There is no way to predict which graphic design trends will catch the eye in 2023. A designer can only evolve and hope he is on the right path.
Before you hire a graphic designer to help with your projects as we settle into the new year, you have to know what might catch the fancy of the audience.
Graphic design cannot afford to be old and outdated. It is by delivering eye-catching content that it makes a splash.
We have put together what we believe will be the future trends in graphics design.
7 Graphic Design Trends That Will Dominate 2023
1. Big Font Typography
One of the most evident graphic design trends is that typography is getting larger and larger. Outsized alphabets are everywhere.
Uppercase letters and thick typefaces will likely dominate in the coming months.
Text is essential, but can big fonts make a larger-than-usual impression? If you visit a shopping mall, that certainly seems to be the case.
Another thing about the latest fonts is that they do not adhere to the set rules we have been used to for years. Maxims such as “don’t use all caps” and “size your text correctly” are seldom applied.
Clearly, a new era of big and bold fonts that scream instead of whispering is upon us. The adage “less is more” is resting in peace.
Many of them look quite ugly, but perhaps they offer a welcome break from the sans serifs we have been so used to.
2. 3D Artwork
3D has come from backstage to shine in the limelight as a graphic design trend. It’s helped by the fact that the new processors are extremely powerful, and a basic laptop can run the latest Adobe Illustrator and create a gradient without the slightest hiccup.
New fonts such as Sevastian have 7 layers that can be combined using graphic design software for maximum effect.
It is not limited to fonts alone. Artwork is also getting a makeover. Real-life proportions are making way for 3D design with extensive shadow and extrusion.
Using this technique for designing new brochures might get attention from buyers. Of course, such artwork can be used with a limited number of products, but the appeal is expanding.
Millennials are getting older, and Generation Z, who grew up on a steady diet of anime and graphic novels, is taking its place. No wonder the scope for 3D has risen exponentially.
3. Luxurious Color Palettes
In the late 2010s and early 2020s, everything was dull looking. Muted pastel colors with a dark hue looked boring and gloomy but somehow made it to every store shelf and marketing brochure.
Taupe, Teal Blue, and Coffee Pot (the shade, not the beverage container) dominated billboards and homepages.
At last, graphic design trends seem to be evolving beyond this depressing trend. Luxurious mauve and greens are beginning to dominate digital and physical advertising.
Crimson, orange, and lavender – hues that had been almost forgotten are making a quiet comeback.
To some extent, it could be that in the post-COVID era, it is no longer possible to market using pastels. Everyone wants to feel cheerful and rich tones seem like the perfect avenue to create these feelings.
How to identify rich colors? These are the colors of the earth found in stones, clay, jewels, and foliage. They are vibrant and dramatic and offer an immediate lift to your mood.
4. Vintage Touch
Do Kanye West controversies make you yearn for the 70s and 80s when life was less complex?
The incessant chatter on social media (you can’t escape it completely, even if you are not on social media) makes our brows furrow.
The sophistication of a Rolex watch stoops to conquer while Garmin looks vehement.
A small bit of vintage can be incredibly relaxing.
How does a graphic designer use a small amount of vintage? Invoke majesty with a Gothic font, or exude confidence with a clean and fresh serif.
Designs that have high quality, an eye for detail, and lasting value will gain popularity. Add to it a slightly rustic, grainy texture, and you have a winner.
Vintage helps in another way. It is a carefully calibrated way to evoke nostalgia. Nostalgia is always a positive thing. Product labels and website designs that evoke nostalgia will be associated with optimism blended with purpose.
5. Foil Lettering
Using metallic paper to create an appealing design is not new. Single malt whiskeys from Scotland have been doing it for decades.
It is only recently that it has caught on in the rest of the graphics design sphere.
Metal foil lettering looks more exclusive. Foil adds a touch of class that simply is not possible with 3D calligraphy.
If you want to make your brand look sophisticated with the least effort, look no further.
Software such as Canva has already begun to offer the Gold Foil Text Effect.
Type in the text, and foil lettering appears. Be careful since it is easily overdone, and the end result looks kitschy and cluttered.
Foil lettering also ties in nicely with the effort to introduce minimum vintage, as suggested above.
Use classy fonts such as Libre Baskerville and Garamond, and your graphic design efforts will show instant results through increased revenue.
6. Motion Graphics
Not a new trend, but one that will become more dominant in the near future.
Short videos that endlessly loop have a hypnotic quality. Until recently, they were expensive to produce.
Hence, static imagery has so far been the standard. Motion meant a hundred-thousand-dollar production team and plenty of hassle.
But technology has made enormous progress. Whether in digital print or websites, or billboards, motion dominates.
Motion graphics is not about fish and mammoths who speak with a fluent New York accent. The principal component of motion graphics is text with some animation.
Use cases include branding and short videos that introduce a product. Besides the latest versions of Adobe After Effects, motion graphics can be created using Cinema 4D and DaVinci Resolve.
7. Ethereal Aesthetic
The New Age is now old. Meditation has been replaced by lucid dreaming.
A new spiritual aesthetic has begun to take shape. Tarots and Om Mani Padme Hum coexist peacefully.
Why is this a hit with the new generation? No one knows. Perhaps the turmoil of human life is all too easy to see now. Otherwise, it could be that we are tired of the digital matrix we are enmeshed inside.
No surprise that spirituality has penetrated graphic design too. Zodiac signs and the all-seeing eye are a new way to bring the transcendent and intangible into the natural and physical.
Wrapping Up
That is the way the world of graphic design is going to go. Enrolling in up-to-date graphic design courses can help you keep up with these changes.
Alternatively, if graphic design is not one of your strengths, you should hire graphic designers who use these graphic design trends to design your brand and marketing.
Online or offline, use graphic design to grab eyeballs, attract leads, and score sales.
Of course, we can only predict what will be. You have to benchmark your graphic design team around these ideas and have them come up with a new approach.
The future looks exciting, and 2023 is sure to usher in creativity that will be pleasing, warm, and, of course, profitable.