Hero image above from left to right: YouTube by bo_rad, inspired by Rene Magritte; X by EN_Art91, inspired by Stasys Eidrigevicius; Netflix by Yeh, inspired by René Magritte.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Surrealism movement, a boundary-busting way of thinking, creating and imagining the world that developed in Europe in response to World War I and the 1918 flu epidemic.
When a society is shaken to its core, artists are typically some of the swiftest to react, reflecting the greater unrest in their work. Back in the1920s, those artists included legends such as Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Joan Miró, whose brilliant minds created alternate versions of reality unlike any envisioned before.
To honor and celebrate 100 years of Surrealism, 99designs by Vista hosted a global competition in which they invited members from their creative community to reimagine modern-day logos through a Surrealist lens. As a graphic design marketplace encompassing 1.4 million creatives, many artists took on the challenge, but 99designs chose only 18 winners. The crowned designs interpret logos across industries, including social media platforms, consumer brands, tech and media companies, and even nonprofits.
“Surrealism challenges widely accepted conventions, encouraging creativity, but also critical thinking and a healthy skepticism towards the curated realities often presented in society— particularly online and in social media,” Patrick Llewellyn, CEO of 99designs, noted in a statement. “The talent and creative execution shown by our designer community has been incredible, with artists from 17 countries participating in this project. In a time of digital saturation and (mis)information overload, this project shows how Surrealism’s push for authentic expression and escape from the status quo remains profoundly relevant for designers and communities around the world.”
Check out a sample of some of our favorite winners below.
View the rest of the winners here!