The Top Graphic Design Trends for 2021

Graphic design has been around for thousands of years, and it is becoming more important than ever before. Visuals are something that people need to understand the world, to understand, and to gain information. And when you masterfully use graphics, you can elevate your brand to brand new heights.

But graphic design is not a static thing. It’s always shifting with the tide of trends. That is why graphic designers and those looking for graphic designs need to be up to date with the latest trends of 2021. Let’s get started.

Personalized Fonts

Look around the internet and you will find plenty of brands with personalized fonts. The fonts themselves are not overly done and garish. No, they are pretty simple, but identifiable. You know the Netflix font is different from the Disney font and the Hulu font. So, whether you are building your own business or website or coming up with a logo, you might want to consider designing a font that is all your own. At least for your brand name. It will help with brand recognition.

You also need to know how to blend sans serif and serif fonts well. The fonts made for paragraphs and longer content should complement the personalized font used in your brand name.

Minimalism

For a couple of years now, the idea that “simple is best” has been reigning supreme in the world of graphic design. More and more designers are reducing the elements on the page or screen down to only the most essential pieces, leaving the optimal amount of white space behind. This is also related to SEO practices, which ask for websites and blogs to be easy to navigate. Otherwise, the user could get confused and might leave before ever finding the content they need or the product they wanted.

So, designers removed anything frivolous. Now, you see it in banners, signage, apps, clothing, and more. For 2021, you are going to see a lot of minimalism; and if you are a graphic designer, you should anticipate being asked for minimalist designs as well.

Simplistic Illustrations

Stock photographs and images are sometimes outdated and not relatable. That is why pages are being refreshed with a touch of whimsy. Simple yet colorful illustrations are now replacing stock photos. Not only does this play into both personalization and minimalism, but it also adds a touch of individuality to a page.

People are tired of stock images. Artfully done illustrations, however, are all the rage. In fact, when stock photos or art are added to a new website or blog, some users may even assume that the web or graphic designers were not being very creative.

Color Matching

So far we have minimalism and personalization. Now, we come to colors. There is more freedom with colors than ever before. We see combinations of color that are both common and uncommon. With glitchy effects and gradients used in simple ways, color has become the pop in the middle of white space. The sparkle in a header.

Many people shy away from bright colors, because they think it negatively impacts the design, but when used amid pastels for a highlight, trendy colors like neo mint, bright blues, hot pinks, and yellow can add zest to any design.

Choose contrasting colors. Aside from black and white, which was big in 2020, try for monochrome and rays of color ranging from dim to bright, much like the tie dye that people have started to love once again. Some examples include soft greens or blues and white, black and red, mossy green and pink, stony gray and lime, beige and yellow, and mint and cerulean.

Animation

Around the tail-end of 2019, animation started to get bigger, bolder, and more noticeable on pages. From shaking menu items to interactive pictures with clickable pieces, animation has become infused in design. While animation cannot be done in print, it is something we see more and more in digital visuals. Websites, mobile applications, videos, and advertising utilize animation readily, because movement is so much more appealing than a static image.

Additionally, animation can be used to solidify brand identity and image. Moving beyond the scope of GIFs, you can use various animations to discuss brand mission, product details, or even develop scenes that tie parts of a web page together.

The second part of animation is data visualization. Rather than just showing data in numbers written in the same font and color as the rest of the paragraph, you can make gorgeous animated visuals that show statistics in a fresh way to accelerate comprehension.

Vintage Effects and Retrofuturism

It’s true when they say that history repeats itself. We are starting to see the return of vintage filters, old brand designs, and other elements in design. Not only does the use of vintage elements attract older users because of the nostalgia, but it will appeal to the younger generations as well.

What about retrofuturism? Alongside vintage effects, retrofuturism is the blending of the past with the future. So, that means 50s or 60s aesthetic meshed with futuristic hovercrafts and space exploration. Blending those elements together will get a lot of people intrigued in what they are seeing. This also brings about optimistic views of the future.

Final Thoughts

Graphic design is always changing, because the way people perceive things shifts throughout the years, too. Look at how 2020 alone changed graphic design! Now, 2021 opens the door to experimentation with all kinds of elements and aesthetics. You can blur the lines between reality and fiction, or you can go for a more simple route with colors and illustrations. The choice is yours!

After all, 2021 is a start of a decade where the digital world is more enmeshed into our lives than ever before. That is why you need to use these trends to make graphic designs suitable for any device or screen.