Top 15 Graphic Design Trends for 2023

In the field of graphic design, staying ahead of the curve is essential to creating visually captivating and relevant content. As we face the year 2023, the world of design is poised to witness an exciting array of trends that will shape the creative landscape. These trends are a reflection of our dynamic cultural, technological, and artistic influences.

Whether you’re a seasoned designer or someone simply looking to stay in tune with the latest visual aesthetics, this article lists the best for you. From bold and vibrant color schemes to innovative typography and cutting-edge digital techniques, this guide will inspire and inform, offering you a glimpse into the exciting future of graphic design.

Graphic Design Trends List

Mysticism

Mysticism, or mystic design, draws inspiration from astrology and divination, incorporating symbols and imagery associated with mystical and spiritual practices. These symbols are chosen for their deep, esoteric meanings and their connection to the natural and celestial worlds.

For example, zodiac signs can represent personality traits; the all-seeing eye symbolizes insight or awareness; lotus flowers represent purity and enlightenment; and sacred geometry reflects the fundamental patterns of existence.

In mystic design, symbols serve as talismans, believed to possess magical or protective powers. These symbols imbue the design with hidden or spiritual meanings, encouraging viewers to contemplate their significance and potentially connect with a deeper, mystical dimension. This aspect of mystic design adds layers of meaning and intrigue to the artwork.

The visual characteristics of this trend often feature thin lines and organic, flowing curves. These elements contribute to a sense of delicacy and lightness, creating an ethereal aesthetic that aligns with the mystical theme.

It employs a color palette with subdued, muted tones. These colors have a calming effect, fostering a tranquil and serene atmosphere that enhances the overall mystical experience.

It features celestial imagery too, like moons, stars, and cosmic elements, which reinforces a sense of wonder and transcendence. It transports viewers to a realm beyond everyday concerns, instilling a feeling of hope and solace.

One intriguing aspect of mystic design is its broad appeal. While it draws from esoteric and mystical symbolism, it doesn’t require viewers to hold specific spiritual beliefs. The serene, gentle, and escapist qualities of mystic designs can resonate with a wide audience, regardless of their personal beliefs. This universality contributes to the popularity of mystic design in various art forms and products.

Typography

Typography is indeed one of the most crucial elements in graphic design. It goes beyond simply conveying a message; it plays a pivotal role in the overall aesthetics and impact of a design.

Bold fonts and typography are highly effective at catching the eye. The thickness and weight of bold fonts make them stand out prominently in a design, drawing immediate attention.

It conveys a sense of strength and vibrancy. It can give a design a powerful and dynamic feel, which is particularly useful when you want to make a strong statement or emphasize a key message.

Bold typography makes it easy to convey a message quickly and clearly. It ensures that the text is legible even from a distance, which is essential for signage, advertising, or any communication where the viewer needs to grasp the message at a glance.

Another type of typography is 3D typography. It takes the concept of bold typography to the next level. By adding depth and dimension to the letters, it creates a more visually striking and engaging effect. The shadows, highlights, and perspective in 3D typography can make text appear as if it’s popping off the page or screen.

In a 3D setting, there is more room for creativity and experimentation with the graphics of typography. Designers can play with lighting, textures, and perspective to create unique and captivating effects that are difficult to achieve in 2D typography.

3D typography can be adapted to various design contexts, from advertising and branding to web design and multimedia presentations. Its versatility allows designers to tailor the style to suit the specific needs of a project.

On the other hand, placing words in the background, especially in non-traditional or unconventional ways, offers graphic designers creative freedom. It allows for innovative and artistic approaches to typography where the text becomes an integral part of the overall visual composition.

This design trend breaks away from classical or conventional design norms. It challenges traditional hierarchies of design elements and encourages designers to think outside the box, making it appealing to those who seek to push boundaries and differentiate their brand or message.

When executed effectively, this trend can make a brand or message memorable. By placing words in the background in a creative and aesthetically pleasing manner, designers can create a distinctive and lasting impression on the audience.

3D Design

3D artwork software has seen significant advancements in recent years, democratizing the creation of three-dimensional art and expanding its applications across various fields.

Tools like Cinema 4D and Adobe’s latest updates have made 3D design more accessible to a broader range of users. These applications offer user-friendly interfaces and a wealth of features that allow artists, designers, and creators to venture into the world of 3D design without the steep learning curve of more complex software.

Artists and designers are now pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with 3D design. This includes experimenting with abstract and unconventional forms, as well as exploring artistic and surreal dimensions that were previously challenging to achieve with traditional 2D mediums.

3D design has a diverse range of applications. It is widely used in product design and prototyping. It allows designers to create realistic 3D models of products before they are manufactured, enabling thorough testing and visualization of design concepts.

Architects leverage 3D design to create detailed architectural renderings and walkthroughs of buildings and spaces. This technology aids in visualizing designs, communicating ideas to clients, and identifying potential issues before construction begins.

3D design is not limited to digital artwork. It can also be applied to traditional art forms like papercraft, where intricate 3D paper models are created from flat templates. Artists can use 3D software to design and visualize their papercraft creations.

Some individuals and companies are using 3D characters or objects as part of their branding. This adds a unique and memorable dimension to their online presence, replacing traditional headshots or icons with animated or 3D representations.

Transforming text into 3D can make a statement in various design contexts. 3D typography can be used in marketing materials, advertisements, or digital art to give words a three-dimensional presence and visual impact.

3D art and design offer versatility. Its application across a wide range of fields is absolutely fantastic. Regardless of your profession or industry, there’s likely a way to incorporate 3D art into your work to enhance visual communication, create engaging content, or add depth to your brand.

Brutalism

Brutalism is an intriguing and distinct aesthetic that has gained attention in recent years, particularly in web design. It is characterized by its raw and unpolished appearance. It often eschews traditional notions of refinement and embraces an “unfinished” look, where the design elements may seem rough around the edges.

It can come across as harsh or cold due to its stark and unadorned nature. However, it’s also seen as strong and powerful, evoking a sense of boldness and authenticity.

This design style draws inspiration from the architectural Brutalist movement, which emerged in the mid-20th century. Like its architectural counterpart, brutalist design emphasizes functionality, simplicity, and the use of raw materials.

In recent years, brutalism has made a resurgence in web design for several reasons:

Uniqueness: Brutalist websites stand out in a landscape where sleek, minimalist designs dominate. Their unconventional and raw aesthetics create memorable and distinct online experiences.

Bold Statement: Brutalism allows designers to make a bold statement and break away from the conformity of mainstream web design. It caters to those who seek to challenge conventions and embrace the unconventional.

Niche Appeal: As you mentioned, brutalism is niche and won’t be liked by everyone. However, this exclusivity is part of its charm. It appeals to a specific audience looking for something different and willing to explore unconventional design choices.

Utilitarian Influence: The utilitarian aspect of brutalism aligns with the principles of functional design. It often focuses on delivering content efficiently and straightforwardly, which can be appealing to users seeking clarity and simplicity.

While brutalism in design may not be universally loved, its resurgence in web design highlights the ever-evolving and diverse nature of design trends. It offers a unique opportunity for designers and brands to stand out, challenge norms, and create bold, memorable online experiences.

Punk Revival

Punk is a cultural and artistic movement with a rich history of rebellion and counterculture.

The roots of punk can be traced back to the Dada movement of the 1920s, known for its avant-garde and anti-establishment art. Punk, as a cultural phenomenon, gained prominence in the mid-1970s, particularly in the music scene, with bands like The Ramones, Sex Pistols, and The Clash leading the way.

It is fundamentally a rebellion against established norms, societal structures, and authority. It often serves as a voice for dissent, critiquing the status quo and challenging mainstream ideologies.

In 2023, punk culture is experiencing a resurgence in mass appeal because the exponential wealth gap and economic disparities have become more prominent, fueling discontent and a sense of injustice. This has resonated with the core punk ethos of resistance against failing systems.

The death of the UK’s monarch in 2022 has reignited opposition to the monarchy and its colonial legacy. Punk, historically critical of authority figures and institutions, finds renewed relevance in this context.

Punk design is characterized by its distinct and rebellious aesthetic. It embraces DIY (Do It Yourself) techniques, which often include handcrafted and homemade elements. This can manifest as scribbled lettering, cutouts, and collage-style compositions. The raw and unrefined nature of these elements reflects the anti-establishment attitude of punk.

It often features mismatched fonts and typography. This deliberate chaos in text presentation rejects traditional design principles and embraces a disordered, anarchic style.

It rejects opulence and decorum. It revels in an intentionally messy and unpolished appearance, reflecting the idea that life is messy, and punk art doesn’t shy away from this messiness.

The chaotic collages, jagged edges, and graffiti splatter in punk design convey a sense of visual energy and urgency. It’s as if you can feel the frustration and rebellion in the artwork, making it a powerful medium for expressing dissent.

Retro Line Art

The use of minimal line art in design (retro line art), particularly for creating humorous and fun illustrations, has become a prominent trend in 2023. This design style evokes nostalgia, simplicity, and a sense of whimsy reminiscent of retro felt-tip marker drawings.

Minimal line art draws inspiration from the past, particularly the nostalgic memory of creating art with felt-tip markers. This retro vibe resonates with audiences who appreciate the simplicity and charm of bygone eras.

The simplicity of line art lends itself well to a cartoonish style. Designers often use thick outlines and rubber hose-like limbs, embracing exaggerated and playful character designs.

Minimal line art often pairs well with ultra-bright and vibrant colors. The minimalism of the drawings allows for the use of bold hues without overwhelming the viewer. This creates a visually striking and attention-grabbing effect.

To enhance the retro effect, designers often pair these illustrations with throwback bubble fonts. These fonts evoke a sense of nostalgia and complement the overall whimsical tone.

Design elements reminiscent of vintage magazine ads, such as oval borders and starburst stickers, are incorporated into the overall composition. These elements reinforce the retro aesthetic and contribute to the playful atmosphere.

The minimal line art style is a natural fit for light-hearted and fun projects. It conveys a sense of playfulness and humor, making it well-suited for various creative endeavors, including advertising, branding, and content aimed at entertaining or engaging the audience.

Monochrome

The trend of using monochromatic or duo-tone images in graphic design has gained popularity since around 2017 and continues to be relevant in design aesthetics.

Monochromatic design uses a single color or shades of a single color to create an image, while duo-tone design combines two colors. This limited color palette contributes to the simplicity and elegance of the visuals.

By reducing the color complexity, these images often emphasize shape, contrast, and composition. This can make them visually striking and impactful, drawing the viewer’s attention to specific elements.

Monochrome design features ease of creation as modern design tools, including smartphone filters and mockup generators, make it easy for creators to transform color images into monochromatic or duo-tone versions. This accessibility has contributed to the widespread adoption of this trend.

Monochromatic and duo-tone visuals tend to have a soft and pleasing appearance. The limited color palette can create a calming effect, making them enjoyable and soothing to the eyes.

Using monochromatic or duo-tone imagery in branding can convey a sense of simplicity, elegance, and sophistication. It can help create a cohesive and visually appealing brand identity.

This graphic design trend is versatile and can be adapted to various design contexts, including web design, print materials, advertising, and social media. It can be used to create a consistent and stylish visual presence.

90s Nostalgia

The resurgence of 90s nostalgia in graphic design is a noteworthy trend that reflects the enduring influence of pop culture on design aesthetics.

The 1990s were a culturally significant decade, characterized by distinctive fashion, music, technology, and media. Many people who grew up during this era have fond memories associated with it, and nostalgia for the 1990s has remained strong over the years.

The 1990s aesthetic is making a strong comeback in graphic design. This includes elements like bold and vibrant color schemes, retro typography, pixel art, and references to iconic 90s brands and media.

Nostalgia is a powerful emotional trigger. Brands are leveraging 90s design elements to evoke feelings of nostalgia in their audiences, creating a sense of familiarity and comfort.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are seeking comfort and familiarity. The 90s retro look provides a sense of nostalgia that resonates with audiences, offering a comforting and reassuring aesthetic.

While drawing from 90s aesthetics, contemporary design also brings a unique flavor of its own. Designers are combining nostalgic elements with modern design principles to create fresh and engaging visuals that appeal to both older audiences who remember the 90s and younger generations who appreciate the retro vibe.

Augmented Reality

The convergence of graphic design and augmented reality (AR) is indeed an exciting and innovative development that has the potential to transform the way we interact with visual content.

AR offers graphic designers a unique canvas to tell stories and create immersive visual experiences. By overlaying digital elements on the physical world, designers can engage users in interactive and narrative-driven content.

Major social media platforms have been quick to embrace AR, integrating features like AR filters, lenses, and interactive experiences. This makes AR accessible to a wide audience and opens up new possibilities for content creators and marketers.

Augmented reality is gaining momentum as a transformative technology. It blends digital and physical realities, enhancing real-world experiences with computer-generated information. AR applications are becoming increasingly common in various sectors, from gaming and entertainment to education and marketing.

As AR technology continues to advance, it is likely to become a consistent and integral part of the graphic design landscape. Designers will need to adapt their skills and approaches to incorporate AR elements into their work.

Airbrush Surrealism

The fusion of surrealism with 80s airbrush techniques in graphic design, creating a style often referred to as “airbrush surrealism,” is a fascinating and unexpected trend. This unique combination brings together elements of novelty, dream-like aesthetics, and retro influences.

Surrealism has always been popular in design because of its capacity to surprise and captivate viewers with its imaginative and unconventional visuals. It often plays with the boundaries of reality and dreams.

The addition of 80s airbrush techniques introduces a sense of nostalgia and retro style into the mix. Airbrushing, popularized in the 1980s, is known for its smooth gradients and soft, blended colors.

This combination results in visuals that are dreamy, approachable, and inviting. By overlaying soft retro filters onto surreal imagery, designers create a unique visual language that bridges the gap between the strange and the familiar, evoking a sense of wonder and nostalgia while making surrealism more accessible to a broader audience.

Isometric Illustration

Isometric illustration is a type of 2D art that creates the illusion of three-dimensional space using a specific set of rules and techniques. This results in a unique and visually engaging style that is commonly used in various design contexts, including video games, architectural visualization, infographics, and more.

In the isometric illustration, all lines running along the X, Y, and Z axes are parallel, meaning they do not converge or diverge. This consistent use of parallel lines creates a sense of depth and three-dimensionality.

Isometric illustrations are typically created from a fixed angle of view, which is usually 30 degrees from the horizontal plane. This angle gives objects depth without distorting their proportions.

Objects in isometric illustrations often have a cube-like or blocky appearance. This makes them easy to construct and align within the isometric grid. Isometric illustrations convey depth by stacking objects along the Z-axis. This stacking effect helps create a sense of distance and spatial relationships.

Unlike traditional perspective drawings, where objects closer to the viewer appear larger, isometric illustrations minimize distortion. Objects maintain their size relative to each other, regardless of their position in the composition.

Isometric illustration is versatile and can be used in a wide range of applications. It is commonly used in architectural visualizations, product design, city planning, and infographic design. It’s also popular in video games to create 2D game environments with a 3D feel.

Folk Botanical

Folk botanical is the trend of using nature patterns with shaky doodles, rough textures, and incongruous coloring in graphic design. It reflects a departure from the traditional precision of vector art tools. This approach embraces imperfection and whimsy, resulting in patterns that feel more organic and lively.

The use of shaky doodles and freehand drawing techniques imparts a hand-crafted, imperfect quality to the patterns. This spontaneity and irregularity contribute to the overall aesthetic.

Instead of faithfully reproducing natural elements, this trend reinterprets them in unexpected and whimsical ways. It adds an element of surprise and creativity to the patterns.

By moving away from the geometrical precision often associated with vector art, this trend embraces imperfections. It values the organic and unrefined aspects of hand-drawn art.

This trend blurs the line between traditional, handcrafted art and digital design. It demonstrates the craftsmanship of the digital artist by showcasing the deliberate use of imperfections and irregularities.

Patterns created in this style can be applied to various design projects, such as textiles, packaging, branding, and web design. Their whimsical and unconventional nature adds a touch of creativity and uniqueness to these applications.

Candy Colors

“Candy colors” is a term often used in graphic design and color theory to describe a specific palette of bright, vibrant, and playful colors that evoke the appearance of candy or sweets. These colors are known for their eye-catching and cheerful qualities and are frequently used in various design contexts to create a sense of fun, energy, and positivity.

Candy colors are typically highly saturated, meaning they have a strong, intense hue. They are not muted or pastel but rather vivid and attention-grabbing.

It includes a wide range of colors, including shades of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. These colors can be used individually or in combinations to create visually stimulating designs.

It often evokes a playful and youthful vibe. They are commonly used in designs aimed at children, but they can also add a sense of whimsy and joy to projects targeting a broader audience.

Candy colors often work well in contrast with each other or against neutral backgrounds. This high-contrast approach creates visual interest and helps important elements stand out.

While candy colors can add vibrancy and energy to designs, it’s essential to use them thoughtfully. Overusing these colors or using them inappropriately in certain contexts can lead to a chaotic or unprofessional appearance. Designers should consider the target audience, brand personality, and the specific emotional response they want to evoke when working with candy colors.

Holographic Design

Holographic design, also known as holographic or hologram-inspired design, is a design trend that draws inspiration from holographic imagery and effects. Holography is a technique that creates three-dimensional images using light, and holographic design seeks to capture some of the mesmerizing and futuristic qualities associated with holograms.

Holographic design often features colors that shift and change when viewed from different angles or under different lighting conditions. These iridescent colors create a dynamic and eye-catching visual effect.

It incorporates metallic and reflective elements that mimic the reflective properties of holograms. This can include metallic foils, gradients, or textures that give a shiny, futuristic appearance.

This trend features geometric patterns, such as grids or tessellations, that create a repeating holographic effect. These patterns can be intricate and symmetrical.

It is associated with a futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic. It often evokes the feeling of advanced technology and outer space, making it popular in designs related to tech, fashion, and entertainment.

It can be adapted to various design contexts, including packaging, branding, digital interfaces, fashion, and print materials. It can be used to create visually striking and memorable visuals.

Anti-Design

The term “anti-design” in graphic design refers to a deliberate rejection or rebellion against conventional design principles and aesthetics. It’s a design approach that intentionally challenges established norms and expectations. Anti-design is often characterized by its unconventional, chaotic, or provocative nature.

It emerged as a reaction against the highly structured and formal design trends that dominated the field for much of its history.

One of the hallmarks of anti-design is the embrace of chaos, disorder, and unpredictability. Design elements might be intentionally misaligned, typography may be distorted, and color choices can be jarring and unconventional.

Anti-design often aims to provoke reactions and challenge societal norms. It can be used to convey political or social messages and disrupt the status quo.

It sometimes incorporates a do-it-yourself (DIY) aesthetic. This can include handmade elements, rough sketches, and a deliberate rejection of polished or professional design.

Trends Are Meant To Be Broken

Design is a dynamic field where balance is key. Staying informed about trends while injecting your creativity and understanding the value of convention can lead to designs that have lasting impact and relevance.

Don’t be afraid to explore and experiment! Finding that point of juncture between creativity and convention is where the magic happens, and your work can become timeless.