10 Illustrators to Watch in 2025: A Spotlight on Talented Freelance and Book Illustrators

By: Tod Caviness

Published November 11, 2024

From book covers to multimedia ad campaigns, freelance illustrators bring ideas to life. Creator Collective rounds up the best illustrators set to shake up the industry in 2025. 

In a strictly commercial sense, illustrators are translators. They distill an idea into a single image, whether that idea manifests itself as a book, a product, or even a political campaign. But whatever the message, their job is the same as any artist: to make you feel. To go for the jugular by way of the visual cortex.

In 2024, visual trends were reflective of the chaotic landscape, socially and politically. Minimalism was in – but so were bright, neon landscapes that could convey the image of a brighter future. In a year where people are becoming all too savvy to the “tells” of AI imagery, it’s no contest: Human creativity is still in demand.

Here’s a roundup (in no particular order) of the 10 illustrators to watch in 2025. Their work runs the gamut: digital ad campaigns, graphic novels, even children’s books. But they’ve got one thing in common – an ability to move you.

Deena So’Oteh

If you’ve read an article in the New York Times or The Guardian this year, there’s a good chance that an image by Deena So’Oteh drew you in. The best of her artwork subtly recalls the strong, forward-leaning figures and sharp contrast of Russian propaganda art, but subverts that influence with a softer edge that focuses on humanity. So’Oteh is a Society of Illustrators favorite who has racked up a print design award in 2024 from the Society for News Design. On top of that, she’s found steady work expanding the Star Wars universe with covers for their Essential Legends collection.

Zack Rock

This Berlin-based artist took the 2024 Folio Book Illustration Award, and he’s just getting started. His whimsical, earthy art is perfect for children’s books, and he’s even written and illustrated two of his own (Homer Henry Hudson's Curio Museum and A Good Story). A third is in progress, but you don’t have to browse the kids’ section at the bookstore to see his work – his watercolor art has popped up in Communication Arts, 3X3 and other high-profile design mags.

Kristen Hadaway

Hadaway’s resume as a freelance concept artist got a big boost when she beat out a year’s worth of imaginative artists competing for the title of Writers of the Future’s 2023 Illustrator of the Year. This Baltimore illustrator has a knack for grounding her futuristic city scenes and alien characters with a keen sense of lighting. While her work is a great fit for comics and animation projects, she’s currently hard at work doing video game concept art for up-and-coming studios.

Murugiah

Splashy and colorful, the creations of this multi-disciplinary British Sri Lankan artist, illustrator, and designer are equally at home on the cover of The New Yorkeras they are on Heavy Meta. Murugiah is far more than a hired gun for magazines, though. His installations, sculptures, and murals have been seen all over England. Meanwhile, his acrylic paintings have been standouts in group exhibitions like “70 Years of Godzilla” at the FP Contemporary in Los Angeles.

Emmeli Markegård

This creative has gone from humble beginnings in her native Norway to a globe-trotting career as an illustrator for hire. Fantasy novels were a particular muse in her youth, and today, she paints lush covers for them. That sense of the fantastic infuses every outlet for her art, whether it be a mural for a high-profile client or a fundraising campaign for Doctors Without Borders. These days, she’s settled into a life of creativity in Portugal, and we can’t wait to see what 2025 brings.

Darya Shnykina

It’s astounding that it took until 2024 for Communication Arts to give Darya Shnykina their Award of Excellence. The Russian freelancer has been creating breathtaking magazine covers and film posters for years. The project that garnered the award was for “The Women That #MeToo Left Behind,” a story in the Deseret News. It perfectly captures what Shnykina does well: stark shadows, defiant forms, and a sparse color palette that delivers a hard message without softening the blow.

Ryo Kaneyasu

Born in 1981 in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, this prolific Japanese illustrator can make an incredibly expressive face – or even an entire city scene – out of a few thick, simple lines. He’s simultaneously built his own brand through risograph publications along with commercial work for clients like Bang & Olufsen. In 2024, the design blog Streamline recently pointed him out as one of the top illustrators of the year. Today, Kaneyasu works in a wide range of fields including magazines, advertisements, books, and TV commercials.

Andrea Settimo

Print magazine gave Andrea Settimo a nod for his work on Sam Sax’s kaleidoscopic novel “Yr Dead,” calling it one of the best covers of August 2024. While that passionate, psychedelic cover might be attention-grabbing, it hardly hints at Settimo’s more nuanced work as a cartoonist. The Italian illustrator pays the bills creating page art for media outlets like the New York Times and The Believer, and he recently completed his graphic novel “La Novella dell'Avventuriero” with author Alessandro Tota.

Daniel Warren Johnson

Chicago artist Daniel Warren Johnson’s hard-edged but expressive work on the Transformerscomic book series took home not one, but two coveted Eisner awards in 2024. This was all the more impressive considering he beat out several high-profile DC titles with the win. Johnson is riding that wave of indie cred with “The Moon is Following Us”, a title he created with writer Riley Rossmo for Image Comics. The first issue came out in September 2024, and fans are already hungry for more.

Peach Momoko

The haunting, painterly vibes of Japanese illustrator Peach Momoko are already very familiar to modern comics fans. Lines to get her exclusive Spawn cover at San Diego Comic-Con stretched through the convention hall, and small wonder: Marvel Comics has effectively handed her the keys to the mutant universe as writer and artist on “Ultimate X-Men.” She’ll also be joining high-profile creators like Matt Fraction and Brian Michael Bendis on a relaunch of the popular French sci-fi anthology “Metal Hurlant” in 2025.

There’s a lot of inspiration to be taken from the art of these illustrators – and even more to be gained from the illustrators themselves. Whether you’re a freelance illustrator, a book cover designer, or still trying to make your mark, keep an eye on the paths these creators forge in 2025 and beyond.

In the meantime, forge your own.

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