While trends in graphic design tend to come and go, some of them manage to stay on for quite a few years and make significant impact – often giving rise to spin-offs. Some trends are completely new while others tend to arise out of older ones. While some trends have already made an impact in the first 6 months of 2016, take a look at some of the most fantastic trends in graphic design which are supposed to make the rest of the year more interesting.
1. Flat 2.0
It is marked by a colorful, clean appearance, subtle gradients, white space and large typography. This type of design has been impacted by Swiss, minimalism and Bauhaus styles. It was in 2006 that the Flat design was introduced with the Zune MP3 player of Microsoft. It got refreshed in 2013 in iOS 7 from Apple and then in 2014 with the Material design from Google. Monument Valley, the indie game which has been an award-winner, is a fantastic example of this kind of this type of design.
2. Whimsical Illustrations
Illustrations drawn by hand are not meant only for kids. The friendly doodles of Dropbox are one example of this type of design. These introduce fun and consist of illustrated hero images, isometric projections, analog and digital techniques, brushstrokes and sketchy lines. A wide range of illustration styles can be used.
3. Bold Typography
Along with the Glyphs app and other tools, the Flat Design can make it easier and more cost-effective for producing fonts and make the production of creative, dramatic typography possible. This kind of design is marked by letter stacking, fun sans-serif typefaces and bold statements. The Serif is also expected to come back again, boosted by screens with a higher resolution. Fresh handwritten fonts are expected to be seen in 2016.
4. Motion
Illustrations and photos get life-like with cinema graphs and 2D animation. With only a few movements that can grab the attention without making visitors move away from the actual content, this type of design happen to be a mixture of still and motion.
5. The New Retro
Retro style designs are inspired by arcade video games, The Memphis Group and styles from the 80s as well as the 90s. You can get fun geometric patterns and designs, pixel art and bold colors.
6. Modular Layouts
Some of the major brands have adopted card-based or modular layouts for their mobile apps and websites. However, arranging designs as per grid has been there for some time. Unlike self-contained cards or modules, layouts do not need to use a strict grid that has everything aligned perfectly. These can be slightly more freeform or loose and yet be impactful as an organizational tool.
7. Minimalist Logotypes
These are marked by flat design, crisp mono line style, kinetic logos, subtle gradients, minimalism and negative space, and happen to be one of the most efficient 2016 logo trends.
8. Geometric Shapes
These are motifs which align with a few of the trends of the 1980s, and consist of illustrative techniques, individual graphic elements, low poly style and more. These have angular appearance.
9. Negative Space
White space or Negative space is an important aspect of any effective graphic design. When used with proper strategy, it can help add double meaning or deeper significance to designs, especially those used for branding or logo projects. It may also just provide designs with a more minimalistic appearance.
10. Abstract Swiss
This is a reaction to the louder styles inspired by the 80s, and is minimalist in form. This type of trend, as compared to the famous trend of card layout, is aimed to rewrite the rules of graphic design. It involves random distortion and deconstruction of layouts.
11. Print-inspired
It is inspired by the printing methods from the pre-digital era, and consists of rich textures, color slabs and misprinting effects. 2016 will witness the style evolving more and taking hints from the Risograph with fun and vibrant neon colors. The overprint impact is unpredictable and playful here.
12. Dramatic Typography
In this style of design, typography is for creating statements. These consist of bold, big styles which grab the attention of people. Size, arrangement, color or textures are some elements which have to be specially considered in order to make patterns look more dramatic.
13. Custom Illustrations
Although the days of stock photos and graphics are said to be over, this is not the case. These are being replaced more frequently by custom illustrations or imagery. Designers strive to create unique patterns and use images which are more relatable and personalized. Casual, friendly illustrations are used to make the images of the homepage more personalized.
14, Material Design
With its guidelines regarding material design, Google made a big mark in graphic design. It was originally designed for mobile and web, although the principles of this design type can now be seen in all types of design formats. Intentional white space, large-scale typography, edge-to-edge imagery and deliberate choices of colors are some of the main aspects of this type of design language. Tile or card based layouts, light and shadow effects, bigger types and bold colors are also included in this kind of design.
15. “Modern” Retro Style
This is a contrast to the old or vintage style which drew inspiration from the 1900s to the 1960s era, and uses styles from the 70s to the 90s. Viewers can get the feel of the early space themes, pixel art, video games and PCs.
16. Bold, Bright Colors
It consists of bright hues, material design and design elements from the 1980s and 1990s. It is a reaction against the more subtle palettes inspired by the 60s and favors more saturated, richer colors, vibrant pastels and neons.
17. Minimalistic, Abstract Style
It serves as a contrast to the splashier design styles inspired by the 1980s, and this type of trend involves distorting or deconstructing generally known forms as well as focuses on minimalism. Minimalism is a recurring element which would be witnessed in plenty of design styles that are supposed to make a mark in 2016, and Flat 2.0, minimalist logotypes and Abstract Swiss are some of the styles other than minimalistic, abstract style making use of minimalism.
Error: Contact form not found.