There’s no denying that it’s good stay ahead of the curve. Rather than compiling a list of all the graphic design trends that have already washed ashore, we wanted to curate a list of graphic design trends approaching the horizon. I think we’ve all been feeling a little run-ragged as an aftermath of the lingering pandemic, which has made us nostalgic for simpler times, and graphic design will begin to reflect these emotional sentiments experienced by consumers and designers alike. We predict that the future of graphic design will incorporate the comfort of old classics, a little bit of rebellion against tradition, and even a few vibes from the ’70s.
Throwin’ it Back to Serif Fonts
Chad Birenbaum, Creative Director of Duckpin, believes that serif fonts are going to be a key player in 2022.
“Joe and I were talking last night, and one thing that I am excited about is a resurgence of classic and traditional fonts, specifically serif fonts. For a while, serifs took a backseat to sans-serifs. I’m not sure if serifs fell out of favor because they were considered too traditional or not modern enough, but I am excited for the resurgence of serifs.
I think that this new resurgence is a combination of sans-serifs becoming a bit overused. In addition, modern takes on classic serifs are now available to designers for both web and branding. It could also be that young designers are discovering these fonts for the first time as well, as some of these fonts were probably not often used during their time, and it is conjuring a what-goes-around-comes-around trend.”
An example of serif font by Discover.Typography.
Rebel Against Tradition
Joe Tyburski, Senior Graphic Designer at Duckpin, emphasized his thoughts on graphic design trends for the new year. He said,
“In addition to what Chad has said, I think we’re going to see a continued rise in anti-design/brutalism. Although, it will be used sparingly as it is a rebellion to traditional design fundamentals since using it makes it difficult to express a brand to general audiences.
Also, it’s still in its infancy as a movement so — in my opinion — is only truly understood and executed well by a very small percentage of designers, which I expect to change this year.
An example of anti-design can be found in Pirate’s rebrand.”
The anti-design/brutalism trend is a complete move away from traditional design principles. While traditional design implements clean typography and complementary color palettes, the anti-design/brutalism trend calls for eschewing everything you’ve ever known about good design practices to be innovative in a world where all designs have begun to look similar to one another.
’70s Aesthetic
If you’ve found yourself longing for the comfort of life before the internet, you can probably appreciate the resurgence of the 1970s aesthetic. The 1970s aesthetic incorporates bold primary color palettes and balloon typography, embodying the free-spirited days spent outdoors running around with your friends in childhood and visiting drive-in movie theaters.
Joe said,
“I think older aesthetics will be resurrected as the younger generation moving into the industry would not have experienced these as living memories unlike the current generation exiting [the advertising industry].
An example of this could be the Burger King campaign from last year by Jones Knowles and Ritchie, which conveys a ’70s vibe.”