A design trend is more than just a fad: it’s a year’s worth of outdated expectations being thrown out. Graphic design trends should probably be taken with a grain of salt, but every creative needs to at least be aware of the direction that design trends are going (Knowledge is power! It’ll help you explain to a client why a certain trend ISN’T right for them). Going into 2022–after a few years of a lingering pandemic under our belt, there seems to be both a yearning for nostalgia and a need to destroy the design status quo.
Let’s identify 5 concepts, themes and styles on the rise.
1. Doodles
The designers of 2022 have introduced a bit of their own abstract mindscape to their professional work in these meandering drawings. By combining digital tools with a human touch, we can produce designs that are approachable. However, doodling isn’t in conflict with digital design – tools such as Illustrator help seemlessly weave freeform drawing with digital design.
2. Ukiyoe influenced flat design
For designers seeking to re-energize flat vector artwork imposed by digital design standards, past pioneers are serving as inspiration: the Ukiyoe artists of Japan’s Edo Period. Ukiyoe artwork uses bold outlines, flat colors and limited perspective and is traditionally printed using woodblocks. It can add some much-needed interest to contemporary flat design.
3. Expressive lettering
All kinds of mismatched letter styles, distorted shapes, and amorphous blobs are possible. This lettering style challenges the distinction between abstract shapes and readable letters in its entirety. This is a risky trend for audiences who are less open to artistic experimentation. It rewards those brave enough with freedom, releasing meaning from language restriction.
4. 90s nostalgia
We’re back in the 90s! In response to this trend, a longing, idealized gaze backward is emphasized. We are reliving the 90s through Memphis design patterns, simple emojis, and primitive internet frames. Color blocks and slime drips bring back fond childhood memories. When you’re in need of feel-good comfort with a bit of old-school cool, look back into the 90s.
5. Motion
Over the past few years, motion design has gradually seeped into branding and identity systems; however, movement and kinetics are becoming increasingly visible in communicating the personality and spirit of a brand. Everywhere these days, we see flashing typography merging into a brand name that highlights its dynamism; squishy shapes wiggle and buoyant logos bob to suggest a childlike personality.
Motion in 2022 cannot be an afterthought. It will become the focal point, a lens through which designers examine the infinite possibilities of telling a story that is more dynamic than static images designed to warp and move.