Nostalgia for the win

In line with the phrase “everything old can be made new again,” nostalgic design continues to occupy the spotlight when it comes to trends. 

With the Y2K scrapbook look and the Y2K metallic, futuristic look both not backing down, designers are continuing to use the bold, visual impact of these trends to attract audiences while also bringing familiarity and fun into their work. These styles are amplified by today’s technology, making chrome, 3D animations more impressive and faster to make. 

Additionally, we’re seeing a resurrection of the staple 90s colours. The classic teal, purple and dark mauve of that era are popping up more and more. As we shift far away from simplistic minimalism, once again these colours are familiar, but also bring warmth, variety and surprise back into the mix. Unconventional colour pairings are bringing a new feel to these colours, as many brands are aiming for something impressive and unexpected.

Handmade with love

Handwriting and hand-drawn doodles are on the rise, with some brands even reviving the friendly and adorable brand character. Other quirky, unique shapes and illustrations are also being added to the suite of assets in some brand guidelines. Again, straying away from the extreme minimalism design that was so trendy in the late 2010s, hand-done graphics are bringing personality and edge back into the mainstream. 

Now in 3-D

3D animations and illustrations are all the rage as Adobe Illustrator introduced the inflate tool in late 2023. This tool makes 3D effects more easily accessible and welcomed more creativity in a round, balloon-like style that really (pardon the pun) blew up. 

The return of “the magic of 3D” is being found in advertising with “3D ads” popping up on major city billboards and fantastical, large installations appearing in major landmarks around the world. Our digital and physical worlds are really being brought together in these amazing campaigns. 

AI-Powered Design 

Unsurprisingly, AI has bulldozed its way onto the graphic design trends list as it continues to be a useful, but controversial tool. As some are claiming that AI will cause graphic designers to go extinct in the next few years, we are seeing entirely AI generated ads and images being used across all media channels. 

However, the real AI trend is that more and more graphic designers are using AI tools to supplement and aid in their creative work rather than have it do the creative work for them. Whether it’s writing placeholder copy better suited to their project or quickly extending the background of an image, AI is enabling designers to skip the tedious work and focus on the creative and strategic thinking. 

Honourable mention: Variable fonts 

I first heard about variable fonts a couple years ago at the DesignThinkers conference and they’ve finally started to emerge and become more common. They have endless uses both in the digital and print space and I think it rising as a trend is super cool!  

Learn more about variable fonts here.

Graphic design and its trends are always evolving, shaped by cultural shifts, emerging technology and the creativity of those who are pushing boundaries. Maybe there’s a style that you’ve been interested in that deserves more attention, or one you hope to gatekeep. Regardless, what makes design exciting is how quickly it moves and how it prompts us to never stay still for too long.