Creating professional AI art with MidJourney: Echoes of Minimalism and Vintage in Modern Graphic Designs Inspired by Hopper, Rand, and Matisse Techniques

Midjourney Prompt

Color Palette

Dominant Colors

Collection Description

The composition draws inspiration from diverse influences, blending minimalist and vintage styles that echo icons like Edward Hopper and Paul Rand, with techniques that recall mid-century modern design and Japanese woodblock prints. Each piece, whether depicting an abstract owl, a striking polar bear, or the dynamic silhouette of a black marlin against the backdrop of a red sun, showcases a unified aesthetic that prioritizes simple geometries, grainy textures, and muted palettes. Artists integrate methods from risograph printing to Matisse’s cutout technique, crafting visuals that leverage the MidJourney Style Reference Guide to fuse the retro with the contemporary. This transpires through artworks that feature stark, contrasting elements such as the serene polar bear against a pastel pink sun and vibrant skylines set against calming sunrises, all structured to evoke emotion while maintaining a sleek, sophisticated simplicity. The resulting portfolio not only honors the legacy of graphic and minimalistic design but also embodies the potential of AI in elevating these elements into a modern context, making these pieces ideal for diverse applications from wall art to t-shirt designs.

Image Descriptions and Image Prompts

Midjourney Prompt

Polar Bear

Capturing the essence of minimalist art combined with a vintage flair, this illustration portrays a serene polar bear in a striking pose—head tilted back, eyes closed, and mouth open, set against an abstract sun. Crafted in the distinctive block print style reminiscent of Kodai Sai’s techniques, this artwork utilizes a limited color palette predominantly featuring shades of light pink and black, which emphasizes the high contrast between the stark white of the polar bear and the monochromatic background. The print’s grainy texture, achieved through the risograph printing method, adds a tactile depth to the flat composition, enhancing the overall vintage feel. Designed to evoke tranquility, the piece features bold shapes and forms typical of vector illustrations, with the added nuance of soft shadows underlining the minimalistic design. The inclusion of colors like red, gray, brown, yellow, and green in subtle touches contributes to a rich visual impact, making this artwork a perfect example of AI art style customization using –sref.

Midjourney Prompt

Owl

The image depicts an abstract owl, masterfully captured through minimalist woodblock print techniques that hark back to the vintage styles of iconic artists like Edward Hopper and Paul Rand. The artwork utilizes a soft yet striking color palette of pink, peach, and black, establishing a harmonious balance between the bold and the subtle. Simple geometric shapes meld with grainy textures to evoke a retro feel reminiscent of mid-20th-century screen prints and vintage poster art. This piece cleverly employs a sparse background, with ample white space on the left side, enhancing the graphic design elements and bringing the owl’s form into sharper focus. The combination of simple lines and a subtle 3D effect adds depth, making this a quintessential example of the best style reference techniques in MidJourney, where simplicity and context blend seamlessly for an impactful visual statement.

Midjourney Prompt

Swordfish

In a captivating display of minimalism and artistic precision, this illustration presents a black marlin soaring majestically in front of a red sun, a scene that balances dynamism with serenity. The use of simple shapes and a limited color palette of black, white, and red pulls inspiration from mid-century modern design, reminiscent of the works of Larry Sato and Kazumasa Nagai, blending techniques reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints and the bold simplicity found in Matisse’s style. The image features no gradients or text, focusing purely on the interplay of the marlin’s elegant silhouette against the oversized, vibrant sun, underscored by a tall, dark grey pillar that adds a subtle depth to the arrangement. This piece, stylized in a risograph print effect with a textured paper look, evokes the tranquility and sophistication of nature’s power, serving as a step-by-step guide to MidJourney –sref, illustrating the journey of creation through restrained yet powerful design elements.

Midjourney Prompt

Portrait of an Old Man

This portrait masterfully combines elements of graphic design and minimalism to depict an elder man with striking realism and artistic flair. The image, rendered in a black and white palette interspersed with shades of grey and bold splashes of red and pink, adopts techniques from Moiré pages style and risograph illustrations. This composition is reminiscent of Peter Harskamp’s unique portrait style yet infused with a vintage aesthetic inspired by Paul Rand. The man, resembling Michael Haneke and styled as an old priest from the year 2036, exudes a calm and focused demeanor. He stands against a simplified backdrop featuring soft pastel hues and large geometric shapes, creating a dynamic yet enigmatic atmosphere. The clever use of crosshatching, stippling, and chiaroscuro techniques, combined with the minimalist portrayal and subtle gradients, enhances the depth and emotive quality of the piece. Such artwork could serve as compelling album cover art or a decorative poster, perfectly aligning with contemporary tastes in using –sref for realistic AI art in MidJourney.

Midjourney Prompt

Desert Hedgehog as a Cartoon Character

This illustration charmingly combines the essence of minimalism with an imaginative twist, presenting a hedgehog characterized by its white fur peppered with black dots, perched delicately atop different objects like a short pink-colored concrete cylinder and a tall dark gray cylinder, thoughtfully placed against a soft pastel pink backdrop. The artwork is reminiscent of the style of notable illustrators such as Eiko Ojala, Jon Klassen, and Oliver Jeffers, employing a clean, flat illustration technique favored in children’s book art. Intriguingly, the hedgehog is not just an ordinary animal; it also boasts unique features like a heart-shaped plant emerging from its head and a setting that shifts from minimalistic landscapes to an abstract rectangular cube. These creative choices underscore the benefits of using style references in AI art, enhancing the visual storytelling by integrating different artistic influences which amplify the piece’s allure and narrative depth. The use of simple shapes, flat color blocks, and harmonious color schemes culminates in a high-resolution image that balances whimsy with sophistication, making it a captivating blend of contemporary art and nostalgic illustration.

Midjourney Prompt

A Ferrari LaFerrari

Marvel at the striking minimalist poster of a white Ferrari LaFerrari, artfully adorned with a pastel pink and grey color palette that creates a gradient effect, intensifying the aesthetic appeal. This artwork borrows from the unique styles of renowned artists Yoji Shinkawa and Paul Catherall, merging scribble-like textures reminiscent of Lichtenstein with cinematic lighting to highlight the sleek contours of the vehicle. The poster, marked by its simplicity and elegance, utilizes soft lighting and soft colors to amplify the car’s futuristic feel, all framed within a chic black border. This image synthesis clearly reflects the MidJourney SREF index’s emphasis on sleek, forward-thinking design in an urban setting.

Midjourney Prompt

A Monorail

Capturing the elegance of early 20th-century design, this illustration melds the unique styles of Jules Chéret, Paul Catherall, and Jean-Claude Mézières into a cohesive Art Deco visualization. It highlights a sleek black subway car, characterized by its M-shaped front and glowing red headlights, speeding across an elevated track. The background features a cityscape dominated by tall buildings rendered in soft pastel pink and orange tones, their sharp geometric shapes casting long shadows that enhance the sense of motion and energy of the train. The minimalist approach underlines the design’s modernity while respecting traditional elements. This illustration perfectly demonstrates the benefits of using style references in AI art, enabling a harmonious blend that retains clarity even as it evokes a feeling of excitement and anticipation within a nostalgic framework. The sharp focus on the train’s silhouette against the lightly hued skyline furthers the impact, making it a testament to the seamless integration of historical art influences in contemporary digital creations.

Midjourney Prompt

A Closeup Shot of Snowflakes

This evocative artwork ingeniously blends minimalism with a vintage aesthetic, creating a unified piece that seems straight out of a risograph print workshop. Centered around an abstract logo representing “Yazers,” the design integrates abstract, Japanese-inspired symbols, and two subtly crossed arrows set against a soft, pastel pink, black, and white color palette. The design’s visual depth is enhanced by its grainy texture, typical of risograph printing, evoking a distinct, retro vibe reminiscent of old screen prints. Such elements are judiciously placed on a cream or beige background, marked by minimal details and simple shapes, consistent with the minimalist and vintage poster style. Splashes of subtle watercolor washes outline the composition, further accented by ink outlines and a grunge aesthetic that imparts a timeless charm to the piece. Creating professional AI art with MidJourney might draw from such classical influences to forge new visuals that resonate with both nostalgia and contemporary design sensibilities.

Midjourney Prompt

Tropical Rainforest

In this creative AI art using style prompts, the image captivates with its abstract and minimalistic depiction of palm tree silhouettes set against a mesmerizing sunset. Inspired by artists like George Ault and Sato Toshihiro, the art combines elements of Matisse’s cutout technique, showcasing the trees as stark black vertical forms that strikingly contrast with the vibrant background. The composition adopts a Japandi style—where Scandinavian design meets Japanese minimalism—featuring thick lines, low detail in neutral shapes, and a soothing palette of black, pink, and beige. These elements are harmoniously blended using techniques reminiscent of screen printing and woodblock, on an off-white watercolor background, creating a flat 2D visual that transcends traditional aesthetics.

Midjourney Prompt

Cityscape

This captivating minimalist poster artfully combines the iconic New York City skyline with a vintage aesthetic, showcasing stark black-and-white silhouettes of skyscrapers that are dramatically set against a large, red sun. The scene unfolds on an off-white background, reminiscent of aged paper, giving the piece a nostalgic, retro feel. The sunrise emits a soft orange hue, enveloping the urban landscape and infusing the composition with warmth, enhancing the sharp contrasts and the elongated shadows cast by the tall buildings. This design’s simplicity is enriched with a grainy texture that evokes the charm and style of the 1950s and 1960s, while the bold outlines and minimalistic elements emphasize urban sophistication intertwined with natural beauty. The use of muted colors and the old paper effect underscore the vintage narrative, making this poster not only a representation of New York’s architectural feats but also a celebration of classic design principles. This perfectly demonstrates how –sref impacts MidJourney outputs, emphasizing essential elements through the use of simple, impactful colors and textures.

Midjourney Prompt

Quantum Teleportation Research Station

Exploring –sref features in MidJourney, this artwork harmoniously combines the essence of minimalist and mid-century design through a striking block print. It portrays a large chimney, bold and black, against the muted backdrop of a black house silhouette with smoke elegantly rising into the sky. The pastel pink sun adds a soft contrast, nestled behind the industrial scene, infusing the artwork with a serene yet nostalgic vibe. The chosen color palette of dark grey, light beige, and creamy tones enhances its simple, vintage appeal, making it an ideal choice for both a modern wall hanging or a classic t-shirt design. Edward Blair Leach’s influence is evident in the artwork’s Japandi-inspired aesthetics and symmetrical composition, which together create a visually stunning and balanced piece.

Midjourney Prompt

A Glass of Water

In the risograph illustration, two glasses are placed subtly on a table, one brimming with a dark, intriguing liquid while the other remains strikingly empty, inviting contemplation about its absence. The artwork captures a minimalist yet vintage aesthetic reminiscent of mid-century designs, employing a selective palette primarily consisting of pink, black, and touches of grey, orange, and beige. These tones harmonize against a simplified black background, emphasizing a modern yet grainy texture that is typical of Tim Murch’s style. The simplicity in the composition and the contrast between the filled and empty glasses highlight the effectiveness of minimalist art in conveying profound messages, demonstrating how –sref impacts MidJourney outputs by focusing on stark contrasts and the interplay of colors to evoke depth and narrative in sparse visuals.