Graphic Design for 2017 – Modern meets retro
Another year has passed where many new designs and trends were created once more. 2017 will once again offer graphic- and multimedia designer’s new options and choices on what will be the new trends for 2017. Some trends from 2016 were evolutions of trends that already were on the rise since 2012. Good examples are the modular layouts and modern-retro designs. But there are also a few new ones making their way into the forefront of designer’s minds. In this article I would like to highlight 7 Graphic Design trends that are expected to dominate 2017.
Modern-retro graphic design
As mentioned just now Modern-retro graphic design has been around for a while. The modern flare added to retro typefaces and colors make an interesting combination of the old and new. Previous years this type of design was used repeatedly for packaging, web design and company logos. Many big brands even rebranded their packaging with McDonald’s being the best example for 2016. The Modern-retro style is expected to continue even further in the next year, as more brands will decide to make the big step to rebrand. For sure we haven’t seen the last of it yet.
Responsive Logos
Responsive logos have been designed to keep up with the ever-expanding selection of formats and scales available to users. Scaling down for mobile phones doesn’t just mean making things smaller, a good logo will respond to its environment and still be functional. Responsive logos are simple and malleable. With more smart devices with different forms available every day, the responsive logo can only continue to become more relevant for graphic design in 2017.
Cinemagraphs
Cinemagraphs are basically photographs where a single, minor movement is visible. Usually these images come in a GIF format. One of the reasons for its great success is the fact that they are incredible simple to make and are an effective answer to the modern marketing problem: time. These visuals are a great eyecatcher and get people’s attention more faster then non-moving visuals. Another huge factor in the rise of the cinemagraphs are the numerous apps that appeared for android and iphone smartphones. They offer people to make cinemagraphs of their images directly, which they could then share on social media. Some examples are Cinemagr.am, Flixel, Echograph and Kinotopic. With more and more competition between marketers and screen real estate, expect to see cinemagraphs coming to screens near you in 2017.
Minimalism
With its roots back in the 20th century minimalism is as popular today as it ever was. Minimalism’s focus on simplicity and functionality has led to its adoption in many brands and design trends. Some brands who have adopted the “less is more” idea are Apple and Google who embodied it within ‘material design’. Intentional white space means more breathability and reduced focal points. Since the mindset and reachability of people is changing minimalism appears to be offering the solution. With its popularity only increasing, it looks like minimalism is here to stay for 2017 and beyond.
Illustrated (Hand drawn) images and illustrations
Illustrations have a great effect on sending a message to its receiver. Not only do they tend to be more simple, they also evoke a kind of childish and nostalgic feel. This together makes every illustrated message more light-hearted and human. They can be used in a huge range of situations, but are becoming increasingly popular as a way of explaining and illustrating more complex problems or instructions. 2017 will likely find itself littered with these types of design as their ‘sketching’, ‘independent’ quality becomes more and more popular amongst consumers.
Modular layouts
Modular layouts have the function to break up pieces of text and put them into manageable chuncks. This also puts more focus on the text used in the layouts. Long text gets less interaction and by putting pieces of text in modular layouts allows designers to get more interaction from people. Not only does it serve as a great management tool, it can also look extremely professional if done well. It is expected that this design tends will be in it for the long go, so expect a lot more of it for 2017
Bold photography and sleek text
One of the key players in the world of graphic design at the moment is Bold photography combines with sleek text. This is a mix, which always seems to captivate the viewer and exuded class and style. In some way the text and photography always seem to work together to create some great contrasts and brilliant borders.
All the above-mentioned trends and style seem to fit in a study, which Time reported about this year. A study by Microsoft revealed that audience attention spans have shortened as a result of a more digital lifestyle (http://time.com/3858309/attention-spans-goldfish/). People are less open to complex and more informative information. Which would automatically mean that we have no choice on heading towards a focus on making information as accessible as quickly and as easily as possible. But one thing is for sure, different styles still suit different brands and these differences are what attract people. By using these trends you can become popular, but it is always important to do research whether a certain style or trends suits the brand you use it for. Some great examples can be found on http://yellowcreative.co.uk
