Discover the fantastical and psychedelic illustrations of Julian Litschko

The illustrations of Julian Litschko are a comforting and psychedelic. Warped shapes and bright colours alternate around different quirky figures, which are somewhat juvenile yet simultaneously refined. “I mostly work with simple, geometric elements and feel most comfortable on digital surfaces,” Julian tells It’s Nice That. “My playful vector illustrations are created through construction and composition. In general, I like to illustrate stories and texts which help me capture myself.” Also a fan of being known as a “drawer without a pen”, Julian values “efficiency” over “elaborate techniques”. That’s why his work has universal appeal across magazines, newspapers and more, as they display complex or satirical topics with simple technique and unique visuals.

“In recent years I've been more into the field of fantasy or science fiction,” Julian explains. “For my master‘s degree, I illustrated a 100 year-old novel called Die große Revolution from the German author Paul Scheerbart.” The story, about “the stupidity of humanity on Earth destroying itself with wars”, is the perfect type of subject matter for an illustrator who enjoys “combining the sweet and salty, morbid ideas or a sombre text with a cheerful, childish, digital” aesthetic. “I like using lots of colours, mostly loud, bright colours,” Julian adds. “In the end, the quintessential thing for me is always to break down the essentials or to leave out the excess.”