The coming 2022 is just around the corner and it’s already breaking all the rules for graphic design. Everything is permitted and it’s going to be glorious. If we can summarize the Graphic Design Trends 2022 in one sentence, it’s time to raise the game because the floodgates are open, bringing a mix of the unmixable, nostalgia, movement, and open-mindedness.
What we absolutely love about observing what great professional and hobbyist designers from all over the world create for an entire year is that we can turn this pleasure into personal research. This allows us to see what are the strongest trends that will affirm their position as the signature trends of each year. Now, without further ado, let’s hop right into the chaos of what the popular trends and fashions of 2021 will be and enjoy some amazing examples from agencies and freelance graphic designers that never cease to amaze us with their creativity.
2D/3D MASHUP
The 3D design trend is still ongoing, evolving, and further establishing itself. As it offers limitless possibilities to designers, it gives room for anything you can imagine. From hyper-realistic 3D visuals that blur the line between digital and physical, to highly creative mashups with 2D and paper cutout elements. In terms of the latter, 2022 will show a great partnership between 2D and 3D that gives the best of the two worlds.
DESIGN TREND #2
FONTS WITH A TWIST
This trend comes with typography that breaks the standards. It follows a similar to Riso print philosophy: something is beautifully off and imperfect. What exactly is that twist? Anything that breaks the order: one single letter might be upside down, bigger or smaller, in a different font, or completely missing. It could be a couple of letters in a small text, following a different pattern than the rest of the letters to reveal a different message. It’s the perfect way to make emphasize and bring attention to something specific.
DESIGN TREND #3
GLASS AND CRYSTALS
Last year, the gold design was a huge trend mimicking realistic physical gold and giving everyday items that extra special feel. The trend has now shifted to glass and crystal with incredible realism in 3D to bring graphic design to the next level.
DESIGN TREND #4
CANDY COLORS
As we’re constantly bombarded with digital content from all directions, it gets harder for designers to create artwork, websites, and apps that will stand out from the clutter. This is why visual appeal that will grab the viewer’s attention while scrolling is as important as the quality of the content.
And what are the best ways to ensure your design stands out? Vibrant eye-candy color schemes. Skillful designers and digital artists who know their color theory already roll their sleeves to create bold and striking graphic design creations with beautiful candy colors.
DESIGN TREND #5
RISO PRINT STYLE
As the trends to go bolder and to go decades back in time resonate perfectly, it’s no surprise that the risograph art makes a comeback both physically and digitally as an aesthetic. The decades-old risograph was originally created for office copying and administrative use. However, the model soon became a tool for artists and designers to create beautiful abstract artwork, posters, and ads that are impossible to look away from. There are two reasons for that. First, we have these unique vivid colors other printers can’t produce. Second, the prints often come out with slight imperfections such as ink bleed, inconsistent colors, unpredictable alignment issues, or rough textures.
In case you need a recap, the technique is similar to digital screen printing. You scan an image and first make a paper stencil that wraps around the ink drum so the printer could make a stamp of each individual color and put the puzzle together to greater a slightly imperfect vibrant image. This unpredictability makes the Riso art challenging and adventurous as even if you plan your layers to perfection, you will still get something unique and unexpected.
Graphic designers find clever ways to recreate the risograph print effects digitally and give the style a strong comeback as a trend of 2022.
DESIGN TREND #6
ART DECO
Amongst the vivid colors, damaged aesthetics, psychedelic design, and wild movement, one upcoming trend differentiates itself with clean, strong lines as an organizing design principle.
Of course, we’re talking about Art Deco, packing both class and machine-age streamlining sleek geometry.
The art style appeared in the early 20th century as a direct response to Art Nouveau and the old ways. Its philosophy is all about innovation, modernism, and looking forward with sturdiness, quiet dignity, and resilience. With everything that’s been happening for the last couple of years, there’s no surprise such philosophies find their way back to art and graphic design.
So, what exactly is Art Deco?
The easiest way to recognize the comeback of this beautiful style is to look for symmetry, geometry, and simple but aesthetically pleasing works. Art Deco takes the unapologetic and anti-traditional and turns it into geometric forms and bold outlines. Think The Great Gatsby aesthetics.
DESIGN TREND #7
PAPER CUTOUT
Another traditional art that found its way to the digital is paper cutting. The craft has roots in the Han dynasty in the 4th century AD after the invention of the paper by Cai Lun. A simple symmetrical circle seems to be the very first surviving paper cutout, marking the beginning of this form of art. Throughout history, we can find paper cutting in all cultures with one thing in common: each design is cut from a single sheet of paper as opposed to collages. Of course, when it comes to the digital, graphic designers use both techniques to create amazing pieces of art in all forms of graphic design.
DESIGN TREND #8
3D CHARACTERS
To complement all the trends with the last one in the style of GraphicMama, 3D characters have invaded the graphic design space in apps, websites, and animation. These characters adapt to 2D design, holographic, candy color design, and everything we’ve talked about in Graphic Design trends of 2022. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some amazing examples of the 3D characters trends we can all enjoy.
DESIGN TREND #9
HOLOGRAPHIC DESIGN
“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” is a 3D image of Princess Leia projected by light beams. In short, it’s a hologram. This diffraction of light is very attractive and has climbed to rival the top trends in graphic design.
Recently we all could find the holographic trend in stationery, product design, fashion design (especially bags and shoes), and so on. However, this trend is so appealing, it’s no surprise it has reached web and animation design as well. Not to mention apps and logos.
DESIGN TREND #10
PSYCHEDELIC
The twisting, melting and distorted aesthetics of the psychedelic 1960s changed design forever. As an immortal trend, these visuals always make a comeback with the rise of each new counterculture. Mimicking acid trips with mind-bending colors, the psychedelic trend that started as an art form with Wes Wilson and his famous rock posters, is now back to reflect the chaos of the confounding times.
