll also inspire you to create your own next level designs. Pay close attention to how these designers have used simple elements—like color and negative space—in creative, intelligent ways to create some truly stunning work.
Nike Live concept store
Type of design: Environmental
The artist: Shawna X
As an independent artist known for her vibrant work, Shawna has worked with tons of big names—from Nike to Google to The New Yorker.
Why we love it: Shawna’s entire body of work is defined by bold, dynamic color schemes and digital art. Translated to an environmental design, it brings life and movement into Nike’s space. As a NYC native, Shawna’s style perfectly reflects the feeling of the city, reflected inside the location.
Check out Shawna’s full portfolio for more examples of her work translated into spaces.
Nuagency website
Type of design: Website
The artist: Sergey Varmir
A digital designer focused on branding and web design, Sergey is based in Belarus, but he works with clients from all over. Everything Sergey designs is unique to each brand, but we found his work for Nuagency particularly arresting.
Why we love it: We love how unexpected the website’s design is. The golden orbs are striking against the dark background. The shading and metallic look convey movement, and Sergey lets them shine by limiting the navigation, using a black and white color scheme, and simple, no-frills typography.
Timepage by Moleskine app
Type of design: User interface (UI)
The artist: Bonobo agency team
Bonobo, an agency founded by Michael Del Borrello, Ben Hamey, and Nathan Hamey, designs apps (among other work). A small team, they worked together with Moleskin to build the Moleskine Digital Studio family of apps, which include Timepage.
Why we love it: Timepage takes something utilitarian, that most of us barely think about, and makes it beautiful. And the design isn’t just skin deep—features like the “heat map” to signify how many events are scheduled each day throughout the month actually simplify and add to how the app works for users.
Rocket Golf logo
Type of design: logo
The artist: Sean Heisler
A seasoned designer with a BFA in graphic design and over 15 years experience, Sean has designed logos and identities for brands in all kinds of industries, from financial companies to music labels, including names like Zendesk and TBS.
Why we love it: We love Sean’s use of negative space to pull in both aspects of the brand name, particularly given the meaning behind the name. As Sean explains, the logo is for a “PGA Pro who's teaching philosophy is based on laws of physics and geometry, and uses rocket technology to explain how people should best apply muscular thrust to custom fitted golf clubs with premium shafts.”
Check out Sean’s full portfolio for tons of logo inspiration.
Chobani rebrand
Type of design: brand identity
The artist: Leland Maschmeyer and Chobani in-house agency
With experience as a freelance designer, a professor at the School of Visual Arts, and a nearly 5-year tenure leading brand and creative for Chobani, Leland was the perfect artist to lead the overhaul and redesign of Chobani’s brand.
Why we love it: Chobani launched a massive rebrand, changing up everything from their website to their packaging to their ads. Pretty much the only thing that didn’t change was the product itself. The new brand is warmer and more organic. The strength of the visual design helps unify the whole product line, despite graphic differences, and Chobani is now much better positioned to stand out from the rest of the dairy aisle.
Power Plant packaging, UI, and posters
Type of design: packaging, branding, and marketing
The artist: Michaela Early
After graduating from the Pratt Institute with a degree in Communications Design, Michaela has worked for big name brands including Refinery29 and Girlfriend Collective. Currently, Michaela works in-house for Chobani.
Why we love it: Michaela’s design puts on a masterclass in creating a cohesive brand style—without making every product and package identical. The monochromatic minimalism of each design simplifies and unifies the design, while the bold colors and illustrations draw attention. Michaela seamlessly translates that style to the web when designing the company’s UI.
Wineforest logo
Type of design: logo
The artist: Jeriah Lau
Based in Bali, Jeriah has worked with graphic design clients across the globe. He began his career specializing in brand identity and logo design. Since then, he’s worked as a UI/UX designer for Rate It and Zipline App.
Why we love it: Jeriah’s use of negative space to create a logo that touches on both aspects of the brand name is stunning. The jagged angles of the branches add visual interest and the eye naturally outlines the wine bottle’s shape. It’s a simple, but brilliant logo that works anywhere the brand puts it.
Iron Software website
Type of design: website
The artist: Mila Jones Cann
With more than 12 years in the role, Mila Jones Cann is a tenured freelance graphic designer who specializes in UI/UX design for tech companies. Just a quick scroll through Mila’s portfolio shows how she brings a unique flare to an industry that tends to copy each other into oblivion.
Why we love it: We love Mila’s use of bold, bright colors to bring a technical product and company to life. Plus, she balances all the color with a structured layout and plenty of white space to avoid overwhelming visitors.
Get inspired
Hopefully you’re feeling a lot more inspired than when you first landed on this page. Now you’re ready to go forth and create your own stellar designs.
