Current Graphic Design Trends: Modern Techniques That Every Designer Must Know

We live in a visual world where everything is at face value. Therefore, the audience must perceive what you intend to show accurately. Unfortunately, advertising is not forgiving, so one needs to step ahead. A business gets accepted and grows because of its brand image. Hence, the first crucial step is to have a brand image that resonates with your target audience. Next, your product must create the need, inspire, and positively engage people. Finally, brand design and photography in all your market campaigns should be on point. So, paying attention to the right colours and textures on your website, banners, link building outreach, and all digital and print marketing campaigns would be best.

Current graphic designs are about technology, attractive imagery, responsive designs, and keeping a tab on your customers’ demands. Apart from this, the most important thing is to stay updated with time, trends, behaviour, pop culture, and current society. However, one must also learn to stay relevant even in changing times. The idea is to show that your brand is continuously evolving and adapting to the culture but keeping its core identity and values the same. This authenticity will always help people to stay connected to your brand no matter what. 

If you search graphic design trends, you will find millions of articles per year. The unique objective of this article is to give you an idea of what to absorb and reject. So, let’s get started.

History Of Graphic Design Trends

Before you upskill yourself on any subject, you must get to the core of it. You need to know where something came from to understand its present and predict its future. For example, the history of graphic design goes way back to the cave paintings of early men. Then, it was the only form of communication. The visual art created in the caves also depicts their daily lives and gives us a message. Icons were the first ever form of communication known as the Sumerian written language. Then came several manuscripts that had designs and typography on them. Finally, as the world evolved, the printing press came in. Gutenberg Printing Press was invented to spread messages all around the world in a cheaper and faster way. However, we must know that everything was still black and white until now. Then, the invention of lithography and chromolithography pushed the advertising and graphic design world to a new edge by introducing colours in the designs. Since then, there has been no stopping. The graphic design industry kept evolving as technology advanced, and the world moved to modernism and postmodernism. 

In today’s current advertising industry Graphic Design is omnipresent.

All You Need To Know About Current Trends In Graphic Design

We have seen many graphic design trends come and go throughout the history of graphic design and let’s be honest; not all trends were up to the mark. For example, there were times when web pages were so generic and bland that they were supposed to give a severe professional vibe. So, only some trends are helpful. However, it will be useful to understand what is best for your company and how a particular graphic design trend fits the bill of your brand image. 

Pose yourself with these questions before incorporating a graphic design trend for your brand

• Will incorporating this graphic design trend solve any problem for my company or my customers?
• Are my competitors using this trend and gaining profit?
• Will this trend benefit my engagement?
• Does my brand identity go well with this current graphic design trend?

Such introspection will help you delve deeper into your knowledge and understanding of modern design trends that you should use to create a massive brand identity for your company. Analyzing and evaluating your brand is the key to understanding what is best for your company. In addition to this, you must know about what is going on around you. So, gaining awareness about current graphic design trends will help you reach the top of your game. Now that we have a basic introduction to the first step of getting started let’s dive into this article’s even more exciting bit.

New Trends In Graphic Design – Colour schemes

Colours speak volumes, and it is an essential element in graphic design. Whether it is your website, brand logo, or product images, selecting the right colour will set your brand identity and dictate how your customers feel and relate to your brand. As mentioned earlier, we live in a highly visual world, and each colour generates different emotions in people. For example, we all know that the colour blue generates a feeling of trust, purple of royalty and so on. But now, such notions have changed. Companies are getting creative and using a varied range of colours and tones as well. It is a particular time for colours as brands are going for soft pastel shades and bright and vibrant colours. Colour strategy for any brand image design is crucial as it sets the brand apart from its competitors and uniquely attracts its customers. 

Things to keep in mind before choosing colour schemes for your brand

• Geographical Location- Is the brand national or international?
• Symbol or meaning behind the chosen colour in your country
• The gender identity of your brand and the target consumers
• The theme of your industry- Is your brand into education, fashion, sports, and so on?
• The company message- Is your company trying to inspire and motivate, or is the emotion light-hearted and fun?

Current Fonts And Typography Trends

As selecting the right colour creates the perfect mood and personality of your brand, selecting the right typography and fonts are also of utmost importance as it adds the required depth to your brand. In advertising, a miss in the proper selection of typography can throw your brand into the unknown and undiscovered space. 

Guide to choosing the right fonts and typography

• Research- Find out how the shape and size of an alphabet make someone feel.
• Is your brand’s tone modern, innovative, or quirky?
• Keep a solid eye on the fonts used by your strong competitors.
• Responsive- The fonts should have the same look, feel, and size on the laptop, mobile and digital billboards.

Many high-end luxury brands use Sans Serif fonts as they represent sophistication, modernity, and minimalism. The typography creates a feel of luxury and the need for the same. Dark bold typography, on the other hand, exudes confidence. It makes your consumers feel that the conveyed message is accurate and trustworthy. On the other hand, personalized and handwritten fonts radiate a feeling of romance and warmth.

Trendy Psychedelic Graphic Designs

Abstract art that pushes us to think beyond the boundary is a rage, whether in interior design, print media, or graphic design. Anything that challenges our psyche interests us. For example, we always try to solve a riddle when someone asks us to, and we rush to solve it early. Psychedelic design is like organized chaos. There are many colors in many shapes, and they all complement each other uniformly. Exact symmetry is the secret to such creative designs.

Elements that you find in an attractive psychedelic design

• Surreal Imagery
• Utmost Styling
• Kaleidoscope Patterns
• Loud Typography
• Vivid Colours

These are lethal combinations to your current trending psychedelic graphic design.

Customized Illustration Is The Absolute Modern Trend In Graphic Design

A customized illustration is a unique element in the entire plate of graphic design. Modern companies are experimenting with custom illustrations and icons to create a differentiated brand identity for themselves and a niche of their brand. Consumers today are highly aware and intend to build an authentic connection with the brands they love. Hence, companies should work on creating a human-like image for the brand. It is not just about what the product can do; it is about what it symbolizes and how other people will see the consumers as a whole once they use it. The good thing about custom illustrations is that they are modified as per your brand image and make your brand appear unique in the market.

Custom illustrations can’t be generalized.

Some current trends in illustrations that brands must know

• Charcoal Illustration
• Scientific Illustration
• Pencil Illustration
• Acrylic Illustration
• Ink illustration
• Block illustration

Original Brand Photography

We are advised not to judge a book by its cover. But unfortunately, we all do that. This unforgiving visual world is all about the first glance. A consumer’s interest in buying your product shoots up to 80% when they find your brand visuals attractive. Then they start reading more about your brand and what the product offers before taking the final plunge to purchase. Therefore, if the image does not attract the customers, they will not take any interest in getting to know your brand further. If you notice, high-end clothing or food brands never use stock images. Instead, they organize and curate an intense photoshoot that perfectly symbolizes their products and image. It makes their brand look premium and trustworthy. It makes the consumers invest in your products as they get the authentic feel and experience. And this applies not just to big brands. If you are starting a small clothing business, high-quality visuals should be one of the priorities. After all, when you give real images of your organization, the people, products, and real-life models, your brand relatability increases by 5x.

Open Composition Graphic Design Trend

It is always exciting when certain things are left to the imagination. Ad campaigns that leave an element of guessing retain the viewers’ interest for a long time and make them visit your brand website to know more. The design composition is unbounded by borders and can go beyond imagination. Your consumers will only see a portion of the design and be curious to know more. It combines very well with other design trends and looks impressive on websites.

Notes for your open composition design

• The right balance of colour and typography.
• There is no in-between contrast. Keep the contrast either high or low.
• Repetition: The design elements should be repeated.
• Keep the needed empty or white space. 
• Select your focal point and keep that your center of attraction.

The Magical Effects Of Minimalism Graphic Design Trend

Minimalism is currently in fashion. It is all about the right amount, minimal living, minimal home decor, and advertising is no different. However, some high-end brands believe in the minimalistic approach and create their niche. Such brands want to keep their designs manageable and straightforward, with the main focus on the product. It gives the image an airy, soft feel with muted colours and styles. Minimalism is essential, especially in modern artistic graphic design trends. However, one must understand that minimalism doesn’t have to be dull. It makes the ad look natural, especially with original photography. It is all about simple lines, textures, and aesthetically solving the purpose.

Main components of minimalistic graphic design

• Clean design with abundant negative space.
• Usage of minimal elements.
• Fewer colours
• Plain typography
• Attractive imagery

To give more clarity about the usage of negative space in minimalistic design is to let people focus on the product itself and not get distracted by other elements in the design. Moreover, product prioritization strategy will ensure that the essential elements receive the attention they deserve, fostering an impactful user experience.

Modern Social Slide Decks Graphic Design

It is no secret that social media is one of the largest platforms for advertising. Over half the global population is active on social media. Hence, one needs to utilize this medium to the fullest. As a result, social slide decks are currently high on trend. It is a slide show presentation for your brand on social media. Instagram and Linkedin have this design by default in their layout. Therefore, it is one of the easiest ways to give convenient access to your brand to make your consumers more informed. This current graphic design trend is beneficial for B2C companies as you can inform people more about your product, take articles about your product from your website or blog and reuse it on these platforms in a simple way with minimal design techniques. Designers can use video clips or multiple images as videos for more engagement. Additionally, you can do fun live streams with video transcoding to engage your customers even more and create a sense of real-time connection with your audience.

Steps to create an effective social media slide deck

• Research your target audience
• Introduce your brand and the main content
• Cite the problem and provide the solution
• Educate on the services of your brand
• Provide testimonials that prove the claims made by your brand and its products.

Implication Of The Current Graphic Design Trends

We have established that human beings are attracted to anything visually appealing. The choice of content consumption in any form also depends on something appealing, easy, quick, and fun. So, graphic designers’ visuals can bring huge profits or losses to your brand. Your brand identity is solely dependent on your design. To remain consistent in today’s world, you must choose design elements that can improve in the future and establish progressive thinking without changing your brand’s natural essence and originality. Therefore, staying up to date with the current and popular graphic design trends in the market is vital. However, one need not change the brand’s whole design and basic colour palette each time a new product is launched. Choosing the correct elements and details is essential for an updated look. If the entire look of the brand changes, people will not be able to relate to the brand anymore. 

Do You Need To Copy Most Of The Design Trends To Stay Relevant In The Market?

Well, the answer is no! There is a difference between getting inspired and copying. Refrain from copying everything your competitor does because it will not set you apart from the rest. Instead, it would be best to analyze what is best for your brand and its future and use design elements accordingly. However, you should keep an eye on your competitors and trends by scraping data from the web and using PerimeterX bypass to avoid any data limitations. Then, once you experiment with the latest and popular graphic design trends, you can keep a tab on which designs help your brand get popular and work on the same.

Another crucial point is customer feedback. One needs to take customer feedback seriously for the brand’s growth. So, if the customers say that the product packaging could be better or the website can be more user-friendly, you can consider these inputs and make the experience better for your customers. It will also make them feel heard, and you will get a massive batch of loyal customers for your product. You can also avoid taking risks by watching what is not working for your competitors and implementing the graphic design trends that skyrocket your profit.

Conclusion

You will find ample current graphic design trends that keep changing over time. You will be bombarded with information online, but success is studying all popular graphic design trends and mixing them up with your individuality and creativity. Originality will always stay on trend. Unfortunately, there is an overconsumption of advertisements. It leads to a lot of chaos and noise. Therefore graphic designers should be less distorted and more authentic in approach and style. Your unique creatives will give rise to a new trend. Upcoming trends in graphic design will be more diverse, sensual, and emotionally pleasurable. People will only buy products if it hits the right note with them emotionally and functionally. Therefore, it will be helpful to respond accurately and start designing.