What’s hot in graphic design right now? Many have asked me to talk about design trends. Let’s see what solutions will be popular in the coming year.
This is a really fascinating topic, because some trends slowly change from year to year (remember how long the evolution of flat design has been going on and what level it has reached now), while others appear and disappear in an instant.
Do you need to follow fashion and always use the latest graphic design trends in your work? Of course not. However, after studying them, you will find new ideas, inspiration, and learn what methods and styles determine the direction of development of our industry.
1. Inclusive visual
Whatever project you’re working on—whether it’s a website, print, or poster—focus on making the visuals inclusive.
By visual I mean images, videos, illustrations, icons. No less important role is played by sounds and voices. Where white men used to be the standard, designs now need to include people of different races, genders, sizes, and people with disabilities.
The desire to make projects more inclusive is part of the global trends that are infiltrating the field of graphic design. This approach allows brands to reach a wider audience, and designers have new tools and ideas.
This trend not only determines what the visual should be, but also helps you better understand the people for whom you create your projects.
2. Background with bright graphic elements
It’s time to play with the background a bit. Forget about the minimalism that was popular before and be bold!
Bright, bold designs are on trend right now – from colors to patterns and effects that look appropriate both in the foreground and in the background. Such solutions work because they consistently capture the attention of users.
A catchy background (especially a layered one) combined with simple typography and other design elements looks amazing. Bold can be a color, a pattern, the size of objects in the background, or, in the case of a website, animation effects.
For this solution to work, you need to make sure that all the elements are in place and that the eye moves smoothly between them. If the background is bright, the objects in the foreground should be larger and more massive – sufficient contrast will ensure optimal readability.
3. Text with overlay effects
Layered text is a technique that has been used by graphic designers for a long time when creating printed materials, but now this trend is spreading to websites.
By imposing certain effects on text – color, animations, text of a different size – you can turn typography into the centerpiece of your design.
The examples above use 2 completely different approaches, but both are equally successful:
- Studio Boiler uses animation and color to draw users’ attention to a fairly long headline. Just look how beautifully the tint of the text changes when the animated blob is moved.
- On the inGenious Guru website, you will see contrasting text layers that immediately catch the eye and arouse interest. A bold choice of font, size and animation effects allows you to create a simple yet impressive design.
But be careful – if the typography is not perfect, such text will not make the right impression. Make sure all text elements are readable and help users understand why they interact with your design at all.
4. Images without faces
Should the photos show the face? This is a big question for both designers and brands. Now “faceless” images are becoming more and more popular.
We are talking about silhouettes or photographs in which people are depicted with their backs to the viewer. This approach has 2 goals. Firstly, it allows designers to work with images that the brand already has without additional photo shoots, and secondly, it prevents users from having any complexes about their appearance.
In addition to reducing the number of images with faces, the number of group photos is also decreasing.
5. Large items
Large elements, from images to typography, are currently dominating both digital and print graphic design.
In digital projects, there is often a combination of these elements and animations or scrolling effects that allow users to see the entire image. Large objects attract attention, so people are happy to interact with them.
Another feature is that large elements often overlap each other, for example, images on text and vice versa. Although it is not recommended to do this, such solutions are becoming more and more popular.
This approach can be effective when applied to simple typography: 1 or 2 words that are clear even if some letters are covered up. In this case, the result will be beautiful and impressive.
6. Experimental typography
It’s about experimental fonts. They come in a wide variety of styles and types and are able to spruce up any project with their modern, unique look.
Any font that differs from the standard options can be called experimental, for example, a font with sharp and unusual strokes, animation effects, 3D elements, illustrations, and other original stylistic solutions. It is easy to remember, because there are no analogues to such a font.
The main advantage of experimental fonts is that they look in design as if they were specially created for a specific project on an individual order.
7. “Natural” design
In recent years, brands have been looking to create more authentic designs that will help them strengthen their relationship with their audience. And so the trend for “naturalness” appeared.
This appearance is deceptive – the design looks like there is no design. However, achieving the desired effect is quite difficult, because for this you need to create a visual that will look natural, simple and fresh, as if it had just been drawn by hand.
You will immediately recognize the “natural” design elements, as they always resonate with the audience and look like “anyone could have thought and done it.” (Yes, designers don’t like hearing such comments, but that’s what this visual aesthetic is all about.)
Natural design uses simple logos without complex color combinations or graphic elements (think of styles that are popular with startups), familiar colors and typography. With an integrated approach, products are made from environmentally friendly materials, as is packaging.
8. Massive typography
At the other end of the spectrum is the 2021 trend: massive typography. It seems like large fonts with thick strokes are everywhere. Many of them have an unusual shape, include animations or other details to attract the attention of visitors.
This trend is definitely not boring. What is most surprising, some of the fonts are not very readable, but they are remembered by users and arouse their interest.
For the solution to work, make sure that supporting text and graphics are easy to read. They should have a simple form and function to balance the massive, impactful typography.
This style is best suited for well-known, popular brands, whose appearance, mood and voice are already familiar to users. Even if they can’t read all the words on the site, they will know where they are thanks to consistent branding.
9. Voice and sound
The most important trend of 2021 you will not see, but hear. Adding voice messages, audio recordings, and other interactive audio playback elements to interfaces is an important step, because many of us use voice interfaces all the time! The key success factor is useful and valuable content. (And also functional code ☺️)
But we are talking not only about voice interfaces – sound can also be used in website design. Users are used to talking to devices, watching videos, so they will be happy to interact with those interface elements that are associated with sound playback.
Make it easy for people to start the audio or video themselves with a click/tap – autoplay is still considered bad form.
10. 3D effects and depth
Graphic design is becoming more and more realistic. Everywhere we meet 3D elements that seem to pop out of the screen. The popularity of the trend is growing by leaps and bounds. It’s kind of a return to skeuomorphism, but this time the graphics are much more believable than ever.
In the digital world, 3D shapes often exist in combination with animation to bring them to life. Usually they move slowly, along a certain trajectory, as realistic as possible. (It takes a lot of effort to make the object on the screen look and move like a real one, but the result is worth it!)
Try to tell a story with 3D. At the same time, users should not have questions about why the elements look and move the way they do.
11. Bright colors
Choosing vibrant hues for everything from backgrounds and images to user interface elements is one of the biggest trends from 2018.
Lively colorful color palettes dominated websites, promotional materials and other projects. Many bright and bold colors have been borrowed from material design, such as blue, purple, and pink.
These shades are now especially common in product and packaging design, and they certainly have a place on the websites of the respective brands. The website in the picture above is a great example of this trend being applied. Each color is unique, and the packaging and site design match perfectly.
In addition, designers have begun to turn more often to palettes of many colors, breaking the classic rule of 2-3 shades. This year, sites with lots of bright colors, interesting shapes, and unusual typography were especially popular.
12. Three-dimensional real objects
Designers seem to enjoy developing 3D designs. Now on many sites you can see three-dimensional compositions from real objects. This approach allows you to create an extremely attractive image of the product, as well as demonstrate how it looks in real life.
It takes a lot of effort and time to develop such interfaces, although at first glance the design may seem simple. Show a little imagination and users will be delighted with your site.
13. Gradients
Gradients are everywhere these days — backgrounds, video or photo overlays, illustrations, the list is endless. In recent years, they have played an important role in design. Bright shades that used to be popular on their own are now being used as part of trendy gradients.
However, not all trendy gradients look bright and bold. Some of them are more delicate, with soft color transitions. They can be used both in the design of real products, and in illustrations or typography.
14. Animated shapes
There is something magical and grandiose about animated abstract shapes. Such “shapeless” objects move slowly (and sometimes not very) across the background. They can be large or small, and are often brightly colored and act as a focal point that draws the eye and helps users navigate the interface.
The main advantage of the trend is that you can create a trendy and fresh design without much effort. Add funny animations or patterns, and users will definitely like your project, even if it does not contain other images or videos.
It is for this reason that the trend is most often used by startups and small brands that want their sites to look innovative.
15. Minimalist navigation
Mega menus were all the rage a few years ago. Since then, the trends have changed and many websites now feature minimalist and sometimes even hidden navigation elements.
This decision came from the design of mobile applications (after all, it is smartphones and tablets that users mainly use to view sites). This saves screen space and makes the user experience consistent.
While “virtually invisible” navigation has its pros and cons, the minimalistic, free-flowing interface and many creative ways to hide “annoying” navigation elements are undeniable advantages of this approach.
Above you can see 2 completely different examples: Blab’s website designer adds a square menu button to the bottom left corner of the screen. But the navigation on the this website is not displayed at all until the user starts scrolling the page.
16. Authentic photos
As all brands today seek to build authentic relationships with their audiences, authentic, imperfect images dominate design. Even commercial photography is becoming more and more like natural shots from everyday life.
And although such images can be slightly edited, they work great because they seem more real. The trend extends to other channels of brand communication with the audience, for example, social networks.
Of course, you can use stock images, although you’ll have to work hard to find the right ones. The best option is to talk to your photographer/videographer about the kind of visual you want to create. Remember, authentic doesn’t mean unprofessional, it’s just a different style.
Since modern monitors are high resolution, image quality is important. And although the style of the photos will be more relaxed and simple, their quality should not be reduced.
Conclusion
Which of the considered solutions would you like to see in your projects next year? I like these concepts because they are easy to put into practice. There is nothing better than a design that combines beauty and usability.
