Doodle art trend: How to create it and where to use it

Doodle art took over the design scene this past year and we’ve predicted it to take off even more in our 2025 design trends report. What started as simple notebook sketches has evolved into a unique design aesthetic that’s both playful and sophisticated. This trendy design style is easy for both beginner and experienced artists. It’s an especially great design style to practice for those looking to grow their illustration skills. 

On top of that, there’s an easy way to take your doodle art off the page and digitalize it without an ipad or drawing tablet. Not only is it easy, it’s free. We’ll share exactly how to do this with steps below.

Let’s walk through how you can turn your doodle art into complete designs, from sketching ideas to creating your final piece.

Dive in and explore the doodle art trend.

What is doodle art?

Doodle art is free-form sketching that often has a playful, whimsical feel. It can range from simple line drawings to more intricate, highly detailed patterns. Originally considered just scribbles, or something to draw when you’re bored, doodle art has grown into a recognized art form.

Today, you’ll often see doodle art used in digital media, apparel design, advertising, and fine art, proving that even the simplest sketches can have profound meaning and impact.

Popular themes seen in the doodle style are: 

• Quirky typography: Handwritten fonts with a doodle-inspired look.
• Naive illustrations: Playful sketches of everyday objects like coffee cups, flowers, or cocktails.
• Minimalist line drawings: Simple, abstract doodles that add artistic flair.

For designers, drawing is a great way to spend time when you’re bored, as the art style is growing in popularity. Plus, spending spare time sketching or doodling will help improve your illustration skills.

If you're looking for more skills to level up, check out our list of recommended graphic designer skills to grow this year.

Where to use doodle art

Doodle art on stationary and menus

Doodle art adds a playful and personalized touch to stationery and menu designs, making them more engaging and memorable. Hand-drawn illustrations bring warmth and creativity to invitations, greeting cards, and business stationery, giving them a unique, handcrafted appeal. In restaurants and cafés, doodle-style menus create a relaxed and inviting atmosphere, enhancing the customer experience with fun, eye-catching visuals.

Doodles in branding

Doodle art is a powerful branding tool, helping companies appear approachable, fun, and creative. Many businesses incorporate doodle-style logos, packaging, and marketing materials to stand out in a crowded marketplace. This style gives brands a handcrafted, authentic feel that resonates with audiences, making their identity more memorable and relatable.

Manischewitz brilliantly incorporates doodle art into its brand identity, creating a warm, nostalgic, and approachable feel. Their use of playful hand-drawn illustrations across their packaging and marketing materials adds a sense of tradition while keeping the brand fresh and engaging. These doodles help tell a story—bringing a homemade, comforting aesthetic to their products while reinforcing their deep connection to family, heritage, and wholesome values. By blending simple, charming sketches with bold typography and warm colors, Manischewitz stands out as a brand that is both inviting and memorable. We explore this more in our guide about how to choose brand colors.

Doodle art style in wall-art

Doodle-style murals and wall prints have become a popular way to add artistic flair to spaces. Whether in cafes, offices, or homes, doodle wall art brings an element of fun and spontaneity to interiors. These designs can range from intricate black-and-white line work to colorful, vibrant patterns that make a bold statement.

Doodle art in fashion

Doodle-style T-shirts have become increasingly popular due to their casual yet unique aesthetic. They add character to an outfit while remaining effortlessly stylish. Fashion designers and brands are embracing doodle art for its ability to blend simplicity with bold, eye-catching visuals.

Where to find doodle art ideas

Before jumping into how to create digitalized doodle designs, let’s talk about where you can find ideas and inspiration for this trend. Finding the right doodle art ideas can be tricky, but inspiration is everywhere. Here’s where to look:

• Pinterest searches: Use terms like doodle art, conceptual sketch, naive illustration, and easy doodle art to find reference images.
• Everyday objects: Simple things like coffee mugs, plants, or books make great doodle elements.
• Image tracing: Experiment by taking an image and tracing it, then simplifying its details to retain only the main outline. This technique helps transform realistic visuals into doodle-style drawings.

How to make digital doodle illustrations without an ipad or tablet

Step 1

Start sketching: The key to great doodle art? Don’t overthink it. Just grab a pen or marker and start sketching—imperfections make doodles more authentic. Plus, you’ll get a stronger grasp for it as you practice.

If you’re just getting started experimenting with this style, here’s some tips from our internal team of designers:

• Start small: Begin with simple objects like flowers or coffee cups.
• Simplicity: Basic lines and shapes work best.
• Repetition: Experiment with recurring motifs to create cohesive designs.

Step 2

Vectorize your drawing: Once you have your drawing, all you have to do is take a photo, and upload it to Kittl. Once uploaded, select the image and vectorize with the image vectorize tool in the right side menu.

Step 3

Refine & edit: Once vectorized, you can change the color and adjust the thickness of your drawing with the border option. You’ll see in the photo example, we added a border to make the sketch slightly thicker.

Step 4

Add your doodle to your design: To create a complete design, browse templates to add your doodle art to or create a design from scratch. If you’re using text, choose fonts that complement your style. We find bold, mid-century style fonts or luxurious script fonts look best.

Final step

Create a mockup of your design directly in the Kittl editor to see how it looks in real life. Kittl's mockup generator is designed to produce realistic images—your design will wrap around the shape and folds of the image for accurate representations of your creation.

Doodle art: Key takeaway

Doodle art is a fun, creative way to experiment with a popular design style. Whether you’re an experienced artist or just love to doodle in your free time, you can create fun, expressive designs that stand out.

So, grab a pen, start sketching, and transform your doodles into digital (and wearable) art.