2022 Graphic Design Trends

Every year we see new and exciting graphic design trends develop. This year, we’re keen to leave 2021 behind us and enter 2022 with a fresh breath of air. Last year, we saw graphic design trends take us back to basics, however, in 2022 graphic design trends have a more expressive element to them.  

Graphic design is all about transforming the plain into something special and remarkable. This year we can expect to see the following 6 trends lead the way in graphic design.

1. 2D/3D Mashup 
2. Expressive Typography 
3. Riso Print Style 
4. Anti-Design 
5. Holographic Design
6. Geometric Patterns

Our leading trend for 2022 is the mashup of 2D and 3D elements. Primarily used for animation and gifs, 2D/3D mashup offers limitless possibilities for designs and adds a creative flare to any project.  

The mashup of 2D & 3D blurs the line between physical and digital with 3D design creating hyper-realistic visuals and adding them to two dimensional paper cut-out elements.  

“This new partnership between 2D and 3D brings the best of the two worlds.”    -Mauricio Alves, Head of Design at Dweebi
 

Typography is a core element of graphic design. Much like body language in a conversation, typography adds an extra dimension to the words used in our graphics.

Expressive typography takes that a step further by adding hidden messages to the fonts. By breaking the order (a single letter may be upside down, bigger or smaller, missing or even in a completely different font), the resulting effect is a pattern that reveals a completely different message. 

A bold and colourful style that’s decades old, Riso Print is making a comeback in both the physical and digital realm.

The core elements of Riso Print Style is using unique, vivid colours that are difficult for a standard printer to produce, and for the graphics to replicate slight imperfections, such as ink bleed, alignment issues or rough textures.

The combination of bold colours and imperfection makes this style an adventurous and unique way to stand out online. 

We wouldn’t have a list of design trends without at least 1 post-modern style. Anti-design is a rebellion from the traditional design principles and conventional aesthetic tastes.

While not unique to graphic design, the anti-design movement challenges us with asymmetry, clashing colours, bare interfaces, crowded elements, and stark typography.

If you really want your brand to stand out with statement graphic design, anti-design may be the choice for you. However, it’s important to choose a designer skilled enough to pull it off. To break the rules in art, one must first know them. 

In recent years, we’ve seen holographic fashion, stationary and more take the spotlight. Now, it’s time for holographs to bring it’s futuristic, high-tech vibes into web design and animation.

Made with high-gloss pastel highlights, holographic design gives the impression of movement, even on static images.  

Similar to one of our 2021 trends, geometric patterns are the use of simple shapes to create complex designs.

Geometric shapes have been found in visual art since the beginning of the last century, and for good reason. Depending on how they’re used, geometric shapes can create the illusion of movement, a striking statement and guide the eye on a graphic.

In 2022, graphic design, whether it is posters, prints, packaging or brand identity, will focus on geometric patterns. 

Once you’ve chosen your 2022 graphic design trend, your next step is to create some amazing designs to help your business stand out. The best way to get graphic designs that look professional, and within a quick turnaround, is by using an unlimited graphic design service.

Unlimited graphic design services are cheaper and easier than using a freelance graphic designed or hiring an in-house designer. You have access to an entire team of designers that complete your designs request quickly for a flat monthly free. These design requests could be anything you need, from branding to marketing collateral like a brochure or social post.

Getting started with Dweebi’s unlimited graphic design service couldn’t be easier!

1. Nature
2. Sustainability
3. 3D Design
4. Cartoon Illustrations
5. Geometric Shapes
6. Optical Illusions
7. Colourless Designs/ Monochrome & Duo-Chrome
8. Typography, 3D Typography & Chaos Design Typography
9. Socially Conscious Designs
10. Introducing Characters

“I have noticed the use of elements of nature recently in graphic design. I think this trend will increase in popularity throughout 2021.”

– Adriel, Graphic Designer at Dweebi

Over the past couple of months, we have seen organic, softer, natural design trends increase in popularity. These ideas come from mimicking nature, utilising natural lights and softer, earthy colours.

This graphic design trend compliments other trends we expect to see in 2021. Alongside graphic design that take inspiration from nature, we are expecting to see designs with muted colour palettes and colour pallets taken from natural scenes.

However, it’s not just in 2021 graphic design colour pallets that we can expect to see the nature trend shine through graphic designs. We can expect to see illustrations of nature and textures of stone and wood shine through. These trends have been present in graphic designs for a while and in 2021 we expect to see a big push. After 2020, it’s become more important that we all need connect with nature for our mental well-being and this includes within our designs.

Sustainability in graphic design shows that the company behind the designs have considered the environmental, social, and economic impacts of their business. Sustainable graphic design goes further than just the design itself but also considers whether a design may be printed, the paper choices, ink and materials as well as offsetting carbon emissions to reduce carbon footprint. 

Whilst there are many ways that a designer can help a business reduce its carbon footprint, from considering the equipment they use and reducing their energy consumption, they can also help a business reduce its energy consumption through the designs they produce.

Consider the size of your design

Perhaps, instead of printing your leaflets on A4, you can print them A5 instead. Alternatively instead of two separate pieces of paper used for one letter or leaflet they can be incorporated onto one piece of paper.

Use more space

To help you achieve the above, fill up white space within your design to reduce the amount of paper needed.

Don’t bleed to the edges

Reduce ink waste and allow for more paper to be recycled by leaving a white border around your designs.

Reuse instead of recycling

Prevent your designs from ending up in the bin by offering it a second life and showing how it could be re-used.

Printer-friendly web design

Consider creating web designs that when printed, will use less ink and paper. Rather than choosing a solid dark colour background that would use a lot of ink if a user were to print the page, use a white background that wouldn’t use any ink if printed.

Reduce the size of your designs

As we see 5G becoming the new standard, file restrictions are likely to become a thing of the past, however, by reducing the size of your designs you can do more good for the environment. The larger the images and files are on your website, the larger their energy consumption will be when they load on a screen.

Move to the cloud

Instead of sharing graphic design files via email, moving to the cloud can help use less power when sharing and collaborating.

It is important to not just move to a cloud-based service but to choose a green provider. Green providers are also conscious about their environmental impact and their servers are powered by green energy.

Small businesses of 100 people or less could cut its carbon footprint by 90% by moving to the cloud.

It is not just in typography that we will see 3D elements creep into graphic designs in 2021. Designs this year will have depth and a touch of reality, with 3D being incorporated into images and illustrations.

We can still expect to see fabulous flat designs here and there, but 3D designs have established themselves as a persistent graphic design trend. 3D designs breathe fresh life into projects that could look lifeless and possibly stagnant in 2D.

Cartoon illustrations can help a business’ graphic design stand out in an industry where generic designs contain stock images, graphic elements, and sleek minimalism. Illustrations are interesting and can help form memorable branding.

This trend will go hand in hand with the ‘introducing characters’ trend, as we see more brands introduce cartoon characters into their branding.

The role of shapes in graphic design is integral, they are a basic element that can abstractly make up other elements.

Geometric shapes include squares, triangles and circles. These shapes all have their own meaning, squares symbolise stability, triangles suggest movement or action, and circles represent eternity, as they have no beginning or end.

These shapes can be found in graphic design across every industry and, when used properly, they can help portray mood and message.

Optical illusions are designs that trick you into perceiving them differently to how they exist in the actual world. These designs creatively use shadows and negative space to forge an illusion. These designs have boomed in popularity since they attract attention for longer and keep viewers engaged.

Despite this trend increasing in popularity, this is one that you won’t want to overdo. If this trend is present in too many designs, it can become confusing and even overwhelming for your customers.

“Colour provokes a psychic vibration. Colour hides a power still unknown but real, which acts on every part of the human body.”

— Wassily Kandinsky

Monochrome designs use a variety of different tones from a single colour group. The benefit of using monochrome or duo-chrome is that the viewer’s focus is drawn to a single focus point and is undisrupted by other distracting colours. Monochrome brings the viewer’s concentration to the key elements in the design.

Alongside monochrome designs, we will see duo-chrome designs which follow a similar concept with two colour groups used.

This year we will see the popular typography trend that we have seen in the past couple of years evolve. Transforming this trend from static typography into 3D will make viewers feel as if they can reach out and touch it. There is a lot that can be done with this design, from an organic or playful feel to including the use of animation, texture and patterns.

Typography is becoming more than a way of displaying text, in 2021 it will be impressive and engaging. This trend will also evolve, not just into 3D typography but also into chaotic typography. Chaotic typography put simply, is the disruption of alignment and order of letters and words.

As we venture further into this new decade, we are seeing brands becoming more socially conscious and using their voice to make a difference. This passion is bleeding into all aspects of a business, from the way they name products, with Ben & Jerry’s new Change the Whirled ice cream to the designs they produce.

Whether it is rallying around environmental challenges, joining in movements like BLM or contributing with pandemic preparedness, 2021 is shaping up to be a pivotal year in which design gets involved in the movement.

“I’ve seen more brands get involved with different movements they are passionate about to connect with their users on a deeper level. These movements shine through in their graphic designs.”

– Mauricio, Graphic Designer at Dweebi

Characters can play an integral part in not just a business’ graphic design but also a part of their brand identity. Characters can help tell a story through creative work and also turn a recognisable brand into a remarkable one.

These characters can help feed into marketing campaigns and flow into every aspect of a brand identity. These illustrations and characters don’t need to be complicated; they can be made of simple shapes as the eyes, emotions and stance are far more important than proportions and scale.

Once you’ve chosen your 2021 graphic design trend, your next step is to create some amazing designs to help your business stand out. One way to design graphics that look professional, and within a quick turnaround, is by using an unlimited graphic design service.

Unlimited graphic design services are the mid-point between using a freelance graphic designed and hiring an in-house designer. You have access to a team of designers that complete your designs request in an agreed turnaround time, for a monthly free. These design requests could be anything you need, from a new logo to marketing collateral like a brochure.

Getting started with an unlimited graphic design service couldn’t be easier, and if you decide it isn’t for you, there is no contract to lock you in. Why not try out some of these design trends with Dweebi’s unlimited graphic design.