The Journal
The Dutch Uncle Journal is a considered study of illustration, design, and animation in practice, how they are conceived, commissioned and realised in the wider world.
This is where we share the thinking behind our latest projects and engage with the wider shifts shaping visual culture, from the resurgence of handmade texture to the ways art redefines the spaces we inhabit.
A collection of work and ideas from the front line of contemporary illustration.
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Brian Rea / Noma Bar / Satoshi Hashimoto / Javi Aznarez / Debora Szpilman / Simone Massoni / Ping Zhu / Klaus Kremmerz / Lucas Varela / Charlotte Trounce / Marc Majewski / Kustaa Saksi / Alessandro Gottardo (SHOUT) / YOCO / Hsiao-Ron Cheng / Jisu Choi / Graham Roumieu / Tavis Coburn / Joel Holland / Robert Nicol (MA RCA) / Clara Dupré / Marc Burckhardt / Aesthetic Apparatus / Jon Gray (Gray318) / Christian Montenegro / LAPRISAMATA / Gaku Nakagawa / Adam McCauley
Charlotte Trounce Creates Nine Flower Prints for Peléton, Denmark
Illustrator Charlotte Trounce has created nine exclusive flower prints for Copenhagen art platform Peléton, featuring Lilium, Lobelia, Clover, Nasturtium, Pansy, Petunia, Poppy and Rapeseed. The collection brings Charlotte’s bold colour, painted forms and botanical subjects into a new print series.
Illustrator Jisu Choi Goes Wild for Riot Games’ Wild Fanfest at Hyundai Department Store in South Korea
South Korean illustrator Jisu Choi created the key visuals for Riot Games × Hyundai Department Store’s 2026 Wild Fanfest in Seoul and Pangyo, bringing Teamfight Tactics, Riftbound, Riot Store merchandise and interactive event elements together in detailed campaign illustrations.
We Are All Made From Stars: Marc Majewski Illustrates Benedikt Lehnert’s Picture Book About Life, Death and Renewal
Marc Majewski illustrates Benedikt Lehnert’s We Are All Made From Stars, a poetic children’s picture book exploring life, death, atoms, energy and renewal. Published by Little Gestalten, it combines scientific wonder with landscapes, stardust and nature-filled storytelling for young readers.
Javi Aznarez Illustrates Nine Orchard and New York’s Lower East Side for a 500-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
Illustrator Javi Aznarez captures New York’s Lower East Side in a detailed 500-piece jigsaw for Nine Orchard hotel, depicting the restored Jarmulowsky Bank and surrounding neighbourhood in a character-filled cityscape created for guests to enjoy and purchase at the hotel.
Debora Szpilman Illustrates The Edit for Attentive’s 2026 Black Friday Cyber Monday Campaign
Debora Szpilman illustrates The Edit, Attentive’s 2026 Black Friday Cyber Monday campaign, with a bold hero image and playful editorial spots. The project brings character-led illustration to BFCM research, Cyber Week strategy, ecommerce marketing, SMS, email and customer engagement.
Jon Gray / GRAY318 Designs Dostoevsky Book Covers for Mondadori Oscar Classici
GRAY318, designs a new Fëdor Dostoevsky book cover series for Mondadori’s Oscar Classici. Featuring Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov and other major works, the collection brings contemporary graphic design to one of literature’s greatest authors.
Brian Rea Exhibition & Workshop: Fosforito Illustration Gallery, Barcelona — 18–20 Sept 2026
Brian Rea returns to Barcelona for an exhibition and 1.5-day workshop at Fosforito Illustration Gallery, opening 18 September 2026.
Finding the Feelings explores how personal experiences, everyday moments and emotion can be translated into stronger illustration and visual storytelling.
DIOR Cruise 2027 Illustration: Javi Aznarez Creates Jonathan Anderson’s Los Angeles Guide for Dior
DIOR Cruise 2027 : illustrator Javi Aznarez creates a Los Angeles Guide for Jonathan Anderson, featuring Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, The Broad Museum, The Getty Museum, Rodeo Drive, Chateau Marmont, Beverly Hills Hotel, Sunset Tower, Bar DiBello, Max and Helen’s, Musso, Frank Grill and a pink cadillac.
The Voices Shaping 2026: Noma Bar and Javi Aznarez Named in CreativeBoom’s Top 15 Illustrators
The top 15 illustrators of 2026 including Noma Bar & Javi Aznarez, as selected by the Creative Boom community, represent a diverse global cohort redefining visual storytelling. This list highlights artists who champion unique personal perspectives and distinctive voices across all landscapes.
Toby’s Estate Brings Australian Coffee Culture to Tribeca with Quirky Debora Szpilman Illustrations
Toby’s Estate has arrived in Tribeca, blending Australian coffee heritage with vibrant design. The flagship features playful illustrations by Debora Szpilman across menus, merch, and t-shirts. The space, designed by New York Design Architects, celebrates Toby Smith’s journey from a garage roastery to a global presence at 310 Greenwich Street.
The Art of The Long Read: Illustrated by Javi Aznarez for The Guardian
The Guardian Long Read Issue № 3, with creative direction by Chris Clarke, features cover illustrations by Javi Aznarez.
Printed on linen-embossed stock with fluorescent Pantones, the edition showcases premier talent including Justin Metz, Paul Blow, and Spencer Wilson. It is a definitive collection of contemporary craftsmanship in global editorial illustration.
Joel Holland — NYC Street Vendors published by Prestel
Joel Holland’s NYC Street Vendors (Prestel) frames the city’s curbside economy as essential infrastructure. Mapping over 150 mobile businesses across all five boroughs, this "visual love letter" proves that illustration is the ultimate tool for capturing the grit and humanity of the rolling kitchens that feed and shape the cultural fabric of New York.
Gestalten :This Is Where We Live. Why Spatial Illustration could be 2026’s Biggest IllustrationTrend
Is the era of the clinical 3D render over? Discover how This Is Where We Live (gestalten) is setting the 2026 trend for "Spatial Storytelling." Featuring Jisu Choi, Ilya Milstein, and Ugo Gattoni, this volume proves that illustration is the ultimate tool for reimagining our relationship with architecture and memory. Is this the 2026 Big Illustration Trend?
Why Regular Illustration Commissions Matter: Javi Aznarez x Mengya Magazine
Beyond the hunt for one-off commissions, Javi Aznarez’s monthly covers for Mengya Magazine demonstrate the power of the "visual column." Entering 2026, this partnership proves that repetition builds more than just a portfolio—it fosters the trust, speed, and creative freedom necessary to transform a magazine cover into a definitive cultural landmark.
Simone Massoni x Criterion Collection : Trouble In Paradise
Simone Massoni’s cover for Trouble in Paradise proves that film packaging is a design problem worth solving. Arriving in a sharp season of Criterion releases, Massoni’s art captures the film’s Lubitsch elegance, reminding us that a masterfully illustrated sleeve defines a cinematic era long before the disc even spins.
Noma Bar x Sartorious
Noma Bar collaborated with Sartorius on a global illustration and animation campaign spanning print and digital media. Designed for international audiences, the work simplifies complex scientific processes into clear, structured visuals, ensuring consistent communication across markets while supporting messaging around laboratory research, pharmaceuticals, and advanced therapies.
Life at Auriens Chelsea as Illustrated by Satoshi Hashimoto
Satoshi Hashimoto created a warm, retro-inspired illustration campaign for Auriens Chelsea, commissioned by Politt Partners. Moving away from traditional luxury visuals, the work uses characterful linework and gentle humour to depict independent later living, highlighting community, vitality, and everyday moments with clarity and emotional resonance.
Javi Aznarez and Nieves Publishing: The French Dispatch Covers
Javi Aznarez collaborates with Nieves Publishing on The French Dispatch Covers, a 2025 book collecting his illustrations for The French Dispatch movie.
Designed in a New Yorker-style format, the publication highlights Aznarez’s distinctive linework and colour, integral to Wes Anderson’s visual world and storytelling.
Charlotte Trounce: Vestas Illustrations and the Visual Language of Renewable Energy
Charlotte Trounce collaborates with Vestas to create clear, accessible illustrations explaining renewable energy. The campaign translates complex sustainability topics into everyday scenes, highlighting wind power’s impact on communities, infrastructure, and energy independence, while demonstrating how visual storytelling can simplify and strengthen communication around clean energy solutions.
Lucas Varela : The Art of Polite Chaos in the FT
Lucas Varela creates editorial illustrations for Financial Times, accompanying Robert Shrimsley’s advice column. His work transforms everyday dilemmas into subtle, composed visuals, using quiet humour and minimal detail to reflect moments of tension, decision-making, and human behaviour alongside the column’s dry, observational tone.