2022 was another pivotal year of human existence. The latest trip around the sun was filled with such notable events as the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and Bob Saget, the retirement of Serena Williams, the wedding of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck and the horrible invasion of Ukraine by Russia, not to mention Elon Musk’s rocky takeover of Twitter and the continuing Wordle craze.
As it has done every December since 2013, digital agency Beutler Ink is recapping the past year’s news and entertainment in a single Where’s Waldo?-style illustration that it’s sharing on its website and social-media channels. Each edition features a different artist and theme but they all reflect hours and hours of obsessive pop-culture sleuthing.
Beutler Ink has released its annual graphic of the year’s biggest news and culture happenings.
This year, D.C-based Beutler Ink chose Jillian Goeler, an illustrator who used her expertise with minimalistic shapes and retro lettering to bring this project to life with nearly 80 unique depictions. The agency included a graphic with descriptions to help sort the images.
Beutler Ink’s team must narrowed down a list of some 200 events from the last year to a manageable 80. The agency works collaboratively with the guest artist to allow their vision to shine through.
“By creating a single, densely packed illustration, we’re able to tell the story of the year that was—dozens of stories, in fact,” said agency president William Beutler in a statement. “This project gives us the opportunity to invite the audience to look back, showing the people, places and pop culture that shaped the year. It also gives us the chance to partner with and showcase a new guest designer each year.”
Over the years, some teachers have told Beutler that they use the illustration as a teaching aid in their classrooms.