Graphic design’s latest trends are a mystery. We don't know what will happen in the future. Culture and the media influence the taste of customers, and people change their minds constantly. We, as designers, just have to adapt to the demands of customers because trends come and go.
A trend never appears for just one year and then disappears in a cloud of smoke. It gradually becomes popular, and over time, it starts to slowly fade away without being too noticeable. In any case, looking at trendy topics today we can imagine what will work in the next months!
But, even if you're not a trend-taker, it's wise to be aware of the changes happening in your industry... and following trends in graphic design will give your brand a visual identity people love and a fashionable esthetic that captures user's attention, inviting customers to check your products and services.
Just remember to critically evaluate graphic design new trends. The best trends in graphic design are the ones that convey an idea, a feeling, a brand concept in direct ways. Fortunately, today graphic design trends range from minimalism, virtual reality, and 3D to vintage and surreal. An assortment of styles to observe and apply to any branch of design.
1. Minimalism
From fashion design to interior decorating, the trend to use only the essentials and ditch the clutter fills everything. Graphic design also eliminates strong elements and colors more and more. In recent years, minimalist and flat designs are attracting more attention in the digital world. "Less is more," recite a familiar phrase. In this type of design, simple but elegant elements are the key to give more presence to your content.
Minimalist graphic design is a style that provides a visual experience characterized by simple designs, with neutral colors and sober proposals, but they handle them in such a way that with a simple design they transmit sensations, even more strongly. That’s why it is even harder than creating complicated designs. Minimalist graphic design is an art and expresses in a few strokes the ideas of a brand.
Many industries use minimalist design as a standard. For instance, computing, software and marketing use it regularly; and you can see that their designs, logos and icons are great samples of expressing ideas in a few strokes.
Finally, the reasons that led to this triumph of minimalism in design are the need for marketing and web design to express concepts in a clean and simple way. Minimalism in computer graphic design is no accident. It is due to a practical sense and the need to design elements adaptable to all types of devices.
2. Virtual reality
Its wide-panorama, curved backdrops add a sense of depth to designs. What invites users to see beyond the obvious. It creates a more complete and immersive user experience, in which, users can explore the result from all angles and in real size. With the possibility of viewing the design through virtual reality, you’ll detect possible errors or modifications, without having to redesign the work, reducing the risk of product design. In the same way, the “time to market” is shorter, increasing the agility and speed of carrying out the project.
On the other side, many designers are experimenting with augmented reality and large technology companies, such as Microsoft and Facebook, are investing a lot of money in the development of related products to generate more positive changes in the world of design.
3. Collages
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how much does a collage worth? As children, we used to paste many photos and images to create a collage of our own preference. We did it to entertain ourselves, but today we can make collages to convey emotions with great images to our customers.
Many designers are mixing elements that clearly do not belong to the same universe, but the union of these disparate elements has a unique beauty, and maybe it works if you are in a creative industry.
4. Digital animation design
Animations are one of the most effective and powerful ways to bring a brand to life. It is about giving a feeling of movement to graphics, drawings or images. This plays an essential role for users to understand how the platform system works and guide them towards a better experience.
If you haven't used motion design yet, it's about time. Using motion design increases and takes more importance over still images. This occurs because brands are increasingly aware that movement attracts. The use of moving designs is one of the most important trends in graphic design, and 32% of marketers confirm that these visual elements are the most important type of content for their business (Social Media Examiner).
It is not only a tool to make coherent designs but to communicate messages. The movement provides a unique voice that helps brands stand out in an increasingly competitive world.
5. Storytelling
Good design, like good storytelling, brings ideas to life. Storytelling in graphic design allows the user to understand what a graphic piece means. Research states stories are excellent for delivering messages because they are 22 times more memorable than just facts (Quantifiedcommunications).
Visual Storytelling involves using graphic resources such as graphics, images, photos or videos that generate emotions and interactions. These are tactics marketers have used for years, but with the rise of social media, the role of graphic design is imperative for those stories to take on a life of their own.
Visual storytelling is not just about putting together a bit of content and an image. You must determine the correct way to present that information and ensure that it is interesting and relevant to the audience you’re addressing. Incidentally, 90% of the information the brain perceives is visual and around 65% of people are visual learners (Visual Teaching Alliance).
The combination of these two powerful elements in marketing makes visual storytelling. Today, it’s more important than ever that the stories of your brand reach users in a completely visual way because it is what the brain retains best, especially if we think that marketing is a battle for customer care.
Visual content is not only more eye-catching and easy to remember, but it is also more attractive to your audience, increasing credibility, reinforcing the brand, and increasing revenue for the business. That is why we need Storytelling and graphic design.
6. Custom images
Stock photography is an inexpensive and agile resource when you don't have the budget or time to invest in a photoshoot, but stock photography is not always useful.
If you have custom images and illustrations, you work on your uniqueness. After all, no designer wants their work to be like the rest, generic. And no company wants their brand elements to appear on their competitor's website. That's why many designers invest in extra work to create unique solutions.
The main advantage of using your own images is that the brand has full control over its rights, this saves you any inconvenience regarding licenses. This gives you the freedom to use images in the media you want and make the montages or editions necessary to attract more leads.
Having your repertoire of images also gives your brand the facility to promote products, for example, if you want to promote a restaurant on social networks, you can upload photos of menus of the day and make sure users see the photos.
On the other hand, the fact of using your images also requires a certain degree of responsibility since the brand must ensure that it maintains a quality standard in each image. It’s preferable to have a certain amount of great images than having a wide repertoire of medium-quality photographs. Keep in mind that quality is more important than quantity.
Another point to consider is that when referring to your own images, you can hire a professional to take photos, always bearing in mind that it is an investment and not an expense. The ideal scenario is that a brand can make use of both resources, however, due to various factors, it is not always possible. So, whether with your own or stock images, always pay attention to every detail when it comes to mounting, editing and publishing.
7. Logo design
Your logo says it all! Logos carry a hidden or not-so-hidden meaning in their designs. It represents the brand's most important values. That's why designers use different techniques to make the logo “speak” and keep it simple at the same time.
And logos with a simple geometric shape are trendy and our brains process, in just 400 milliseconds the elements of simple logos (Zilliondesigns).
In effect, the design of a brand image is strongly pulling minimalism and getting rid of the superfluous elements. In minimalist graphic design, there is a tendency towards sober logos, with great visual cleanliness and with neutral colors. To make them more memorable. Designers generally use a unique color code or color scheme along with a black and white version. Gradients are also great to add complexity without affecting visual interpretation.
You can add animations or short videos on logos. Animations are fashionable, especially to present logos and it attracts a lot of attention when presenting your logo.
8. Handmade and vector illustrations
The use of illustrations created both freehand and in vector format is a sign of creativity and uniqueness for your brand. So, combine freehand illustration elements with design work in a way that adds a plus to work communication. If you don't have the skill in freehand illustration, use vector shapes to create your illustrations.
Be a smart cookie and follow these trends of graphic design!
As you can see, trendy graphic design, if done properly, can make your project more attractive. Following trends simply to be fashionable is not a good idea. If you decide to try a trend, make sure it is suitable for your project and audience.
Are you planning to be a part of any of these trends, or perhaps combine them like many of the designs featured here? Let us know here. We’ll help you make this transition!
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