A fresh year ushers in new design trends and innovative creative experiments. Here’s the thing about design trends, they don’t just pop out of thin air—they’re influenced by the world we live in. Last year, as we recovered from the pandemic, design trends embraced a comforting nostalgia and vibrant self-expression. And guess what? That optimistic vibe continues to shine in 2023. So let’s check out what’s driving the trends this year. Buckle up and let’s get started.
Mysticism: Mysticism designs exude a gentle visual essence. Thin lines and organic curves create a delicate and light aesthetic. Muted tones bring a calming effect to colors, while moon, star, and meditative face imagery uplifts with a sense of peace. This trend’s universal appeal lies in its ability to offer solace and hope, providing an escape from earthly concerns and inviting serenity, regardless of belief in tarot cards.
Risograph: In 2023, risograph printing takes on a new digital form, embracing abstract graphics. The grainy textures of risoprinting bring depth and noise to minimalist shapes, sparking inspiration among designers. This trend gives birth to surreal valleys of abstraction, infused with a vintage charm. When portraying real characters, risograph textures and colors blend with exaggerated caricatures and simplified features, giving the familiar an unfamiliar twist. As a result, this trend blurs the distinction between basic shapes and machine processes, pushing the boundaries of design.
Punk: Punk design is experiencing a powerful revival. It’s doing this by embracing its raw and rebellious aesthetic. DIY techniques like scribbled lettering, cut-outs, mismatched fonts, and chaotic collages dominate this trend. This design style resonates with audiences, offering a sense of comfort in its authenticity. The jumbled arrangements exude visual energy, with jagged edges and graffiti splatter almost echoing a frustrated outcry. Punk design channels the spirit of rebellion and allows creative expression to break free from conventional constraints.
Retro line art: The simplicity of the line art lends itself to a cartoonish style (like thick outlines and rubber hose limbs), which is why the trend is a natural fit for more light-hearted projects. Because these drawings are so minimal, they can handle ultra-bright colours without overwhelming the viewer. To enhance the retro effect, designers pair these illustrations with throwback bubble fonts and design features reminiscent of vintage magazine ads, such as oval borders and starburst stickers.
Airbrush surrealism: This produces a gauzy effect that subdues the usual disorientation surrealism invokes, blanketing the graphic in a uniform haze. It’s as though we’re recalling the image from a half-remembered dream. In some cases, the blurring of colour creates a soft glow, making the image feel inviting and transcendent. All in all, airbrush surrealism fosters approachability as if to suggest that the strange has now become ordinary.
Folk botanical: This design trend brings a fresh reinterpretation to traditional nature themes through whimsical illustrations. It defies geometrical precision and instead embraces a human’s shaky imperfections. The result is artworks that feel organic, both visually and in their creation process.
90s space psychedelia: This trend is characterized by bright and imaginative illustrations that transport us to a realm where the technological future meets optimistic creativity. It symbolizes a hopeful outlook towards the advancements and possibilities of tomorrow, blending retro aesthetics with futuristic elements to create a visually stunning and captivating experience.
Mixed dimension: More than just a visual juxtaposition, mixed dimension design depicts a world as we wish it to be—a place of discovery and wonder. In times when life can feel gloomy, this trend reminds us of the imaginative power of art. It offers an escape and serves as a reminder that we possess the ability to create magic if we channel our minds towards it.
Acid Graphics: We know what you’re thinking. Well, you can stop think in that direction. The acid graphics trend fits in with adjacent styles like brutalism and anti-design because it’s so moody and often uses computer glitches, crowded text and messy layers. As in those movements, acid graphics present a darker side to the internet, finding their best expression on websites, album covers and social media posts. It is a style that contemplates whether the future of digital art will be geared more toward computers than human eyes.
Experimental escapism: This trend is fuelled by recent technological advancements that have reshaped the creative landscape. The rise of AI-generated art, the emergence of the Metaverse, and awe-inspiring interstellar images captured by the James Web Space Telescope has had a profound impact on the creative industry. Designers are drawing inspiration from these technological experiments, blending them with their own creative expertise. And the results are truly exquisite.
Complex compositions: This is a prevailing trend characterized by intricately layered designs that manage to maintain a stylistically minimal aesthetic. Despite their density, these compositions artfully incorporate multiple elements without overwhelming the viewer. The preference for landscape orientations makes them particularly popular as website headers or featured images for news articles and blogs. This trend serves to captivate the viewer, keeping their eye engaged as it traverses the visually rich and dynamic scene.
Abstract gradients: This trend has become a prominent trend, captivating with their oblong and organic forms. These gradients evoke a sense of weightlessness, perfectly complemented by their vibrant and effervescent colors. The edges, with their noisy texture, add a touch of realism, as if the gradients were formed by windswept, multi-coloured sand. The allure of abstract gradients lies in their ability to transport viewers to a dreamlike realm. They inspire a sense of wonder and offer a visual escape from the mundane. These gradients add a touch of magic and intrigue to designs, creating a harmonious blend of serenity and artistic expression.
The 2023 graphic design trends mark another thrilling chapter in the on-going evolution of art and design. As a powerful vehicle for mass communication, graphic design holds a special place in the collective consciousness. Remember, trends can evolve and change over time, so it’s essential to adapt them to your specific design goals and the needs of your target audience.
