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Contents:
1. What are design trends?
2. How are design trends born?
3. How to use design trends for your brand?
4. Graphic Design's Importance in 2024
5. Can we use AI for design?
6. Maximalism Makes a Mess
7. Barbie Leads the Way
8. Iridescent Shines Through
9. Bento Grids Bring Balance
10. Diversity Takes us Around the World
11. Nostalgia is Back
12. Recycle and Restore
13. Embracing the Great Outdoors
14. Kicking Ass with Martial Arts
15. Minimalism is not enough
16. What last years' trends will continue?
17. What next?
1. What are design trends?
It might seem that trends are a bunch of semi-random colors, shapes and practices that emerge every year. However in reality trends are a reflection of our world, things that captivate people, resonating with their current moods, problems and interests. They gain traction through relevance, shaping visual media until the world moves on, making room for new trends.
2. How are design trends born?
Trends emerge when enough creators and brands resonate with a specific technique or aesthetic, creating a movement defined by the trend’s characteristics. Trends often become significant by either amplifying or opposing the situation in the world around us.
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| Five-Boroughs Brewing Co and Twin Elephant Brewing trendy colab |
3. How to use design trends for your brand?
Understanding trending themes and elements helps position your brand in the current cultural landscape. Compare your brand's mission and values to dominating trends to ensure relevance and avoid missing out on vital conversations. Using trends can further your brands impact. For instance, if your brand emphasizes eco-friendliness, staying up-to-date on sustainable packaging trends is crucial.
4. Graphic Design's Importance in 2024
In the midst of global uncertainty, the significance of graphic design for brands is more important than ever. Beyond economic challenges, good design becomes instrumental in visually distinguishing businesses, connecting with customers, and building brand loyalty. Recognizing this importance isn't enough. Graphic designers need insights into industry shifts, required skills, and design focal points.
While the pandemic years centered around the frustration of confinement, 2024 the year of wars and crises, is more about seeking refuge in the safety and comforts of home. From the pandemic’s community-focused trends, people shift towards a more self-centric mindset, embracing everything from personal skincare to martial arts. In troubling times, people crave reassurance of their strength and a return to their pre-pandemic personal interests. Aesthetically we see feel-good, over-the-top trends, vibrant colors, and bold choices that make people feel alive and individuals; 2024 is not the year for humble simplicity and minimalism.
5. Can we use AI for design?
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| Kitkat by Nimo Ben |
One thing that is sure is that people are getting more and more tired of the AI design for the sake of it. The semi-random nature of it is no longer exciting for anyone who has seen it in the past year. For good use of AI in design we still need a skilled designer to operate and guide the tools to an outcome. A subscription to an AI service won’t replace a graphic designer and an art director. It might eliminate the need for some tools and low level operations like upscaling images, retouching photos and creating 3D images for 2D design. It also raises the bar for all of graphic design with its advanced color palettes and exciting imagery.
In an era flooded with graphic elements due to AI designs, it is logical that designers explore this aesthetic to its conclusion - a mish mash of elements, colors and combined genres. The challenge is finding a balance in the chaos. Maximalist designs can be overwhelming, but smart composition and a limited palette can guide the viewer through the design. Brands can experiment with maximalist designs, incorporating subtle brand easter eggs for added impact. Something like “Where’s Waldo” but wearing a Nike sweater.
While some designers will create tasteful composition and match colors, others discard guidelines, by design or by accident, resulting in designs resembling a trash heap or just digital chaos. For brands seeking an edgier image that cuts through, this might work if it aligns with their brand values of rebelling, youthfulness or energy.
6. Maximalism Makes a Mess
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| Studio 3am |
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| Busy Street by Alex Steven Martin |
In an era flooded with graphic elements due to AI designs, it is logical that designers explore this aesthetic to its conclusion - a mish mash of elements, colors and combined genres. The challenge is finding a balance in the chaos. Maximalist designs can be overwhelming, but smart composition and a limited palette can guide the viewer through the design. Brands can experiment with maximalist designs, incorporating subtle brand easter eggs for added impact. Something like “Where’s Waldo” but wearing a Nike sweater.
While some designers will create tasteful composition and match colors, others discard guidelines, by design or by accident, resulting in designs resembling a trash heap or just digital chaos. For brands seeking an edgier image that cuts through, this might work if it aligns with their brand values of rebelling, youthfulness or energy.
7. Barbie Leads the Way
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| Monochrome room by Cj Hendry |
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| Monochrome room by Cj Hendry |
When The Barbie movie came out it made a big pink splash. A part from maximalist design the monochrome palette is another way to stand out in a more relaxed way. This will bring back the ca 2005’s trend of coloring every item in scene in the same color. While the Barbie pink is one of the more popular colors Brands can use their color to create a similar scene where everything is painted the same shade. This paired with a maximalist composition gives a sense of calm with the excitement of detail discovering. For brands this is the right time to go all in on your brand color and print everything in that color. Bringing monochrome showrooms onto the streets makes a bold statement and leaves a lasting impression. So color the world in your brand color in as many ways as possible.
Another way to approach color and materials is to use iridescent textures and palettes. It introduces a dynamic and futuristic element that is very pleasing to the eye, almost magical. After the last years trends of gold, chrome, and crystal, iridescence takes the spotlight. Hopefully this trend extends beyond virtual fashion to real-life clothes and print media. This due to the availability of the technology having spread a lot in the past year.
Going crazy with colors and textures needs some balance to keep the designs understandable. This is where the bento grid strikes a balance between grid harmony and visual excitement. Go wild with the colors and visuals but stay within the Bento boxes. This approach organizes the mishmash of maximalism into easily understandable units and helps to combine very different elements into a whole. This trend is a way to visually organize the information and it can be easily combined with other trends on this list.
Diversity has been a topic for the couple of past years, starting with body positivity and moving to ethnicity. Now it’s shifting to regional and cultural diversity. We’ll see more real people in real environments, showcasing the richness of cultural and geographical diversity. Pinterest is rumored to start including more inclusive and local content while Tiktok is looking for more authentic voices to build trust.
This trend opposes the IKEAfication of the world where every living room in the world looks the same and has the same furniture. Must have items will be replaced with odd and special one-off elements of interior design, clothing and brand products. This brings brands more freedom in standing out and producing odd looking custom pieces. The trend can be witnessed in the popularity of odd items like the astro boy boots, released in 2023. I would argue that is also the case with the stanley cup craze, its clunky design and range of colors makes it a stand out futuristic item that is different from the standard cups on the market. Aesthetically we’ll see more such big uniform designs made of bright plastic.
Nostalgia provides a reassuring anchor for individuals, instilling a sense of certainty. This sentiment is evident in the widespread popularity of series and movies that capture the tranquility of bygone eras. While the focus primarily revolves around the 80s and 90s, there's also a nostalgic pull towards the onset of Y2K, with some advocating for Frutiger Aero style design. I find the Frutiger Aero too cheesy and cheery to really resonate with the reality of today. The Y2K era is not one we deem a golden age, as its name signifies the anticipation of the big computer crash due to a bug.
The preferred epochs of nostalgia are the 90s and 80s, cherished for their relative financial security, strong communal bonds, and iconic aesthetics. Another era frequently mentioned is the Jazz era of the 1920s when people, buoyed by the end of the First World War, sought refuge in underground clubs. While Jazz in that period represented high speed and innovation, in today's world, it ironically signifies a retreat to the classics and a slowing down of pace.
For brands, embracing these nostalgic tendencies means creating spaces with soft aesthetics—places where people can escape their worries and engage in banter, even if it's just an illusion. This concept can be used through deliberately designed safe spaces adorned with dark wood, a fireplace and other comfort items. Brands can use this trend through video ads reminiscent of the popular TV show "Friends," employer branding, and themed company events.This provides an avenue for people to immerse themselves in a comforting escape from the moment, as most of the people would rather be anywhere else than here and now.
Using this trend might be trickier than others as nostalgia is a broad phenomen and means many different things to people. Don’t overthink it use vintage elements that spark joy and give a chance to slow down and escape the stress of the day.
8. Iridescent Shines Through
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| Encyklopedia Polskiej Psychodelii |
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| Alycia Rainaud |
Another way to approach color and materials is to use iridescent textures and palettes. It introduces a dynamic and futuristic element that is very pleasing to the eye, almost magical. After the last years trends of gold, chrome, and crystal, iridescence takes the spotlight. Hopefully this trend extends beyond virtual fashion to real-life clothes and print media. This due to the availability of the technology having spread a lot in the past year.
9. Bento Grids Bring Balance
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| Bento grid for Bolt |
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| SaaS bento grid by Emilian |
Going crazy with colors and textures needs some balance to keep the designs understandable. This is where the bento grid strikes a balance between grid harmony and visual excitement. Go wild with the colors and visuals but stay within the Bento boxes. This approach organizes the mishmash of maximalism into easily understandable units and helps to combine very different elements into a whole. This trend is a way to visually organize the information and it can be easily combined with other trends on this list.
10. Diversity Takes us Around the World
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| Latvian born artist Felicita Gaga made a dress for projections. |
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| H Magazine |
Diversity has been a topic for the couple of past years, starting with body positivity and moving to ethnicity. Now it’s shifting to regional and cultural diversity. We’ll see more real people in real environments, showcasing the richness of cultural and geographical diversity. Pinterest is rumored to start including more inclusive and local content while Tiktok is looking for more authentic voices to build trust.
This trend opposes the IKEAfication of the world where every living room in the world looks the same and has the same furniture. Must have items will be replaced with odd and special one-off elements of interior design, clothing and brand products. This brings brands more freedom in standing out and producing odd looking custom pieces. The trend can be witnessed in the popularity of odd items like the astro boy boots, released in 2023. I would argue that is also the case with the stanley cup craze, its clunky design and range of colors makes it a stand out futuristic item that is different from the standard cups on the market. Aesthetically we’ll see more such big uniform designs made of bright plastic.
11. Nostalgia is Back
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| Set of Friends TV show |
Nostalgia provides a reassuring anchor for individuals, instilling a sense of certainty. This sentiment is evident in the widespread popularity of series and movies that capture the tranquility of bygone eras. While the focus primarily revolves around the 80s and 90s, there's also a nostalgic pull towards the onset of Y2K, with some advocating for Frutiger Aero style design. I find the Frutiger Aero too cheesy and cheery to really resonate with the reality of today. The Y2K era is not one we deem a golden age, as its name signifies the anticipation of the big computer crash due to a bug.
The preferred epochs of nostalgia are the 90s and 80s, cherished for their relative financial security, strong communal bonds, and iconic aesthetics. Another era frequently mentioned is the Jazz era of the 1920s when people, buoyed by the end of the First World War, sought refuge in underground clubs. While Jazz in that period represented high speed and innovation, in today's world, it ironically signifies a retreat to the classics and a slowing down of pace.
For brands, embracing these nostalgic tendencies means creating spaces with soft aesthetics—places where people can escape their worries and engage in banter, even if it's just an illusion. This concept can be used through deliberately designed safe spaces adorned with dark wood, a fireplace and other comfort items. Brands can use this trend through video ads reminiscent of the popular TV show "Friends," employer branding, and themed company events.This provides an avenue for people to immerse themselves in a comforting escape from the moment, as most of the people would rather be anywhere else than here and now.
Using this trend might be trickier than others as nostalgia is a broad phenomen and means many different things to people. Don’t overthink it use vintage elements that spark joy and give a chance to slow down and escape the stress of the day.
12. Recycle and Restore
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| Puma phone packaging made of pressed pulp |
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| Upcycled denim bag by Laura Mangione |
There’s another way to take a step back from a progressively digital world. There's a counter-movement towards using natural materials. Remember when designs were printed on paper? Nostalgia for holding tangible materials is being revived through the use of risograph printing for example and using analog artifacts in digital design.
The reusing is most prevalent in wood and fabric because of their down to earth feel, but also other organic materials that give off a warm feel. We see a rising interest in working in old crafts like woodworking, making furniture and recycling clothes into new pieces. People are embracing real-life skills like building, sewing, crafting, and even electronics to showcase their originality and to feel the rush of making things by hand. Beginner craft ideas that are easy projects for people just starting out are the most popular.
Brands can align with this trend by showcasing creative reuse of packaging materials. Simple recyclable materials like pressed cardboard are trending for packaging because of their eco-friendly nature.
The third direction of opposing the digital is going to the great outdoors, hiking, biking or just travelling. We see a trend in rising sails of camping gear either to be ready for the post-apocalypse or just to look like you are. Brands can show their products outdoors in videos and photos. Also why have your company event in a restaurant when you could be going outside for a picnic in the park and pairing it with casual sports and games like a scavenger hunt.
Another aspect of the outdoors is plant illustrations that step back into the spotlight. A sure way to use them is on packaging design for health and eco products. However the scope of uses is larger than ever as people yearn for reconnecting with nature and its beauty. There’s a lot od stylistic freedom and designs move away from greens and browns towards more vibrant colors, sometimes only using plant shapes combined with more synthetic colors. If your brand has something to do with plants, 2024 is a great year to put it into spotlight.
One of the more intriguing and mysterious trends is martial arts. In my friend group I was surprised to learn that over half of them were thinking of learning martial arts. People are ditching physical activities like yoga, which has been trending for years or even decades, and they show growing interest in personal safety. This development signals peoples need for security and control of their environment as the world keeps getting more uncertain and dangerous. This Demonstration of an individuals or a groups power is captivating for people living in fear and uncertainty. For brands this presents an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of their brand and products, the strongest glue, the sharpest blade or rope strong enough to hold up an elephant.
I see a lot of predictions pushing minimalism. While minimalism will never go out of fashion, 2024 feels more like a year of going all in on character the opposite of bland minimalism. While there will be text only designs that will stand out, they will be made using custom and stand-out fonts that combine, break, florish and stretch fonts. The minimalist backgrounds will use fresh gradients, 3D and other trendy elements. As a designer, I would rather focus on character than minimalist simplicity. I would hold that instinct until 2025 or even 2026, because by then the AI art will have saturated the world and we will be ready for no-nonsense info only designs.
Gradients will still be trending and will find fresh color combinations and use in heatmap configurations. 3D design elements have become a staple in design and will still be all around us. Fonts stay wild and unique from faux pixels to flourished serifs. Handmade illustrations, fonts and mascots are still relevant to bring the character of brands and designers to the forefront of design. Motion design is recommended for all design elements to help them stand out. Glitch will stay relevant still, but will be used as a light accent in busy compositions.
17. What next?
Embracing one or several of these trends strategically puts your brand in a better position in the evolving landscape of graphic design in 2024. If you have questions or need help with making use of these trends in design reach out to us by email.
The reusing is most prevalent in wood and fabric because of their down to earth feel, but also other organic materials that give off a warm feel. We see a rising interest in working in old crafts like woodworking, making furniture and recycling clothes into new pieces. People are embracing real-life skills like building, sewing, crafting, and even electronics to showcase their originality and to feel the rush of making things by hand. Beginner craft ideas that are easy projects for people just starting out are the most popular.
Brands can align with this trend by showcasing creative reuse of packaging materials. Simple recyclable materials like pressed cardboard are trending for packaging because of their eco-friendly nature.
13. Embracing the Great Outdoors
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| Poster by G-studio |
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| Poster by Liam Peach Design |
The third direction of opposing the digital is going to the great outdoors, hiking, biking or just travelling. We see a trend in rising sails of camping gear either to be ready for the post-apocalypse or just to look like you are. Brands can show their products outdoors in videos and photos. Also why have your company event in a restaurant when you could be going outside for a picnic in the park and pairing it with casual sports and games like a scavenger hunt.
Another aspect of the outdoors is plant illustrations that step back into the spotlight. A sure way to use them is on packaging design for health and eco products. However the scope of uses is larger than ever as people yearn for reconnecting with nature and its beauty. There’s a lot od stylistic freedom and designs move away from greens and browns towards more vibrant colors, sometimes only using plant shapes combined with more synthetic colors. If your brand has something to do with plants, 2024 is a great year to put it into spotlight.
14. Kicking Ass with Martial Arts
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| Fighting Racoon shirt design by Vexels |
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| Boxing poster from Envato Market |
One of the more intriguing and mysterious trends is martial arts. In my friend group I was surprised to learn that over half of them were thinking of learning martial arts. People are ditching physical activities like yoga, which has been trending for years or even decades, and they show growing interest in personal safety. This development signals peoples need for security and control of their environment as the world keeps getting more uncertain and dangerous. This Demonstration of an individuals or a groups power is captivating for people living in fear and uncertainty. For brands this presents an opportunity to demonstrate the strength of their brand and products, the strongest glue, the sharpest blade or rope strong enough to hold up an elephant.
15. Minimalism is not enough
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| Minimalist poster by Leondsgn |
I see a lot of predictions pushing minimalism. While minimalism will never go out of fashion, 2024 feels more like a year of going all in on character the opposite of bland minimalism. While there will be text only designs that will stand out, they will be made using custom and stand-out fonts that combine, break, florish and stretch fonts. The minimalist backgrounds will use fresh gradients, 3D and other trendy elements. As a designer, I would rather focus on character than minimalist simplicity. I would hold that instinct until 2025 or even 2026, because by then the AI art will have saturated the world and we will be ready for no-nonsense info only designs.
16. What last years' trends will continue?
Gradients will still be trending and will find fresh color combinations and use in heatmap configurations. 3D design elements have become a staple in design and will still be all around us. Fonts stay wild and unique from faux pixels to flourished serifs. Handmade illustrations, fonts and mascots are still relevant to bring the character of brands and designers to the forefront of design. Motion design is recommended for all design elements to help them stand out. Glitch will stay relevant still, but will be used as a light accent in busy compositions.
17. What next?
Embracing one or several of these trends strategically puts your brand in a better position in the evolving landscape of graphic design in 2024. If you have questions or need help with making use of these trends in design reach out to us by email.
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