AZZUU'S TOP 10 GRAPHIC DESIGN TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2021.
Increased screen time has given designers an even greater platform to impact our lives on a deeper and more meaningful level than ever before. Whether you’re looking for social connection, retail therapy, or just looking to relax at the end of the day, graphic design affects the way we consume, interact, and view the digital world.
As a form of almost escapism, influences from the real world such as natural textures and materials are going to feature heavily in designs, and across the board there will be a clear desire to tap into our nostalgia.
With the help of our fabulous designers, we’ve put together a list of our top 10 trend predictions for 2021:
Digital vs Reality
Nostalgia
Character Illustration
3D Design
Playful Fonts
Glyphs and Symbols
Muted Colours
Metallic Effects
Real-World Textures
Motion
Digital vs Reality
Expect to see the line separating our online and physical worlds become even finer in 2021. Using AR and VR brands will further explore the world in between digital and reality, much like Balenciaga’s Afterworld fashion video game and Fred Perry’s virtual house party. Sometimes we’re not sure whether we’re looking at something real, computer generated or a mixture of both, but one thing we do know is that the boundaries between digital and reality are going to be tested by designers this year.
Nostalgia
Expect to see psychedelic imagery, 70s colour palettes, and retro style designs playing on our nostalgia next year. Amongst all of this surreal imagery is the feeling that we’ve seen this all before. These psychedelic colours, and vibrant designs don’t just grab our attention; they’re a fun, bright and loud reminder of a different time.
This paired with the inclusion of retro imagery and illustrations (more on this to come) doubles down on these feelings, resulting in an air of pure nostalgia.
Character Illustration
The use of characters in graphic design will add more fuel to the nostalgia fire.
Using character illustration is a fun way of adding personality to a brand, allowing corporate companies to be represented by simple, yet often endearing characters. Not only do these characters help you identify more with a brand, but they also play on the feeling of nostalgia and add a little humour too.
The multi-functionality of the designs combined with the personality they provide make them a fantastic brand asset, and we predict designers will be even more light-hearted and adventurous with their characters in 2021.
3D Design
Not a brand new trend, but one that is getting better and better with age. 3D design can add depth and a bit of reality to imaginative illustrations, photographs, and 2D designs.
Benefiting from a number of technological and software advancements, designers’ 3D game has never been cooler, and amidst the rise of AR and VR technology, the drift toward this lifelike, hyper-real content is only set to continue.
Playful Fonts
Fonts will become even more of the focal point of designs in 2021. Brands are being daring with their fonts, as seen in the Burger King rebrand. Designers aren’t quite trading in legibility for style points, but the experimentation with fonts that are more playful and eye catching is definitely making us take note. We expect to see fonts take on even more authority this year, and become art in themselves.
Glyphs and Symbols
Glyphs and Symbols will be in high demand for the year ahead. Whether they are simply being used to add interest to an infographic, helping guide the reader through the image, or used as replacements for fonts themselves, glyphs will feature even more heavily in 2021.
Despite being surrounded by symbols all the time in everyday life, the new combinations and applications within graphic design will take them up a notch.
Muted Colours
Muted colours will continue their rise in a bid to provide us all with a bit of calm. In the screen time arena, bright colours, images, and text are constantly fighting for our attention, and it can get fatiguing. Muted colours are less saturated, and provide us with a colour palette which makes us feel more relaxed and secure.
With text based images and infographics soaring in popularity of late, a muted colour palette helps make the information easier to digest whilst providing us with a calm, authentic and natural feel. We expect to see designers taking advantage of the added contrast that muted colours provide.
Metallic Effects
Metallic is set to be very ‘in’ this season. Gold, Bronze and Iron are among the metallic effects that will feature heavily in this years’ creative styling. These textures can interact beautifully with light and, metal dependent, can bring an industrial, rustic or luxurious feel to a piece.
We’ll also be seeing more mixed materials this year, combining metal with other materials provides a striking contrast that can really grab an audience.
Real-World Textures
Real-world textures and grains can instantly create a feeling of familiarity and make us connect with the design on a more human level. We predict that we’ll be seeing more campaigns like Nike’s transformation of their iconic tick, which takes us immediately to nature, and possibly even suggests that they’re trying to align themselves with the more socially and environmentally conscious society we live in.
Adding grain to your design not only adds texture and can make a design look more interesting, but it also can provoke a more human response by reminding us that things don't have to be perfect all the time. a
Motion
Motion trends are often driven by advances in technology. 4k/8k TVs and HDR images are increasing the need for greater computing power, and are adding a whole new dimension to the worlds that we see on our screens. Also, with a lack of new on-screen experiences being filmed in 2020, 2021 will push the motion industry to get more creative. Expect to see a lot more of these multifaceted animation styles in the near future.
To Conclude
Whilst these trends have their own unique selling points, they can all be seen to put human connection and emotion back into the focus of graphic design. As we progress through 2021, designers are going to continue drawing inspiration from our childhood, the natural world, and our desire to stay connected to inject nostalgia, fun and calmness back into our timelines.
We're always on the look out for new creative talent to join our design and animation team, for more information get in touch at studio@azzuu.com
If you'd be interested in hearing how Azzuu could support your business this year then please email info@azzuu.com or book a demo directly, we'd love to hear from you.
Written by Team Azzuu