© kokitom/Shutterstock

With fast computers, crisp screens, and so many filters and special effects available, digital artists are developing lusher, more detailed designs than ever before. But at the same time, we’ve noticed a number of artists reacting against this trend by returning to minimalism: Poignant and powerful designs that reduce a subject to its most basic elements. Minimalism is closely associated with post-World-War-II modernists, but today we’re seeing a surge of interest in the style, especially on blogs. This is partly driven by new ideas in interface design, where simple products are more appealing.

Creating more with less can be a stimulating challenge. The best minimalists work like poets, boiling a subject down to simple shapes, and incorporate something wise or witty, often a visual pun. Contemporary graphic artists like Jason Munn and Federico Mancosu have developed cult followings online for their minimalist takes on music and movies.

We spent a few days recently combing through the Shutterstock collection for cool examples of minimalist design. Take a look at our selections below, and see more examples in our new minimalism light box. All of these images are available to Shutterstock customers as EPS-format vector illustrations.
Continue reading ‘Break It Down: How Minimalist Images Say More With Less’ »

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Think back to algebra class, breathing the smell of pencil shavings and chalk dust, leaning over a well-worn spiral notebook. Of course, instead of paying attention to quadratic equations, you’re daydreaming about that cute student you have a crush on, and filling up those lined pages of your notebook with loopy doodles. Jump ahead to today, and those sketches still remind you of the innocent, silly, blushing affection you felt before life got complicated.
Continue reading ‘Hot Vectors For Valentine’s Day 2011: Doodles’ »

MIAMI - DEC 21: A rare total lunar eclipse coinciding with the first day of winter is seen in night sky near Miami, Florida on early morning of Dec 21, 2010.

© FloridaStock*

When the moon passes behind the earth, blocking the sun’s rays from hitting the moon, you are witnessing a lunar eclipse. For the first time in nearly 400 years, a lunar eclipse occurred on the same day as winter solstice.

To commemorate the event, we’ve assembled a brief gallery of eclipse photos for your visual and downloading pleasure. Enjoy!

Continue reading ‘Skywatcher’s Delight: Eclipse Photos’ »

What do kids do when they see the first sign of freshly-fallen snow? They head outside to build snowmen, of course.

Shutterstock photographers and illustrators have created enough images of snowmen that anyone looking for snow-sculpting inspiration can find it in our library. Below are a few of our favorites. Shutterstock subscribers can log in and download high-resolution versions of these images and hundreds more. Just visit Shutterstock.com and search for “snowmen.”

© Gorilla/Shutterstock

Continue reading ‘Snowman Photos: The Good, The Bad and The Frosty’ »

In the last month of the year, you might be searching for a handy 2011 calendar for your home, office or computer. Here at Shutterstock, we’ve got you covered. Our vector artists have created no-nonsense calendars for more minimalist planners, and wacky fun calendars for those who prefer their days with a twist. Below are just ten of the thousands of new calendars we have in our library. Shutterstock subscribers can download a crisp, clean vector version of each design.

Continue reading ‘2011 Calendars Galore’ »

© AGfoto/Shutterstock

About this time every year, holiday images surge in popularity on Shutterstock. Images in the traditional holiday color pallets remain popular—red and green for Christmas, blue for Hanukkah, and cool whites and blues to symbolize winter in general.

This year, we noticed a trend with the new 2010 holiday images from our contributors. Many artists are adding holiday images in muted, earthy tones. Think of the warm hues of gingerbread, ski lodges and faded photos of winters past. These aren’t traditional holiday colors, but there’s a certain peaceful winter beauty in browns, off-whites, and pale shades.

Here is a sampling of new Shutterstock photos and vector illustrations in this non-traditional yet familiar color pallet. If you want to explore more colors of the season, visit Shutterstock, enter a keyword like “winter,” and select one of your favorite colors using the “Search By Color” feature.

Continue reading ‘Holiday 2010 Images: The New Colors of the Season’ »

© Todd S. Holder / Shutterstock

October 3-9 is Fire Prevention Week in the United States. It’s the time of year when we’re reminded of what to do in the event of a fire and how we can prevent them.

Make sure you’ve tested the batteries in your smoke alarm, be sure you have at least two escape routes in the event of a fire emergency, then check out our gallery of fire-related photos, available for download anytime.

Continue reading ‘Stock, Drop, and Roll: Fire Prevention Week Images’ »

World’s Fairs and Expos have always been an outlet for creative, over-the-top architecture as countries and industries compete to wow visitors with their pavilions. Expo 2010 Shanghai, going on now in China, continues this tradition. Here are 15 photos by Shutterstock photographers of some of the most impressive structures built for the Expo. See more photos from Expo 2010 Shanghai in this Shutterstock lightbox.

© Tito Wong/Shutterstock

The Expo Boulevard

Continue reading ‘Outrageous Architecture at Expo 2010 Shanghai’ »

© Sandra Cunningham /Shutterstock

Those three words always conjure up nostalgic memories – the end of summer, yes, but so much more – a lot of excitement and perhaps a little anxiety. New sneakers, new school supplies, new classes, and old friends.

This time of year designers are often busy planning out their autumn projects, beginning with the season-shifting “back to school” concept. The ideas can vary, but we have a strong selection of diverse imagery for this event. Here are a few of our favorites.

Continue reading ‘Back to School!’ »

There’s nothing like the excitement of an airshow. Skilled pilots maneuver jets within inches of each other in precision formation, vintage planes retake the skies, and aircraft makers show off their latest and greatest triumphs. Here we bring you 20 stunning airshow photos by Shutterstock photographers, showing aircraft from around the world and throughout history. Shutterstock subscribers can click on any photo to download it for editorial use.

© PJF/Shutterstock

#1. The RAF Red Arrows at the Royal International Air Tattoo Event, July 16, 2006, Fairford, U.K.

Continue reading ‘20 Awesome Airshow Photos From Around the World’ »