What Game Art Styles Will Dominate the Mobile Industry in 2024?

The mobile gaming market has exploded in recent years, with projections indicating it will reach a value of $116.4 billion by the end of the year. Casual games account for a substantial portion of this market.

The casual art style shows no signs of slowing down; it’s proven effective and popular for several reasons:

• Lightweight designs that shine on mobile, ensuring smooth gameplay even on weaker devices.
• Simple visuals that are instantly grasped and ideal for casual players seeking quick fun.
• Bold styles that stand out in crowded app stores, grabbing attention and sparking curiosity.

This article, based on public data and insights from experts at a leading 2D art studio, Inkration, provides an overview of the top 2D mobile casual game art styles in 2024 and elucidates the characteristics that have contributed to and will likely continue raising their popularity.

Some of the Most Popular Casual Art Styles of the Recent Years

• Flat art: Clean, two-dimensional shapes with bold colors and outlines. This style, often humorously simple, thrives on mobile games due to its performance efficiency and readability on smaller screens. Think of Crossy Road or Donut County for perfect examples.

• Cel Shading: Inspired by traditional animation, this style features bold outlines, flat colors separated by dark lines, and a dynamic, comic-book-like feel. Action and fighting games like Guilty Gear leverage its high-energy vibe, while adventure games like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker utilize it for immersive storytelling.

• Minimalism: Minimalism focuses on essential elements, limited color palettes, and simple geometric shapes. This can evoke tranquility, elegance, or even mystery. Puzzle games like Monument Valley benefit from their clean visuals and clear mechanics, while relaxation apps like Calm find serenity in their calming aesthetics.

• Cartoonish: The style includes bright colors, exaggerated character expressions, and textured brush-stroke backgrounds. Titles like Genshin Impact show that there is a large audience for cartoon aesthetics.

What Casual Art Style to Choose for a Mobile Game in 2024 and Why Partnering With Experts is a Good Idea?

Each of the aforementioned casual styles possesses unique merits. However, the choice must always be guided by considerations such as the game’s genre, developer expertise, and preferences of the target audience.

Flat Art

• Accessibility: Simple shapes and bold colors translate beautifully across devices, making it perfect for the mobile gaming boom.
• Performance: Flat art's lightweight nature ensures smooth gameplay even on less powerful devices, making it a mobile developer's dream.
• Uniqueness: Flat art's distinct look allows for creative expression and humor, setting your casual game or art apart.

How Casual Art Experts Help Make It Special

• While the style is seemingly basic, experts can add subtle details, lighting effects, and animations to elevate flat art beyond its two-dimensional origins.
• Experts can push the boundaries of flat art, incorporating new textures, color palettes, and animation styles to keep it fresh and engaging.

Cel Shading

• Dynamics: Cel shading's dynamic style injects casual games and art with action-packed energy, perfect for fighting games and vibrant adventures.

• Storytelling: Bold outlines and flat colors create a distinct visual language, emphasizing key moments and character expressions, making it ideal for narrative-driven experiences.

• Nostalgia: Cel shading taps into that sense of fun and familiarity, resonating with players of all ages.

How an Expert’s Touch Helps

• Leveraging the power of linework and color, experts can evoke specific emotions and moods, enhancing the overall experience.

• Cel shading can be resource-intensive. Experts know how to optimize it for different platforms without compromising the visual impact.

Minimalism

• Focus: Clean visuals and essential elements create a calming and clutter-free experience, perfect for puzzle games and relaxation apps.

• Mystery: Minimalism can leave room for interpretation, sparking curiosity and imagination in players and viewers.

• Timelessness: Simple and elegant design transcends trends, making minimalist art and games age gracefully.

Advantages of Working With Experts

• Empty space is just as important as filled space. Experts understand how to use negative space effectively to guide the user's eye and create visual interest.

• Minimalism isn't just about subtraction. Experts can introduce subtle variations, textures, and interactions to keep it engaging.

Cartoonish

• Universal Appeal: From slapstick humor to heartwarming stories, the cartoonish style connects with audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

• Fun: Oversized features, vibrant colors, and playful proportions inject lightheartedness and humor into games and art.

• Variety: The style can be adapted to any setting, genre, or theme, from whimsical animal adventures to quirky slice-of-life stories.

How Professionals Can Make it Stand Out

• Experts can imbue characters of a casual game with personality, emotions, and humor through expressive designs and animations.

• Professionals can leverage the cartoonish style to craft immersive environments that spark imagination and wonder.

Casual Art From Inkration Studio

As you can see, the dominance of casual art is completely warranted as it connects, through its various styles, with audiences in many different ways. To implement it flawlessly and without hiccups, many game publishers choose to outsource 2D art for mobile games. This approach provides them access to top-notch casual art services, unlocks global talent, boosts efficiency, and cuts costs.

Inkration stands as one of the most distinguished game art studios, renowned for its captivating artwork and a wide range of casual art services. Utilizing cutting-edge tools and technologies, the vendor’s highly skilled artists consistently deliver top-tier solutions.

Their Behance page, boasting 50,000+ subscribers and over 1,700,000 project views, reflects the widespread acclaim and recognition they've garnered within the gaming community.

Contact Inkration if you’re interested in getting high-level 2d game art services and starting a partnership that can not only enhance your game's visual appeal but also ensure its enduring success in the competitive gaming landscape.