Graphic design trends change every year. Sometimes new ideas are introduced, but often graphic designers take what has been done before and take it to a completely new level. The past few years have been dominated by bold colours, colour gradients and futuristic designs – trends that have made the design world a more vibrant place. As the new year started, so did fresh thinking and different approaches which will bring forward new ideas that could shape the rest of this new decade.
Of course, nothing is set in stone and it is too early to say what would certainly be a trend that will last the decade, and what will not. However, based on research and the opinions of other designers, here are the five most popular graphic design trends at the beginning of 2020.
3D depth and realism
The 3D trend became popular in 2019 and is still going strong in 2020. Thanks to today’s technology and software capabilities, it is becoming a lot easier to create 3D graphics. Consuela Onighi, UX designer at Illustrate Digital said: “I’ve noticed that over the past few months, most designs have created a 3D feel by combining layers of typography, images and abstract shapes, often reflective of the company branding, to create depth.”
Typography craze
Typography could take the lead stage in most design projects in 2020 thanks to its ability to create a more innovative and modern look. Bolder but simple fonts are used to create contrast in your graphics – this can be clearly seen in the Adobe Pawtraits project available on Behance.
Intensifying simplicity
Even though simplicity in design isn’t something new, people reckon that 2020 will be the year for intensifying simplicity. According to the creative director of Dixon Graddy, Brian Dixon: “In line with marketing’s ongoing quest for transparency and honesty, the design will continue to strip away extra flair and embellishment and move toward a much simpler, straightforward presentation.”
Illustrations
The good thing about using illustrations is that you can build a unique style which will differentiate your brand from the market. Examples of companies that have done that in the past are Casper and MailChimp. However, as illustrations have been used in so many different ways, I think designers and companies will try harder to set a trend by getting more imaginative and abstract to really stand out in 2020.
Colour gradients
As mentioned previously, colour gradients have already been a trend over the past few years. However, it has remained consistently popular and designers keep finding different and interesting ways of using gradients that become the focal point of any project.
