They say you should never look back if you wish to move forward. Which, by the way, shouldn’t apply to design. When you’re aiming to create something better, you must have a basis for ‘what shouldn’t be’, or ‘what’s not so great anymore’. Only after you have come up with something that supersedes these two can you say that the job is successful.
And since 2015 is now nearly coming to a close, it’s only right to check out the year’s trends in order to make sure they don’t make an inglorious comeback in your 2016 designs. It can also be useful to take some inspiration from the best ones.
Case in point:
Bleeding images
This year, design took no borders — literally. Large-size to bleeding images from spread to spread creates a powerful, loud impression. Gone are the days of all-text-tiny-photos-on-the-side layouts. Seriously, those don’t work anymore. With people getting more and more visual by the day (thanks to the web and social media), a lot of times pictures can say so much more than words.
Bigger, bolder, overwhelming fonts
In 2015, words were so much clearer when written in bold, chunky typefaces. The concept gives more focus on a central thought without compromising style and sophistication.
Hand-drawn doodles and scribbles
Thanks to social media *cough*Pinterest*cough*, handwritten typefaces have never appeared so classy and artsy at the same time. Gone are the sharp-stroked, solid fonts that commanded formality, elegance, and on many occasions, a rather ‘corporate’ vibe. 2015 saw (or felt) the warmth of rustic and laid back designs which made them easily the most charming amongst a sea of rigid, uptight, monotonous themes. Wedding invitations and other personal cards that carried handwritten text have become profusely popular and well-loved by different markets.
Geometric and abstract patterns
These patterns are seemingly growing in to be old-reliables in graphic design. Their popularity didn’t start just in the year 2015, but even way way back, and they continue to grace print and digital media until today. There’s just something perennial about matching geometric and abstract with organic patterns. Their combination just never seems to get old.
These are the best graphic design trends for us in 2015. Now that we’re quickly approaching another year, perhaps it’s a convenient time to go back to the drawing board and think up some breakthrough ideas that will grace the world of design in the years to come.