30 Thought-Provoking Illustrations Which Cover Important Subjects Relating To Society

Koren Shadmi’s illustrations turn everyday society into something sharper, stranger, and a lot more revealing. From social media habits to workplace pressure, his drawings point out the flaws people often ignore until they see them on the page.

Based in New York, Shadmi has created work for major publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. His style blends comics and commentary, and the result is a set of images that feel funny, unsettling, and very familiar at the same time.

These 30 illustrations show how much can be said with a single frame.

1. "Corporations lobbying to silence proof of global warming."

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2. When someone gets "Fired."

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3. NY Times

"Illustration for the NY Times styles section from a few years ago. The column dealt with the taboo of discussing your salary when, in reality, it’s beneficial for workers to know what their colleagues are making."korenshadmi

4. Nature

"Imagine a world after civilization is gone. Will anything survive after us humans? Will nature reclaim our cities and towns? Will an epidemic be the end of humanity? Probably not this virus, but maybe the next one?"korenshadmi

5. "Social media addict"

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6. "Better resources, better results. Sometimes it doesn't matter how hard you try."

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7. A difficult subject

"When a patient is in a terminal condition, it’s up to the family to decide if they want them to spend their last days in the hospital or in the more comfortable and familiar environment of their home. It’s a difficult subject to tackle, but I did my best."korenshadmi

8. "New hope after four years of destruction."

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9. Facebook

"How Facebook is toying with your brain and putting the world at risk while doing so. The social media behemoth is fine-tuning an AI that will be able to influence the thoughts and actions of users. Is it time to rein in this powerful tool and inject it with the morality it lacks?"korenshadmi

10. The future

"The Chinese government is on its way to establishing its very own social credit system. It will judge the trustworthiness of its 1.3 billion residents. Much like the nightmarish episode of Black Mirror, each person will be given a score based on a variety of factors, including finances, shopping habits, social media interactions, and more. The future is here, and it’s terrifying."korenshadmi

11. A Sale

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12. Being Isolated

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For more everyday surprises, check out the tiny moments that turn ordinary scenes into something totally unexpected.

13. How to impress at a job interview

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14. Village Voice

"The cover I drew for The Village Voice from a few years ago. The cover story dealt with predatory loan sharks that were buying up debt from various companies and then hounding mostly poor individuals for the money. I hope this type of predatory behavior has been curbed, but I would dare guess that it hasn’t."korenshadmi

15. Vocal Minority

"Vocal Minority - An illustration for Associations Now Magazine from a while back. When an organization's minority group is louder about its desires, it can sometimes become the one calling the shots."korenshadmi

16. A good college

"It's becoming harder and harder to get into a good college, and the demands on applicants from the school 'gatekeepers' have become more taxing."korenshadmi

17. A bad way to save

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18. Austerity

"Austerity was in full force in Europe and often ended up hurting more than helping. In Spain, middle-class citizens defaulted on mortgages, lost their homes, and found no help from the government."korenshadmi

19. Inequality

"The haves and have-nots - the COVID-19 crisis is exposing many deep issues in American society, one major one being inequality. You might be able to afford to stock up on food and spend $400 on a single trip to the supermarket, but someone else can only spend about a tenth of that at a time and may need several trips to the grocery store in order to feed their family, thus exposing themselves to a lot more risk."korenshadmi

29. When you're all tangled up...

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21. "Who are you on Facebook versus who are you IRL?"

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22. Special education supplement

"Cover for a special education supplement that dealt with overachieving kids and the risks of burnout from pushing yourself or having your parents push you when you are too young."korenshadmi

23. "How to remain focused and avoid distractions at work."

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24. Know who actually speaks for you

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25. "Out with the old, in with the new."

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26. Remaking School System

"Silicon Valley is remaking the American school system. A handful of tech giants have plugged their hardware and software into U.S. public schools. Is it just one great social experiment?"korenshadmi

27. "The disturbing reality of the Amazon Go smart grocery stores."

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28. Running Low

"What’s in the fridge? I don’t want you to panic, but we are running low on olives! Should you brave a trip to the grocery store? Food and our guts are tied to ancient animal survival instincts. Sometimes we can get irrational about it."korenshadmi

29. "How do men diet? They eat less!"

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30. A thoughtful illustration

"Sickness and surveillance - an illustration about how the government is looking to collect our data in order to fight the COVID-19 infection. When is an invasion of privacy justified? All our data is already out there swimming around, so maybe a bit more spying to save some lives is not a bad idea."korenshadmi

The artist discovered other European comics artists, which helped him expand his view of the superhero ghetto. So when he came to New York, he began to focus more on the craft of illustration.

He also tried to keep the two flames burning as much as he could, and there was no quenching. Did you see yourself in any of these illustrations?

Let us know by dropping a comment below!

Ever wonder how “old masters” staged influence like modern viral campaigns? See the historical portraits that turned painting into political persuasion.