Can you imagine a life where everything stayed the same, all day, every day, all the time? And of all things, if design stayed the same? Some of us gasped really hard at that thought.
But the good news is that there won’t ever be such a scenario when it comes to the design industry. Trends constantly change and come back into our lives as they are reimagined from an older time.
Most of them are recycled and presented as newer, fresher products that promise to change the world. And some of them even do.
As any other industry, graphic design is always in a state of constant change. So many trends throughout the year are born as new technologies arise. And designers do what they do best; Adapt.
Having said that, to stay ahead of the curve, it’s essential to be on top of what’s trending right now. Let’s take a look:
90s Nostalgia
If you are a 90s kid, you’re either 30 or it’s creeping up to catch up with you soon. Okay, sorry not sorry. Apart from this existential low blow, there is actually some good news to share.
The 90s design has made a comeback! We are in the era of experiencing the nostalgia from our favorite golden years through gothic serifs, vaporwave, bright color schemes, simple emojis and early-internet-days frames.
If you ever feel out of ideas for your design project, you could and should revisit the 90s vibe by adding old-school cool touch reimagined in 2022.
2D x 3D
We still remember when there was once a time where everything in graphic design was associated to either 3D or some nuance of it. Not much has changed in 2022. But there’s been a little twist which makes the whole experience feel fresh and new.
We’re talking about combining 3D with 2D to create amazing new experiences.
The 2D x 3D mashup has gotten really popular lately because it is very adaptable to all formats of illustrations or animations. It also extends its range to web design, typography and app design.
Twisted Typography
The prime objective of typography is to be functional and bring forth the message in an easy way. However, in 2022, things are changing as people are experimenting with lettering and twisted typography.
This concept follows philosophy similar to that of Riso Print; Imperfect, off but beautiful.
Although, it can be a risky and hard to pull of trend if audiences are not into experimentation. But if it finds its place among the brave, then experimental typography will hit a homerun.
One popular example that comes to mind is Loki where you can see the lettering represented by different styles. It is unusual yet gets you excited for something which is fresh and inspiring.
Anti-Design
Author’s note: This is one of my favorite trends so far. While writing this article, I sat for 2 hours and looked at Anti-Design illustrations from the internet. Got lost into a cobweb of amazing designs.
The successor to brutalism, where we find and highlight the beauty of unfinished, under-construction work, anti-design emerges as the hottest 2022 trend in graphic design. It is all about finding inspiration and expression in colors or styles which would rather be considered ‘ugly’ or ‘rebellious’.
Anti-design is like that teenager who doesn’t care about rules of usability and goes past their curfew to evoke a reaction from the viewer. And it somehow just works.
Although when it comes to the actual design semantics of the whole thing, designers usually do follow some basic rules to make sure the composition is well-balanced.
Y2K
Wait, Y2K… isn’t that the same as 90s? Well no. Y2K is more bent towards an aesthetic that is bright and playful as well as inspired by some complex materials from early 2000s technology.
Many graphic designers and creatives are trying to reclaim the sense of excitement from the early 2000s era where anything seemed possible via technology.
Y2K mostly includes blues, bubblegum pinks, iridescent colors that look like the back of a CD, low poly CGI, crude interfaces and many elements that make it look like retro cyberpunk.
Candy Colored Vibes
You want to stand out from the crowd of designers going for the gumroad, brutalist new age stuff, right? Then roll your sleeves up and get ready to use vibrant candy-colord scenes in your designs.
Why? Because this is a great way to achieve positive and playful appeal in your designs. It works great for children but the secret no one is telling you is that it’s equally popular amongst adults. Go for it.
Muted Color Patterns
A paramount challenge, a worse nightmare for some… picking out the right palette for your designs. Did you know that most designers spend 30% of their project time on selecting a color palette? You’re not alone.
It becomes a special challenge when you’re already used almost a million color palettes in your previous projects and don’t want the current one to look the same as before. What do you do?
This is where updating your color palettes top muted versions could be really helpful. They look modern, fresh and will help you stand out.
Parametric Patterns
Patterns are the cornerstone of your design, especially for a graphic designer. In 2022, designers are bringing parametric geometry forward and making a statement. These help in adding more visual interest as well as in breaking up a bunch of solid colors.
Parametric patterns are made out of lines that change shape according to their relative placements. The aesthetic actually borrows from the graphs of parametric equations.
Although they have a geometric foundation, these patterns have a sense of mobility rather than rigidity that comes from architecture since they are fluid and three-dimensional.
Psychedelic Designs
The psychedelic 1960s’ twisted, melted, and warped aesthetics profoundly altered design. These images are timeless fashion trends that always resurface with the emergence of a fresh counterculture.
The psychedelic graphic style reflects the free-spirited mentality that yearns to break the chains by finding strength within, just like in music and fashion. The outcomes in motion graphics, typography, animation, and web design are astounding and captivating.
In 2022, we’re going to see a lot of these surreal designs.
Conclusion
The graphic design fads for 2022 may appear to be fairly random as a whole. There is no disputing that these distinctive design trends, which range from anti-design and parametric patterns to candy colors, will dominate.
It will be fascinating to see how the world’s designers collaborate in 2023 to create incredible designs.
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Confetti Design Studio is an award-winning UX design agency based in India. We work with companies around the world by providing them with premium design solutions ranging from product design, web design & graphic design. Contact us right now so we can get started on your amazing idea and project.
