With each new year, design, in every form, evolves. For this reason, designers and creative agencies like ours must ensure they are up to date with the latest design trends so that they can offer their clients designs that feel current and will engage their intended audience.
This year, there is a theme throughout the design trends that is quite clear. With the advancement of AI technology, people are fighting back. There is now a heavy focus on nostalgia, hand-drawn elements and experimentation. We’re fed up with the cold, corporate sans-serif minimalist style now; we want colour and character back in our brands.
So, let’s take a look at some of the main design trends that we are likely to see in 2024:
Artificial Intelligence has been a big talking point in the last few years. Advancements in the technology means that designers now have AI tools at their fingertips.
While many artists, designers, musicians and other creatives are deploring the use of AI, as it has the potential to make many of their work redundant, many are also embracing the technology in a cared and considered way.
Text-to-image technology has become useful to generate imagery that one might not possess the skills or resources to produce – especially Adobe Illustrator’s new text-to-vector tool, which even creates them as editable vector graphics. It can also be used to edit images to reach a level of perfection that was hitherto undreamt of. So while AI will never truly replace art, it will definitely be used to support it.
For many years now, design has been growing simpler, cleaner and more minimalist. But as with most trends in life, we eventually take it too far and get bored of it. Now design has done a 180º from the “less is more” philosophy of minimalism and is now embracing the exact opposite. More is more!
Maximalism in design means making designs look busier, with more layers and elements; using bold, vibrant colours; clashing imagery and colours; and in general, rejecting the rules of design.
This makes sense, as minimalism was introduced into recent design to try and make things easier for the public to consume. It was all about capturing people’s attention and presenting information in a clear, easy-to-understand way. But now we are used to consuming information. We are bombarded daily with content such as video streaming and advertising. We can cope with it. So now it’s time for companies to stand out by overwhelming our senses.
As mentioned above, everything is being turned up to eleven, so vibrant colours are going to become very popular. Whilst in recent years there has been a focus on white space and limited colour palettes, now colour will be used to make visuals look more exciting and engaging.
This will also include high contrast colours, to make things pop and stand out; clashing colours to draw you in and capture your attention; and gradients, to allow for more colour and texture than a plain background.
In recent years, many companies have changed the typography in their logos, opting for a sans-serif font to make it look more elegant and more legible. However, the downside of this is that sans-serif fonts are now becoming overused, and people are complaining that it is removing character and distinction.
Therefore, it’s predicted that we will see a resurgence of serif fonts, helping brands to have a more unique style. As well as serifs, typography will also become more experimental, with bubble fonts, hand-drawn lettering and more playful fonts being used to add character and personality to typography.
The typography that we see will also be bolder and take centre stage, as words become an important element in how designers communicate with their audience – which obviously we’re excited about, because we love words!
With AI images becoming ever more popular, it inversely means that hand-drawn illustrations are also becoming more popular. With many being unsure about AI, hand-drawn illustrations act as a sign of authenticity, and a subtle reminder from a company that they value art and authentic design.
It also adds a more human touch to a brand, giving it some personality and a warmth that people feel comforted by. This is especially true of mascots, which feature in a logo or as part of the brand. When done well, they give a recognisable face to the brand and positions them as friendly and approachable, with an element of trustworthiness embedded in the character.
Hand-drawn imagery has the benefit that it helps to create a distinctive style that can be easily replicated across a brand without the need for the same models or similar photography. Therefore, it is likely we will see more doodles and illustrations on websites, posters, packaging and across social media.
Whilst design continues its quest to be bold and characterful again, it looks to the past to times when design could be playful and fun. Retro and vintage designs are already making a comeback, but it seems that they will be ever more present as we move forward.
We have already seen one of our clients keen to celebrate their past and bring some historical designs into their current packaging, which has worked well to not only celebrate their history, but to celebrate the designs of yesteryear.
One of the key retro themes that we are seeing more of is pixel art. While our screens now have thousands more pixels, we still have fond memories of 8-bit games with their blocky images. The video game Minecraft has used this to their advantage and has helped popularise pixel art to the point that we will likely be seeing it widely used in designs in the future.
Whilst the battle rages on about AI in design, new technologies are being released that enable us to be more creative than ever. One such example is Adobe Illustrator’s new inflate tool. In just a few clicks, users can extrude flat objects as if pumping them up with a balloon, and then add textures to make their 3D objects look like balloons, rubber, clay or plastic. Naturally, we’ve already started seeing designs utilising this tool and it will only continue.
3D images in general will feature prominently in designs, helping the images to be bold and stand out, leaping off the page or screen to make us feel immersed in the design. Creating 3D objects is now much easier for designers, so it makes sense that they will be used to bring a brand to life.
As well as technology, there has also been a push in recent years for things like sustainability and caring more for our planet. This is set to continue and be a big part of design.
Designs will focus on nature, with nature-themed imagery, as well as earthy colours and textures. These elements help to portray honesty and show the public that a company has an eco-friendly culture, which in turn makes us more inclined to trust and work with them.
Packaging is already moving towards being more sustainable, with less plastic being used and products using more recycled parts and offering more recyclable materials. This is set to continue, with the designs emphasising the sustainable credentials.
Conclusion
It feels like this is an exciting time for design. After years of focusing on simplicity and cleanliness, it’s now time to throw out the rule book and have some fun with our designs. Naturally, companies will be hesitant at first and no doubt want to stick with the safe sans-serifs and clean designs, but if they want a modern, culturally aware image, then they must learn to embrace maximalism and breathe a bit of life into their brand.
