Top 7 Graphic Design Trends (2022-2024)

When it comes to graphic design, societal conventions and customer expectations are continuously changing.

The principles of excellent design have always been simple and sophisticated.

Graphic design is expected to become more whimsical, experimental, and character-based this year.

Here are seven of the most current trends in the field of graphic design.

20 Latest Web Design Trends & Forecasts for 2022/2023 You Should Know

1. Natural Patterns And Textures

The public’s awareness of environmental issues has risen in tandem with a slew of other hot-button issues.

57% of customers are ready to adjust their shopping patterns in order to lessen environmental impact, according to a 2020 IBM analysis on consumer behaviour.

Furthermore, a poll by Pew Research found that 52% of Americans believe combating climate change is the most important issue facing the country, a jump of 14% from only three years earlier.

Consumers’ affinity for natural themes is anticipated to rise in tandem with environmental awareness.

In addition, 2020’s international stay-at-home instructions prompted many people to look for ways to spruce up their houses with natural components like houseplants.

During the height of the epidemic, searches for houseplants increased.

It is expected that nature-inspired graphics will remain popular in 2022 and beyond since they connect with the consumer’s interest in plants and their concern for sustainability.’

Plants, flowers, trees, blue sky and bugs are just some of the nature-themed images that are popular.

2. Diversity And Inclusion

There is a shortage of representation of individuals in the media, including illustration and graphic design, because of a movement called “Black Lives Matter.”

It’s time for the design industry to “create room, a lot of it, for those voices, ideas, views and perspectives that we have overlooked.”

There will be a greater emphasis on presenting individuals of diverse races, genders, sexualities, ages, and abilities as a result of this new focus.

Unilever’s website serves as an example of a company’s design that incorporates diversity representation.
More than only the substance of the design is affected by the desire to consider a wide range of individuals.

There is a debate taking place among graphic design professionals about the need of hiring people with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

Despite the fact that just 60% of Americans are white, 75% of graphic designers are.

The business is expected to move toward a more diverse pool of talent in the future years.

This also applies to the purpose of graphic design, as long as the designs are made accessible. This is an example of a universal design approach.
Dyslexia and colour blindness are two examples of visual impairments that are taken into account when using universal design in graphic design.

Experts advise designers to utilise excellent contrast and never use colour alone to communicate information since around 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women suffer red-green colour blindness.

For persons with dyslexia, sans serif typography is likely to stay popular.

3. 3D Design Elements

3D designs aren’t a new phenomenon, but they are expected to gain in popularity in the next several years.

This is primarily due to the fact that new technology have made it simpler than ever to create complex 3D graphics on web sites.

A growing number of designers are now able to include 3D modelling into their repertoire thanks to tools like Cinema 4D and Adobe’s Substance tool suite.

From 2020 to 2026, the 3D modelling industry is expected to develop at a rate of 20% per year.

They attribute much of this trend’s growth to the wider availability of cutting-edge technology capable of rendering 3D images.

Graphic designers’ employment in computer-related design and other electronic media is expected to grow significantly, by up to 35%, between 2015 and 2022, according to industry analysts.

What applications are we likely to see in the future for this 3D technology?

Every design discipline may benefit from 3D, including user interfaces and illustrations.
Because to open-source programmes like Blender, Sketchup, and Figma that make it simple to utilise 3D rendering tools, more designers now have access to entry-level programmes and consequently more talent.

The use of open-source design software is projected to grow in popularity in the future years.

4. Geometric Shapes

A year from now, it’s probable that bright geometric blocks and circles like those shown in the top Google Pixel photos will continue to gain traction after a contentious icon change at the end of 2020.

The visuals’ design studio credited Bauhaus as an influence on their work in a Behance post.

Teachers of Bauhaus thought that art could be a vehicle for social change, which may explain why the art style is on the rise after a tumultuous 2016.

The goal of the Bauhaus school, which opened in 1919, was to unite art with daily items.

For example, geometric compositions, clean lines, and bright primary colour palettes are anticipated to be seen in more graphic designs in 2022.

Geometric forms are popular for another reason: they are the first shapes we learn as toddlers and are thus seen as approachable.

As the desire for transparency grows, geometric patterns that represent simplicity are likely to follow suit.

Both Walmart’s Free Assembly apparel line and Swarovski’s jewellery line are following this trend.

While square boxes will be phased out, Swarovski will be switching to pastel-colored octagons in February 2021.

5. Serif Fonts

Throughout the 2000s, sans serif typefaces, such as Times New Roman, replaced serif fonts like Arial and Helvetica because they were cleaner, simpler, and more legible.

However, typefaces with serifs are making a comeback.

Why?

It is mostly due to the feeling of stability and tradition that they conjure up.

Trust in a brand is now the “make or break” component in its usage, according to Edelman, a global communications consultancy.

Today, trust is more critical than ever before, according to 70% of the population.

There are two key reasons for this, according to the study: consumers depend on brands during a pandemic, and they have a greater concern for a brand’s environmental effect.

There will certainly be an increase in trust-building images, particularly serif typefaces, as a result of this change in consumer behaviour

Customers demand closer connections with the businesses they follow because of the prevalence of sans serif typefaces, according to Carl Cosgrove, monotype’s senior font designer.

Because of their extended existence, serif typefaces have greater personality.

They evoke images of well-respected academic publications and newspapers.

Trajan, one of the world’s earliest serif typefaces, dates back to 43 BC.

Major news organisations like The New York Times and The Washington Post still use the serif logo to signify their reliability, sturdiness, and consistency.

Serif is becoming more popular with businesses.

Print Mag, for example, is a leading source of information on graphic, web, and print design. In the middle of last year, they switched from a sans-serif to a more typical serif typeface for their website.

6. Reference to the use of traditional media

Since paper and watercolour are still popular, it’s not strange that they’re being used in graphic design.

The rise of natural forms and textures may be linked to this development, since both depend on imperfections to elicit a warm, human response.

In today’s world, 64 percent of customers want companies to connect with them, and these photos that appear like they were created by human hands do just that.

Because of this, DIY-style art, including collage, ripped paper, string accents, wood grain, impressionistic brushstrokes, and allusions to great art, is projected to grow in the next 2-3 years.

Programs like Adobe Fresco and Procreate have contributed to the growing popularity of the DIY look.
To a large extent, this is due to their extensive brush libraries, which provide realistic-looking renditions of a wide variety of traditional media such as charcoals and oil paints.

If these applications become more popular, the style they produce is likely to follow suit.

7. Vibrant Nostalgia

Graphic design’s love affair with the past has long been fashionable. That’s not going to change in 2022 and beyond.

The minimalist style that dominated graphic design in the 2010s will most likely be resisted in the next year.

Instead, a retro-psychedelic and retro-futuristic style reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s is becoming more popular.

Bright colours, vivid gradients, rough textures, and unconventional fonts will dominate next year’s designs.

Joe Biden’s social media campaign materials were an early sign of this burgeoning trend.

This year, “Isolation is a really significant thing, and there’s a basic warmth to gradients that beats flat colour,” said senior creative adviser Robyn Kanner who was in charge of the vivid psychedelic visuals.

Psychedelic swirls, wacky 70s typefaces, and subject matter that addresses social and political themes will likely be adopted by a range of corporations including Burger King in the coming year as part of the greater trend toward escapism.
“Expressive fantasy” escape from lengthy months of sheltering in place,” says Shea Molloy, vectors and illustrations head at Adobe Stock, of the current craze in psychedelic images.

Conclusion

These are the most important graphic design trends to keep an eye on in the next years, from the use of 3D components to throwbacks.

This year’s overall visual design will focus more on authenticity, personal connection, and social purpose in response to the unpredictable nature of the previous year.

Graphic design, like other creative disciplines, will continue to change in tandem with societal shifts.

Fashion sketch vector created by freepik – www.freepik.com