The world is constantly evolving. Graphic design trends are, too.
Staying up to date with what’s popular helps you maintain a modern image for your brand and produce content that resonates with your audience. Keeping up with the changing trends can be tricky, but we’ve compiled a list of our current favorites so you can apply them to your business and wow your customers with beautiful, eye-catching designs.
Stickers and Decals
Stickers? For digital and graphic design? Yes, you heard us. Incorporating sticker-inspired elements into designs is one of our favorite ways to add character and detail to our work. Stickers are versatile and can be applied in many different ways depending on your intended message and brand style. Stickers can help tie your designs together and can serve as a cohesive, constant element, allowing you to maintain consistency across multiple different designs while mixing up the styles and themes. There’s plenty of room for creativity when incorporating stickers into your designs – try different fonts, shapes, and colors to find the perfect combination that makes pop.
Gradients and Grain
We’ve seen gradients increase in popularity over the last few years and we hope they stick around for a while. Gradients, like stickers, are very versatile and can be used in many different ways. Whether you want a bold gradient full of contrast or a dreamy pastel gradient, they’re easy to design and make any project more interesting. A more recent trend that we’ve seen is combining gradients with a hint of grain for a more retro, hand-made look. Grainy gradients may seem casual or difficult to use, but you would be surprised. A low-contrast gradient paired with a grainy overlay can be applied to many different brand themes and ads a modern twist to a plain background. For a truly daring design, try a holographic gradient.
Print Inspired
Hot off the press (or your design software), print-inspired designs are everywhere. Drawing from classic newspaper and magazine styles, digital print-inspired designs feature clean lines, simple fonts, paper textures, and blocky elements. Simple doesn’t mean boring, though. Print-inspired designs are a beautiful and modern way to present information. With this style, less is almost always better. It can be tempting to overload print-inspired designs with text, and while they work better than most styles for text presentation due to their simplicity, try to stay true to social media best practices and keep your words short and sweet. Another benefit of this style is the ability to transfer it to true print designs if needed. The cohesiveness between print and digital design will strengthen your brand voice and increase brand recognition both online and offline.
Bold and Bright
There’s no better way to stop your audience in their tracks (or scroll) than with bold, bright designs. Think high contrast colors, simple shapes, and chunky fonts. In a world saturated with modern blacks, whites, and neutrals, designs that feature bright colors stand out from the crowd. If your brand features mostly neutral colors, don’t worry! Choose one accent color and use it to highlight important information and elements.
Modern Retro
Styles have a way of coming back around. Today’s fashion features flared jeans, sweater vests, and baggy cuts reminiscent of the ’70s, and current graphic design trends are heavily influenced by the decade, too. We love adding a modern twist to the retro fonts and colors of days gone by to create a nostalgic, vintage look. Try combining a funky font with modern colors for an eye-catching look.
Not sure where to start?
No matter what you’re designing, these trends are sure to add a modern twist on the classics and impress your customers and audience. If you’re looking to give your brand a full facelift, look no further! Drop us a line here and let’s chat about how we can help you evolve your vision.
