The first quarter of 2018 has already finished and predicted design trends for 2018 are clearly taking hold.
You’ve heard of the saying “Everything old is new again” and we can confidently say that design trends have taken this quote literally.
The year 2018 is all about turning old design trends into new trends. It’s all bold, fresh, hand drawn and moving!
So if you have the courage and want to add extra flair to your designs, check out 7 design trends that can elevate your artwork and impress your clients:
- Gradients
- Semi-flat Design
- Patterns & Colors inspired by the 80’s & 90’s
- Animations & Gifs
- Bold Typography
- Vintage Illustrations
- Daring Duotones
1. Gradients
Gradients or color transitions are back! YAS! Good-bye single color design, hello color transitions. Don’t confuse this with the old gradients from 2000. We are talking about vibrant color gradients and subtle transitions.
Agency: HI(NY) Design
2. Semi-flat Design
We are moving from Flat 1.0 to Flat 2.0. So what does that mean? It’s all about shading. Rather than strong, in-your-face shadows, semi-flat design use subtle, opaque shadows . That creates depth without sacrificing the appeal of the minimal design of Flat 1.0.
3. Patterns & Colors inspired by the 80’s & 90’s
As a child of the 80’s and 90’s, I can’t express how excited I am to see colors and style reappearing from these times. Bold colors, simplistic patterns, funky styles, keep it coming :). Electric hues and pretty pastels and geometric patterns are starting to dominate the web design and packaging design world.
Designer: Magdalena Krpina Zdilar
4. Animations & Gifs
Microinteractions and animation gifs with style are the thing to look for. So what are microinteractions? Simply put, they are tiny animations used to communicate with app user to help them perform tasks. They are useful in making the user feel like they are interacting with the interface. Think of scrolling with the mouse on websites that create movements on the page or swiping and clicking on apps with your phone that invoke animations in the interface.
5. Bold Typography
The bigger and bolder, the better That’s the motto. Big fat letters, thick hand drawn typography, have a look around and not only will you find this bold typography style in print, it has already been used on the web as well.
Creative Agency: B&B studio
6. Vintage Illustrations
As you might already know, I am a total sucker for Illustrations, be it simplistic, flat or intricate. The new trend seems to elevate vintage illustration into a modern world without loosing the details.
The victorian inspiration and style was blended with a modern illustration. The result is a visually rich approach with a vintage feel still looking current and modern.
Creative Agency: ThinkBoldStudio
7. Daring Duotones
Don’t freak out, the old duotone design isn’t coming back. It’s a whole new take on Duotones! Vibrant, bold and in your face colors are used to create gorgeous looking Duotones in 2018.
No matter what design trend is taking over in 2018, it’s always about releasing your creativity. Take inspiration, try out a new style and be bold! That is the motto in 2018. These current trends might stick around, others will appear or some might simply vanish. Just remember, always try out something new and add your flair to it. You never know, your creative touch could create the next new trend!
