The end of 2019 is fast approaching, and if you’re running a business, you might be busy with the holiday season, but it’s also important to take time for reflection and planning. With that in mind and to inspire you, we tapped into our design team members’ diverse tastes and experiences. Each one shared what they loved working on this year and provided their guesses about what will be graphic design trends in 2020.
The Rollers’ Favorite 2019 Project and Predictions for 2020
Chad Birenbaum, Co-Founder
Favorite 2019 Duckpin Project: ReLeaf Shop
For 2019, I really enjoyed working on the ReLeaf Shop wall display. For starters, this project took me out of my comfort zone as it was not just a design project, but an architectural and engineering project as well. Our client asked us to design a unique display for them that would highlight their loose-leaf cannabis strains in glass jars — this is also referred to as Deli Style. The large jars would have to be displayed on a shelf that was not only structurally sound but aesthetically appealing, and of course, on-brand. Playing off the established interior design and overall scheme, and incorporating elements from the brand that we created, we came up with a structure that conceptually combined a period table grid, with a modern industrial-chic aesthetic.
Since not everyone at the ReLeaf Shop is vertically gifted, we added a rolling library ladder. The ladder is not only functional for getting jars from the higher shelves, but it also plays into some other areas of the shop that have an educational / museum concept. To emphasize the chic industrial interior of the ReLeaf Shop, we chose to fabricate the display out of welded steel square tubing, wood, and large mason style jars to house the loose-leaf cannabis flower.
Overall, aside from designing something that was both visually and structurally functional, I really enjoyed coming out of my comfort zone, and creating something much more significant in scale and more three dimensional than my usual day-to-day work.
Chad’s 2020 Graphic Design Prediction
One trend that I am looking towards in 2020 is building on 2019’s trend of maxi typography. Often typography was treated as a secondary element to photography and other graphic elements, but last year websites and other mediums saw the introduction of maxi typography. Maxi typography is the practice of taking fonts and making them large in scale, so they bleed off of a page or screen, and there are even words break in half to other lines. My college typography professor will likely have a coronary about this new trend. Like it or not, it’s a bold move that pushes typography to the forefront of the design, and no longer allows it to be a secondary element. It’s big, it’s bold, and it’s lovely. For 2020 I see this trend growing and designers experimenting more with artistic letterforms, not just fonts that are out of the box.
Andrew Javorsky, Senior Designer
Favorite 2019 Duckpin Project: Taylor Family Farms
Taylor Family Farms was a fairly open-ended brand design for a new local farming co-op. The idea of using family heritage and an overall historical/retro feel lent a hand to the fonts, colors, and overall presentation of the logo. Naming brand colors “Chocolate,” “Olive,” and “Maize” was also a nice touch.
Andrew’s 2020 Graphic Design Prediction
For 2020, I foresee more things going away than being introduced. For instance, morse shading, crazy shadows, split gradients, and PERIODS, my gosh periods (!) should be fading into design history. I believe the slow influence of brutalist design and abstract, wild colors will continue to creep into the mainstream this upcoming year.
Han Castanedo, Senior Designer
Favorite 2019 Duckpin Project: American Bird Conservatory
I loved working on the American Bird Conservatory’s fall campaign mailer. Working with such beautiful high-resolution shots of birds was a joy and I learned a lot about endangered bird species in the process. Fitting all of the points, regions, and descriptions on a singular map was challenging, but I’m thrilled with the result. I hope that this piece can be a nice framed addition to any bird enthusiasts home.
Han’s 2020 Graphic Design Prediction
For 2020 I foresee experimental and distorted typography creeping more into corporate and mainstream advertising. I think variable fonts will continue to increase in presence in digital. In the past year, I’ve seen a lot of award-winning websites and apps utilizing the single source font file with continuous range to create seamless, smooth, and fast type animations and interactions. Explore and toggle more here: https://v-fonts.com/. Lastly, I think the growth in 3D textured graphics and typography will continue to be hot in 2020. Renowned designer Jessica Walsh and her new agency, & Walsh, relied heavily on this in their brand campaign. See also Frame’s gorgeous campaign for Normann-Copenhagen.
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