5 TRENDS RESHAPING GRAPHIC DESIGN IN THE 2020S
Graphic design has never been solely about surface appearances, or even one organisation’s brand identity. Indeed, it has much wider-reaching implications, playing a fundamental role in educating, informing and persuading all manner of audiences.
Graphic design has never been solely about surface appearances, or even one organisation’s brand identity. Indeed, it has much wider-reaching implications, playing a fundamental role in educating, informing and persuading all manner of audiences.
So, you can bet that graphic designers providing solutions for businesses across the sectors are subject to an exceedingly broad range of influences. Below are a few examples of the trends that are helping to change graphic design in the 2020s.
1. BLENDS OF REALISM AND FLAT DESIGN
It’s a simple enough formula in theory – combining images of discernibly real-life objects with flatter elements – but it’s a trend that is only pulled off by especially skilled graphic designers.
This look is all about providing various unusual and eye-catching contrasts – for example, a realistic image of a training shoe on a flat, monochromic backdrop – and we expect to see it more often on websites, product packaging and other digital and printed materials for a while yet.
2. THE INTENSE AND UNNATURAL COLOURS OF CYBERPUNK
A quick Google search defines the term cyberpunk as “a genre of science fiction set in a lawless subculture of an oppressive society dominated by computer technology”.
It’s hardly a world that feels so different to our own in the already-chaotic new decade. Sure, our own lived reality may be more electric scooters than flying cars, but the bright and oversaturated hues of this emerging graphic style very much tap into our fascination and fears about a dystopian future.
3. PAPER CUT-OUT COLLAGES
We constantly hear these days about how authenticity is integral to successful marketing – and as far as the graphic design side of things is concerned, it doesn’t get much more ‘authentic’ than calling upon the ‘rough and ready’, chopped-up aesthetic of traditional arts and crafts.
This is something we’re seeing in the rise of collage styles that don’t try to trick you into thinking you aren’t looking at a collage at all. Instead, it’s a trend that embraces all of the white outlines and angular edges associated with the hurried creation of a physical scrapbook.
4. MINIMALISM THAT ALSO INCORPORATES COLOUR
Almost automatically, a lot of us have thought of the minimalistic style as being largely about placing black text or other sparse visual elements against a starkly white background.
But why does it have to be that way? Graphic designers are now really exploring the possibilities for combining traditional minimalism with colour, while still largely avoiding superfluous detail. It just goes to show that brands can ‘do’ minimalism without simply copying the now-stereotypical ‘Apple advert look’.
5. TYPOGRAPHY FULL OF PERSONALITY
A graphic design sphere in which minimalist trends are still going strong is also one that calls for undeniable injections of personality to help audiences feel ‘at one’ with their favourite brands.
One way in which this is being achieved is through the use of type-based designs that also feel humane and relatable. That might entail messily hand-drawn lettering, or even custom typefaces, as the likes of Debenhams and Airbnb have pursued in recent years. It’s all helping to make typography a bolder and more experimental discipline than it has perhaps been for many years.
Graphic design may be far from the only important element of print or digital marketing in the UK, but it underpins both large and small brands in ways that many people under-appreciate. And as the above shows, it’s an ever-evolving field, too.
For a more in-depth discussion of your own organisation’s graphic design and branding requirements for the months and years to come, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the PENNInk Productions team today.
