7 Inspiring Graphic Design Trends In 2022
Sofię_Nalimską
Project Manager
Graphic design trends are volatile as any fashion tendency. It changes every year, and it would be challenging to find two similar periods. At first glance, some features and brushstrokes can slightly resemble each other, but it is just superficially. Designers are not afraid of experimenting with their materials and tools. They invent new things and combinations, which can break any rules and habitual ways of working. Forget about laws of composition, color, and typography! No more stereotypes and bounders!
Your customers do not want to see the same shapes, forms, and colours. They need diversity and zest. Who wants to look like the iPhone XR if there is a brand new iPhone 13? So, if you really care for your customers and their wish to notice your product and stay with you, you must be aware of the latest graphic design trends. Good news! You don’t have to surf the net and “fish out” information from various sources. The Powercode team has prepared this checklist of the most relevant design in 2022 specially for you.
A font is at the center of every appealing design that connects a brand with a customer and distinguishes it from competitors. The year 2022 has marked the opportunity for experimenting with fonts and types. The main trends include sharp, super thick, unusual strokes, 3D and animated elements, handcrafted decorative fonts, handwritten style, deliberate obscuring, jumbled letters out of logical sequence, etc. They are easily memorable and exclusive and give the impression of being created for particular projects.
Sharp-edged and massive font styles can be messy and difficult to read. However, designers keep implementing them in their works to increase the users’ interest and the percentage of remembering the brand. If you want to live up a bit your minimalistic site, now you can use a morphing type that breathes life into it.
However, don’t lose your head! If you want a decision to work, think carefully about all details and combine graphic elements and text imperceptibly for readers. For example, if you have chosen massive fonts, other elements should be simple and subtle. They also should merge with the brand you are working with and complement it even if they are screaming and extraordinary.
People are no longer surprised by 3D graphics used in every area of our life. To bring a new perspective to graphic design, professionals have started to mash two-dimensional and three-dimensional elements. The such technique enables creators to add depth, space, and integrity to designs through various highlighting and playing with shades. It also can give a delicate separation of the primary type from the background and put the focus on the necessary item or idea.
To achieve the best results of 2D/3D mashing, we advise using shadows, sharp fonts on a vague background, changing letters’ perspectives, ticking light, or adding textures to the types. Your 3D visuals will provide the demanded depth, and 2D components on the background or as separate elements will highlight this effect.
Gradients have become an essential part of the design, being used on the background, video, and photo overlays, as a header, icons, buttons element, etc. They are becoming more complicated and sophisticated. Designers are no more afraid of playing with colors and textures, making them provocative, bright, calm, or delicate with smooth transitions. No one tells you that it should be static! Add motion to color gradients on the application, and we guarantee that no one can get past it!
Whether a product design, typography, or pictures, various textures and gradients add precious visual captivation to the digital solution. Textured gradients used mainly as background help imitate a natural object from the real world. In terms of 2022 design trends, muted and dreamy gradients have been popular lately. Soft grainy textures and natural, earthy colours are one of the favorites while creating business presentations and branding posts because of their aesthetic visual features.
3D objects boldly broke into the 2022 graphic design. Designers enjoy developing three-dimensional objects thought out to minor details. They are realistic, resemble natural objects, and simplify the perception of what the customer sees, thus, improving user experience. This design approach is perfect for demonstrating how a product looks in reality, allowing users to “touch” it virtually. It works particularly great with eCommerce solutions.
Another tendency is to add a 3D character on your website or app. This tiny creature waving or smiling at you, holding some objects, or striding towards you can become a real friend and accompany your users anywhere in the product.
If background minimalism was predominant several years ago, now you can be brave and creative. As well as with the color scheme in general, bright colors and designs are taking leading positions as a background fill. Liquid backgrounds, layered elements, various texts, hover animation, geometric shapes, and photos with an overlay are just a few examples of the current background design styles.
A bold background style can include not only some unusual colors but also patterns, different sizes of objects, some animation effects, and so on. Combine it with plain typography and other calm design elements to attract customers’ attention. You can create the depth effect by employing different layers, textures, and colors. To enhance readability and make this process easier, utilize a sufficient contrast level.
The period from 2019 to 2021 was marked by several events that significantly influenced all areas of life, including design. People have dramatically changed their visual taste preferences and sought solace in calm and monochrome colors. However, 2022 burst into a life full of optimism and hopes for a better future, which was immediately reflected in graphic design.
Based on simplicity, colorful minimalism combines the playfulness of different colors and adds energy to your designs. It is associated with joy and childish energy, allowing designers to use it as the middle ground between maximalism and minimalism. Keep in mind that colorful minimalism means clean and uncluttered designs, which are optimal for small screens such as smartphones or tablets.
Visible borders around the app’s elements, setting them apart from the other components, have become mainstream. Clear lines and shapes visually delimit the space and highlight the most important blocks, for example, different product categories, functionality descriptions, logos, etc. It contributes to the correct formation of impressions and easier data comprehension. Besides, it simplifies the scanning of the page due to well-structured and compact layouts.
Now you can change line widths, color, and style as you like, emphasizing key elements or even the entire website. Interactive or modish borders can look more attractive and generate increased visual interest among your users. The only condition is that they should highlight your elements but not ruin the overall design and clutter the app.
Brash and flashy typography
A font is at the center of every appealing design that connects a brand with a customer and distinguishes it from competitors. The year 2022 has marked the opportunity for experimenting with fonts and types. The main trends include sharp, super thick, unusual strokes, 3D and animated elements, handcrafted decorative fonts, handwritten style, deliberate obscuring, jumbled letters out of logical sequence, etc. They are easily memorable and exclusive and give the impression of being created for particular projects.
Sharp-edged and massive font styles can be messy and difficult to read. However, designers keep implementing them in their works to increase the users’ interest and the percentage of remembering the brand. If you want to live up a bit your minimalistic site, now you can use a morphing type that breathes life into it.
However, don’t lose your head! If you want a decision to work, think carefully about all details and combine graphic elements and text imperceptibly for readers. For example, if you have chosen massive fonts, other elements should be simple and subtle. They also should merge with the brand you are working with and complement it even if they are screaming and extraordinary.
Combination of 2D and 3D
People are no longer surprised by 3D graphics used in every area of our life. To bring a new perspective to graphic design, professionals have started to mash two-dimensional and three-dimensional elements. The such technique enables creators to add depth, space, and integrity to designs through various highlighting and playing with shades. It also can give a delicate separation of the primary type from the background and put the focus on the necessary item or idea.
To achieve the best results of 2D/3D mashing, we advise using shadows, sharp fonts on a vague background, changing letters’ perspectives, ticking light, or adding textures to the types. Your 3D visuals will provide the demanded depth, and 2D components on the background or as separate elements will highlight this effect.
Gradients and textures
3D objects
3D objects boldly broke into the 2022 graphic design. Designers enjoy developing three-dimensional objects thought out to minor details. They are realistic, resemble natural objects, and simplify the perception of what the customer sees, thus, improving user experience. This design approach is perfect for demonstrating how a product looks in reality, allowing users to “touch” it virtually. It works particularly great with eCommerce solutions.
Another tendency is to add a 3D character on your website or app. This tiny creature waving or smiling at you, holding some objects, or striding towards you can become a real friend and accompany your users anywhere in the product.
Bright background
If background minimalism was predominant several years ago, now you can be brave and creative. As well as with the color scheme in general, bright colors and designs are taking leading positions as a background fill. Liquid backgrounds, layered elements, various texts, hover animation, geometric shapes, and photos with an overlay are just a few examples of the current background design styles.
A bold background style can include not only some unusual colors but also patterns, different sizes of objects, some animation effects, and so on. Combine it with plain typography and other calm design elements to attract customers’ attention. You can create the depth effect by employing different layers, textures, and colors. To enhance readability and make this process easier, utilize a sufficient contrast level.
Colorful minimalism
The period from 2019 to 2021 was marked by several events that significantly influenced all areas of life, including design. People have dramatically changed their visual taste preferences and sought solace in calm and monochrome colors. However, 2022 burst into a life full of optimism and hopes for a better future, which was immediately reflected in graphic design.
Based on simplicity, colorful minimalism combines the playfulness of different colors and adds energy to your designs. It is associated with joy and childish energy, allowing designers to use it as the middle ground between maximalism and minimalism. Keep in mind that colorful minimalism means clean and uncluttered designs, which are optimal for small screens such as smartphones or tablets.
