In this blog article, we’re taking a look at some of the graphic design trends that are defining the modern website.

Bright, bold and vibrant colours

Over the past few years, many designers have used safe and easy to digest colour schemes in order to create very clean and controlled designs. We saw many lights and neutral colours like white, greys and black dominating the layouts. However, nowadays bright, vibrant and bold colours will lead the way.

As Pantone crowned the colour of the year as ‘Greenery’, designers are expected to use more colours found in nature. Using bright colours with traditional neutral backgrounds will allow businesses to give their branding a fresh new look without deviating too far from what they made great in the first place.

Colour transitions

The colour transition is one of the biggest design trends right now and you’ll find it everywhere from logos to buttons or picture overlays.

As some of the big brands decided to change their logos and images from flat colour to multi-coloured transitions, more companies will be adopting this trend, both for print and web design.

Pattern and geometric shapes

As flat design was a very welcome addition to the graphics last year, helping to simplify the visuals and improve user experience, it is predicted to grow and expand in the future. Expect to see more nature-inspired patterns, like marble, precious stones and plants.

For packaging and brand design, bringing together the best qualities of flat design and pattern will create vibrant, colourful products, which feel both ultra-contemporary and artistic.

Minimalism

For those who love simplicity and functionality, minimalism is today more popular as ever. Inspired by Scandinavian design, ultra-minimal typography and layouts will still feel cutting-edge today and brands who opt for this visual approach will appear elegant and refined. If you fancy a splash of colour, you could add a touch of subtle metallic foiling as embellishment.

Modern retro

Modern-retro has been around for a while now and modern flare added to retro designs, typefaces and colour palettes work well to create a fascinating fusion of both the old and new.

Modular layouts

Whilst modular isn’t a new trend, it’s popularity has increased over the past few years. Whether for print or web design, using a long block of text is boring and you risk losing the attention of the reader.

For the web particularly, making the information more manageable encourages more people to interact with it. The modular design is not just a great management tool but it also can look professional when it’s done well. Expect to see more modular layouts this year, both in print and web design!

Bold photography and sleek text

This trend is a staple in graphic design because the combination of bold photography and sleek text helps to communicate a clear message without boring the audience. Bold and sleek works well both for people with a short attention span, as well as for those who don’t want to spend too much time looking for the main information and get straight to the point.

This combination works perfectly for display ads, social media promotions and graphics where a small amount of information needs to be conveyed instantly.

Cinemagraphs

As marketers should do and use every possible tool to grab the audience’s attention in a very short and exciting way, cinemagraphs are the perfect tool for doing so. Cinemagraphs are still images with minor element moving in them and this technique makes photographs look more realistic and really brings them to life.

Material design

Material design is possibly the biggest and boldest of the design trends. Google has created this style guide to try and simplify the way that designers design and users interact with the internet. Google’s Material Design aesthetic is very similar to Flat Design 2.0 but it takes intentionality to another level.

By drawing inspiration from real-world materials, particularly paper and ink, the designs are grounded, yet lightweight and minimalistic. By using bold colours, contrast and typography in your design, you’ll guide the user’s behaviour and influence your audience to act the way you desire.

Get in touch to find out more

For more information about how your business may be affected by Brexit and how Voodoo Agency can help you with your marketing, please call Simon on 07966 396 306 or send him an email at simon@voodooagency.com.