With 2018 approaching quickly, our design team has made some predictions about what’s to come and what will continue to be involved in great design.
Minimalism
This modern take includes decluttering design, including only what is necessary in the most efficient way. It is a very clean and simple design style, that is easy to make modular for our mobile world. We love this style for the use of negative space that can be used in a design to portray meaning.
Rustic Design
In an increasingly modern and technologically-driven world, the rise of rustic has been evident for a few years. Increasingly, “handmade” and “custom”, have become quite popular and we see this even in design. People want a unique experience tied to their brand or designs and rustic designs can tie humanity to design. We do this though hand-drawn graphics and illustrations, showing our process, and including vintage illustrations and fonts.
Responsive Logos
Mobile adaptation has pushed the need for responsive design, and this remains true with logos. Responsive logos will only continue to evolve into 2018 to create a more versatile and immersive brand experience.
Videos over still images
Have you heard of a cinemagraph or boomerang? If not, you are missing out on one of the top trends for 2018. This type of gif/animation has been growing in popularity since 2015, and the low-bandwidth short videos provide a unique, customizable and design-friendly option for web design.
Flat design is on the way out
But Flat 2.0 is in! Also known as semi-flat design, this includes colour transitions used in modern styles with bright colours and overlays. This semi-flat look helps with visual hierarchy, establishing a subtle dimension rather than harsh drop shadows.
Interestingly enough, the term “gradients” will also not be used in 2018 design as much, as it refers to a chunkier and dated style.
Colour Trends
Looking for the newest thing in colours? Well, it’s not exactly new, but it is coming back and is predicted to be one of the hottest trends of 2018. Duotones. Don’t know what those are? Defined as “a halftone reproduction of an image using the superimposition of one contrasting colour halftone (traditionally black) over another color halftone”, but we would like to define it as the next best thing since sliced bread.
Also back, are the 80s and 90s, both in patterns and bold, loud, popping bright colours, as well as pastels.
Illustration Trends
Closely tied to “rustic design” illustrations in 2018 will focus on hand-drawn design including sketches and brush strokes. It will even include papercut illustrations that can be childlike yet sophisticated.
One of our favourite illustration trends for 2018 will not focus on geometric design, but on the blob, which we have started to see develop through logos like Google, and Siri’s “voice”. This fluid-like geometry incorporating low poly design will certainly create a more “organic” experience.
Typography Trends
2018 will continue to see the rise of bold serif fonts used in web, which will share the stage with the ever-popular sans serif web fonts and unique hand-drawn fonts. We are also loving the use of cropped typography and negative space typography, both destined for the stars in 2018.
Hope you enjoyed our predictions for design in 2018. What are yours?