AI continues to take over in 2024, but where will design head in 2025 as digital technology becomes more and more mainstream? Digital artist Blue-Monty Hamel discusses with Idealog.

Having worked across the world for big brands like Adidas and being based in creative hub New York, Blue-Monty Hamel – a recent judge for Spark NZ’s Christmas Art Competition, where young artists designed to be the cover of the teclo’s national Christmas card – talks to Idealog about how digital art is ever so important heading into 2025.

For a few years, Hamel had been working with AI in his creative design work, but in 2025 he says it will be the biggest year for the technology yet.

“I listen to what new tools are coming and seeing how it can amplify my work, and I guess for me, I’ve always loved it because it cuts down and amplifies,” he says.

He adds that with AI, artists can be more up to date with technology, those with disabilities can work digitally, there are endless opportunities for where AI can fit.

But with AI, that doesn’t mean traditional art goes away.

“It’s not going to take away from traditional artists because they are always relevant,” adds Hamel.

“I do think there will be a lot more in the 3D and digital art, but I don’t think you’ll ever lose that sense of walking into a beautiful gallery space and seeing that physical and more traditional piece. But you’ll see a physical and traditional piece next to a digital piece in a physical space, like holograms and screens.”

Read more: Design trends to look out for in 2024

With the popularity that AI is continuing to see in 2025, Hamel says there are things that are coming back and will see a resurgence.

“Cryptocurrency is on its way back, which means that people will need a use for it again and that is NFTs,” he says.

“The NFT space will definitely be coming back in. I know it’s been a little bit more of a rug pull situation and it’s been a little bit more around meme artwork and meme coins but now I think that use cases are coming back.”

More and more tools using AI will be hot in the new year, with tools using the technology on Photoshop, Blender, Cinema 4D and more being in demand.

AI is already being used for movies and advertisements, so there will be no surprise that the use will be even more evident in 2025.

Hamel says that the use of AI on these tools will bring lead times down and encourage artists to spend more time on the creative output.

Even the younger generation is deep into the digital world, especially at the Spark NZ Christmas Art Competition, Hamel said that when he saw the two winners he knew their work could transcend into the digital world because of how ingrained AI has become in the tools people are using.

But with the way the world works, Hamel says that with what we are facing now, we will be so far behind six months later.

“A lot of people are still only just getting into AI. And that means that there’s so much more to move because as more and more people get into it, the more companies start doing it,” he says.

As cheesy as it sounds, AI is really a force of nature that you can’t help but watch this space.