As we have entered into a world of graphic design where we want to point out some of the biggest trends that we saw rise up in the last year of 2021 and will probably become even bigger in 2022. While modern and futuristic visuals such as 3D design got more and more popular over the years, we also saw a nostalgic response to all those pixels and renders as Retro inspired trends became widely used again.
So let’s get dive into the new latest trends of graphic design that are mostly used in 2022.
Use of 3D Design:
Since software development to create 3D artwork has not stood still, it’s much easier to get your hands on it was a few years ago and this certainly shows the released work since then. Tools like Cinema 4D and even the latest updates from Adobe are making it possible to dip your toes into the 3D world and start making your own three-dimensional artwork. And while it was all about realistic proportions a while ago, artists are now exploring new styles and are moving boundaries which results in many refreshing visuals. It’s not solely about full size visuals but about creating branding elements as well. This way isolated 3D visuals can be a part of the identity and live throughout the brand. Using a 3D character for your team instead of the standard snapped portraits? Why not. Turn a specific phrase into 3D instead of typing it in Arial, absolutely! In the last months of 2021 the world of NFTs completely blew up and this will undoubtedly result in a wider audience looking to become more skilled in this area.
Use of Graphic in Motion:
Now that many of us are spending a good chunk of our time living in the digital world, it will take more than static graphics to grab our attention (and keep it). Today’s brands are engaging consumers through motion graphics and animation, and we’re likely to see the trend evolve even further in 2022. From subtle in-app motion graphics to looping gifs to animated shorts, motion brings stories to life. Motion graphics allow brands to playfully present products and ideas with more dynamism in the modern digital space. This design trend is not only influencing digital platforms—motion graphics could start appearing on static materials, such as packaging. Since the pandemic, we now understand that scanning a QR code reveals more information. And with the rise in augmented reality, or AR, brands could start creating packaging designs that appear to move and shift when looked at through a screen.
Vibrant Colorful Typography:
We’re calling it now, 2022 will be another big year for typography. For designers brave enough to try something new, letter styles are a great way to express particular feelings and ideas. There really are no bounds to what letterforms designers can make, and more and more people are now pushing the boundaries of typography. Lettering is an art form in itself, and text can be an exciting way to fill a space. In 2022, you might see mismatched letter styles, playful abstract shapes, and contrasts between flowing lines and sharp angular shapes. With the maximalism trend, typography also will get influenced by this trend as typographic styles will get exaggerated looking to captivate movement and amplify their personality using creative ways to apply typography. Also, we will see this exaggeration in typography also getting applied in color looking for more vibrant color schemes mixed with sharp shapes to create strong, vivid, and contemporary typography design that we will see applied on movies, series, poster design, web design, or brand identity design projects.
Use of Maximalism:
If we saw the past year that minimalism was a big graphic design trend with clean layouts and avoiding extra elements, this year we will see the opposite, being a huge graphic design trend in 2022 the maximalism, and graphic designers will look for more opulent layouts rejecting austere brand systems and flat geometrics. With maximalism style in 2022, you will see graphic design projects using bright and powerful colors and many brands will opt to use monochromatic color palettes to attract the viewer attention with an energetic and vibrant feeling, also brand will use bold fonts many times combined with these bright colors, this style will be used in brand identity design systems, logo design, poster design, and typography.
Use of Experimental Typography:
The world is becoming more global and brands are more focused on online markets, being harder to rely on words as the meaning could vary from culture to culture, that is why some graphic designers instead of seeing this as a problem see it as an opportunity to focus on form over legibility creating more creative typography. Experimental typography will be a big graphic design trend in 2022 where graphic designers will look to create creative fonts and experiment with shapes and form, and there is no limit in this trend as it will depend directly on graphic designer imagination. Experimental typography will be applied in logo design, web design, poster design, and brand identity design systems.
Use of Holographic Design:
The holographic design style is a diffraction of light which creates a really attractive and modern look is this is the reason that recently we have seen this effect being applied in product design, stationery, shoes, and fashion design, but this effect will evolve during 2022 being a big thing in graphic design. In 2022 we will see holographic style applied in logo design, app design, web design, and animation creating eye-pleasing designs. This graphic design trend will be applied using 3D design giving you feelings of futuristic and high-tech aesthetics.
The future is all about finding meaning and joy during these turbulent times. Despite life’s current restrictions, designers are showing that creativity shows no bounds. Design is all about celebrating change, movement, vibrancy, and embracing imperfections.
