The automation of many of our jobs – even those that have long seemed safe – is fully inevitable at this point. One study predicts that about 38 percent of American jobs will be at high risk of automation by the early 2030s, which is not that far away. We’re asked to trust that future work could be ‘liberating,’ but considering the way corporations tend to operate, it’s not hard to see why the masses are terrified that robots will soon leave us unemployed and unable to provide for ourselves and our families.

But at the recent World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in January 2018, experts imagined the kinds of jobs that will be around – and now we have visualizations of what they could look like. In fact, those experts stated that 65% of children in school today will have jobs that don’t currently exist.

In a scene that definitely looks straight out of a sci-fi movie, a worker sits in a glass pod high over a city, overseeing a 3D printer in the midst of building a superstructure. A ‘landfill recycler’ salvages existing materials from landfills to be integrated into new products while sitting atop something that looks like a gigantic vacuum hose. On serene turquoise waters, a ‘blockchain banking engineer’ fine-tunes a floating machine that will give people in remote locations access to secure banking.

It might be a robot operating on this woman in a rural setting, but he’s got the holographic head of the real surgeon who’s carrying out the procedure from thousands of miles away. A ‘public technology ethicist’ evaluates new technology before it goes live to determine its benefits to the public. And finally, the operator of a 3D scanning machine captures entire historically significant buildings to ensure that even if they’re demolished, they’re preserved in perpetuity.

These illustrations were produced by AKQA London together with Salt and Pepper Creative Studio based on the World Economic Forum panelists’ predictions. Concept artist Florian de Gesincourt created the first sketches, and London retouching studio Happy Finish colored and perfected them. The series was produced in a mere 120 hours in the midst of the forum so attendees could see them. They’re a pretty good reminder that the future is closer than we think.

In a handful of pages in a book the size of a fingernail, this book artist tells a minimalist story of life on Earth, illustrating pivotal moments with brief text and tiny images.

A beautiful bit of hand-bound book art, The Mini Book of Major Events is just one of a series of micro-volumes made by Evan Lorzenzen, all of which pack large ideas into the smallest space possible.

Of course, selectivity is key – which events warrant mentioning when space is at a premium? Then, how does one illustrate these most effectively at such a minute scale?

Along similar lines, The Little Book of Big Ideas tackles large and important concepts from war and death to love and infinity, again with lovely drawings alongside each.

Even in a world of smart phones, high-speed trains, artificial intelligence and Mars exploration, many of us still bow to old superstitions. We avoid crossing under ladders, knock on wood, cross our fingers and worry about ‘jinxing’ things by speaking them aloud. Illustrator Fortuna Todisco features twelve of these superstitions in ‘Unfortunately013‘, a simple, modern calendar.

‘Fortune: Or other people’s bad luck,” reads the quote for March, beside an image of a rabbit with a peg leg. December proclaims, “Santa Claus doesn’t exist.”

The calendar was inspired by the common superstition that the ending of the ancient Mayan calendar, which is coming up in just a few short weeks, predicts the end of the world.

Todisco says, “UNFORTUNATELY013 is a reflection, through images, about the anachronistic persistence of superstitions in the present society.”

Flourishes, hand-written text, bright colors and amazingly intricate drawings draw us in to take a closer look at the packaging of soap, cider, wine, salsa, coffee and other products. These 15 ultra-artistic packaging designs are the opposite of all-black minimalism, but just as effective at attracting our attention to items we might not have noticed otherwise.

Tempt Cider

(images via: the dieline)

Dazzling illustrations of dragonflies, jewels, bird cages and partially nude figures will certainly tempt you to pick up a can or bottle of this cider, designed by Danish brand DDB Denmark, to take a closer look.

“The concept is build on the that cider keeps a secret,” the designers say. “You can not smell or taste it but cider is an alchohol. You get tempted by the innocent look, the fruity smell and the refreshing taste. You are too couriuos to avoid a sip and suddenly it´s you that have a secret. Therefore the cider got the name Tempt.

The design is characterised by the innocent look at the first glance but by looking closer you will find small secrets and hidden details.”

Bold City Brewery by Kendrick Kidd

(images via: kendrick kidd)

All of the packaging for Bold City Brewery of Jacksonville, Florida is ultra-colorful and attention-grabbing thanks to the artistry of designer Kendrick Kidd. From the labels on the bottles to the tap handles. Each type of beer gets an appropriate illustration, like the adorable dog on Duke’s Brown Ale and a campfire on the Smokey Porter.

Milk Cocktail by Studio Hattomonkey

(images via: coroflot)

Who could resist picking up a box of strawberry milk – even if you don’t like strawberry milk – when it looks like this? Russian design firm Studio Hattomonkey uses the image of a well-known superhero to make this conceptual packaging stand out.

Leap Organics by Moxie Sozo and Charles Bloom

(image via: lovelypackage)

Lush imagery evoking the wild, natural sources of scents like lavender, clove, eucalyptus and anise adorn the outside of these soap wrappers, designed by Moxie Sozo and illustrated by Charles Bloom for organic soap company Leap Organics.

INQ Mobile by Alberto Cerriteno

(images vía: alberto cerriteno)

Artist Alberto Cerriteno lent his highly distinctive style to packaging for INQ Mobile, resulting in a box that looks absolutely unlike anything you’ve ever seen at a cell phone shop.

The Quest Wine by Studio Lost & Found

(images via: studio lost and found)

What could better serve as a visual for a wine called ‘Quest’ than a series of knights in jaunty poses? Made by a winery called Chalice Bridge, the limited release range of wines represents ‘the Holy Grail of winemaking’. Tokyo-based illustrator Skye Ogden provided the illustrations.

Rabbit Children CD Package by Brian Danaher

(images via: brian danaher)

CD packaging like this recalls the medium’s heyday, when the case and insert were often as eagerly anticipated as the music itself. Brian Danaher designed this limited edition letterpress printed packaging for Rabbit Children’s EP ‘Cemetery Friends’, saying, “The packaging helped create awareness for the new release by standing out from the generic CD comps and digital download codes typically sent by most labels.”

Kraken Rum Media Kit

(images via: the dieline)

First of all, this rum is called ‘The Kraken’, giving it automatic awesome points. Second, it’s got an amazingly illustrated label. But take a look at the press package certain lucky members of the media received as part of the rum’s promotion. Packaging blog The Dieline received this box from Proximo Spirits, which is set up as a “proof” kit with each included element offering evidence that the mythical Kraken sea monster really does exist.

Cerveceria Sagrada

(images via: packaging of the world)

Designer José Guízar drew inspiration from ‘kitschy’ Lucha Libre, one of the most iconic symbols of Mexican pop culture, for this series of Mexican beers.

“The whole concept behind the brand and packaging is inspired by the golden era of lucha in the 1950’s, when movie heroes were not Superman or the X-Men — but El Santo and his wingmen, who fought creepy monsters driving a silver ’52 Alfa Romeo with surf music on the background. The variety of styles are named after fictional characters also inspired by the vintage lucha style; “Black King” Imperial Stout, “Blond Gomez” Lager and “The Vampire’s Son” Red Ale.”

Greenpharma by Grupo Habermas

(images via: grupo habermas)

If you’re going to give a product a cool name like Snake Venom Cream, you’d be remiss not to put an image of a snake on the package. Grupo Habermas helps natural cosmetic line Greenpharma strengthen its brand with simple and elegant illustrations, paired with embossed text in bold colors.

Fruta del Diablo Salsa by Moxie Sozo

(images via: moxie sozo)

Moxie Sozo gives an unknown brand a whole lot of shelf presence with this strikingly illustrated packaging. “By using hand-drawn illustrations inspired by the woodcuts of Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada, we were able to lend authenticity to the salsa while reinforcing the product’s heritage in traditional Mexican cuisine.”

Bella Vie Wine

(images via: packaging of the world)

A ‘refreshingly sweet and fruity’ wine called Bella Vie gets an uber-feminine look in this packaging by Ziggurat Brands, marketed toward women who aren’t exactly wine-savvy.

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’! What they don’t necessarily want is to know all about the provenance of wine, the complexity of flavour, all of that flowery, fruity nonsense. It’s Friday night, everyone’s round for a pizza, crack open a bottle or three and enjoy…Treasury Wines asked us to develop abrand of rose designed for young women – a market that has very little interest in traditional wine language, codes or cues. ‘Bella Vie’ is bright, bold and simply, unashamedly about having a goodtime all the time.”

MLK by Depot WPF Branding Agency

(images via: depotwpf.ru)

Modern and minimalist, this definitely isn’t your typical big-brand dairy line – and that’s exactly what Depot WPF Branding Agency of Russia was going for in the packaging for MLK. The illustrated images on the packaging were drawn from photos of the actual farm on which the milk is produced.

“As for the illustrations, we used natural farming patterns – a family farm, where the products are produced in a traditional way. Illustrations are hand-made (with a pencil) which enables to stress the hand-made production process.”

Origin Coffee by A-Side Studio

(images via: the dieline)

The illustrations commissioned for the labeling of Origin Coffee aren’t just pretty pictures to peer at in the grocery store. These artist-designed works, curated by A-Side Studio, form a traveling exhibition which accompanies Cornwall, England’s Origin Coffee to tasting events.

Wicked Energy Drink by Kian Forreal

(images via: lovelypackage)

Traditional flash style comes to the Wicked Energy drink courtesy of tattoo artist/illustrator Kian Forreal. The design is bright and eye-catching, fittingly energetic for its purpose.

The right minimalist sans-serif or swooping, elegant script typeface can be just as expressive as the words it spells out, and can sometimes even stand in for brushstrokes of paint and other illustrative media. Just as typography is sometimes used as a bold graphic element in architecture, it can also be used as the building blocks to create imaginative structures and cityscapes.

Typography Sydney Opera House

(image via: we love typography)

This tourism ad for the city of Sydney, Australia extolls the virtues of the area in the form of a typographic illustration of the Sydney Opera House. The text reads, among many other things, “Dine on kangaroo”, “Cuddle a koala” and “Surf at Bondi.”

Tadao by Chris Labrooy

(image via: chris labrooy)

3D designer Chris Labrooy based an unusual (and awesome) set of typographic illustrations on the styles of his favorite architects, including Tadao Ando. Ando’s solid yet place-sensitive structures, often made of concrete, inspired the perfect basis for an imagined complex that looks as if it could really have been designed by the architect. It bears a notable resemblance to Ando’s Westin Awaji Island Hotel.

Letterpress Tower by Cameron Moll

(image via: cameron moll)

Crafted character by character in the shape of the Salt Lake Temple, designer Cameron Moll’s letterpress tower took hundreds of hours to create. The beautiful architectural qualities of the letterpress medium itself pay fitting tribute to a painstaking process, with letters and typefaces chosen by shape for each portion of the design.

Urban Typography

(image via: thoughtbucket)

A German photographer saw more than just roof lines and blue sky when gazing up at buildings; these imaginative letters were made with creative cropping.

Bauhaus by Chris Labrooy

(image via: chris labrooy)

In this design Chris Labrooy has captured the essence of German Modernism – both the architectural style and the typeface it inspired. One can almost imagine this concept coming to life as a real building complex, standing in tribute of minimalism and clean lines.

Inception

(image via: filmofilia)

One place where architecture and typography notably came together was in this poster for the movie Inception, in which dream architecture unlimited by the laws of physics played a starring role.

Toyo by Chris Labrooy

(image via: chris labrooy)

If there’s one thing you can say about architect Toyo Ito’s innovative designs, it’s ‘expect the unexpected’: Ito is known for sheathing his buildings in unusual, textural facades, often in white. This interpretation of Ito’s work by Chris Labrooy captures some of Ito’s best-known works including the Tod’s Omotesando building in Tokyo and the Mikimoto building.

Type City

(image via: jemmjemm)

Artist Helen Parada of El Salvador crafted an urban scene using nothing but letters in a heavy, rounded typeface for this digital illustration.

Colosseum Made of Words

(image via: cameron moll)

Inspired by the work of master calligrapher M. Giovambattista Palatino and an anniversary trip to Rome, typography artist Cameron Moll spent a full year hand-crafting this incredibly detailed illustration of the Colosseum using characters from the Goudy Trajan and Bembo Pro typefaces.

Frank by Chris Labrooy

(image via: chris labrooy)

Is there any question as to the identify of the architect to whom this piece pays homage? Even if you’re not personally familiar with Frank Gehry’s oeuvre, the shiny, curving metallic facades should give it away.

City of Text

(image via: pxleyes)

Artist David M.L. of Spain crafted a city block out of the words ‘building’, ‘street’, ‘shadow’, ‘sky’ and ‘cloud’ in this clever typographic illustration.

BMW Zebra Crossing Ad

(image via: ads of the world)

BMW went with the same idea for this ‘Zebra Crossing’ ad, which forms the cityscape with words. The tagline of the ad is, “You can describe anything. Except driving pleasure.”

Helvetica by Chris Labrooy

(images via: chris labrooy)

Chris Labrooy shifted his focus from interpreting architectural styles with typography, to turning a typeface into architecture. Helvetica, perhaps the most beloved typeface of typography enthusiasts thanks to its elegant simplicity, is fittingly cool and modern when translated to a series of imaginary buildings.

Google Maps Typography

(images via: rhett dashwood)

Creative director Rhett Dashwood spent several months searching Google Maps to find architecture, farms and natural land features that form the letters of the alphabet. See all 26 letters and get the links to the locations at Rhett Dashwood’s website.