Give Your Inner Child Some Cool Comics Design Inspiration!

I got a little nostalgic today (yes, I’m sentimental like that) and thought we would get inspired through some awesome vector based comic illustrations. Seriously now, who doesn’t love comic books? Believe it or not, they originate way back in 1754, when the first documented cartoon made by none other than the famous inventor Benjamin Franklin was published in an American newspaper. Something closer to the modern day version of comics actually surfaced in the early 1800s in Switzerland, when an artist called Rudolphe Töpffer created the first graphic novel.

We all know that since then they have become immensely popular and have won over hearts all over the world. Most of them also contain text captions, but the best thing about them is that anyone can understand them. Comics have offered us the great gift of the universal language of illustrations and that is why I consider them essential design resources in the inspiration process and more.

Let’s start with some classic examples of vector comics.

We can’t talk about comics without also stepping into the cartoon field. So next, let’s see some of the most famous characters out there. In my opinion, Astérix and Obélix represent some old school inspiration and for that they have my utmost respect. Following them are some more modern cartoon protagonists.

As if comics weren’t funny enough on their own, I thought we’d also enjoy some unconventional heroes.

In case you’re wondering where you can find awesome vector characters for your own projects, here are some vector packs that will definitely fuel your creativity.

I think it’s particularly interesting that graphic design is really an appropriate medium for creating comics and cartoons. Next, we’re going to see how the high level of detail gives them a real feel.

Another great use of vectors in this field is for creating the comic book cover. Pretty cool, huh?

And last but not least, the effects used. They have to be extra expressive, due to the lack of sound and other such limited resources.

Which is your favorite comic book character of all time?