Top 8 graphic design trends in 2022

Graphic Design.

Graphic refers to the visual depiction of images, text, photographs, arts, you name it, anything that can be spotted or viewed by our visual apparatus is graphic in one form or the other.

So, what is Graphic design? 

Graphic design is a profession that uses this visual content to portray a certain message or to communicate to people. This profession is used in various fields such as Fashion (web and mobile designing (UI/UX), Marketing and advertising, Digital communications, and everywhere graphic design is needed. Nowadays, people buy things online. That is happening only with the help of graphic design. Attracting customers or in general an audience to see a certain product on a website, a film poster, or a Billboard Ad, it’s the work of a graphic designer.

A quick dive into the History and evolution of Graphic design

This type of communication with visuals and figures has been there since time immemorial. Art is an integral part of this culture. From temples to caves to public places, during the ancient times, people have always either carved or drawn or built something that means something to them and that which appeals to and communicates a particular message to a larger audience. Now we call them ancient relics and hundreds of research are going on to this date to understand what is the message left behind by ancient citizens. 

Why I’m dwelling on history when the topic is about Graphic design is just to give insider information that whatever is happening in this day and age is just the extended version of what people have been doing thousands of years ago. But with the help of technology, we do it in a much much better way.

Every field is rooted in trends and forecasting. In this article, to help out our future graphic designers, we are short-listing “Top 8 graphic design trends that will define 2022”.

#1 Experimental typography

Experimental and expressive typography is going to be the main theme for graphic designers in the year 2022. Conventional typography has always focussed on legibility more than anything else. But now designers are experimenting with different forms of typography which is more of their personal expression. Mismatched letters, Illusion mixed lettering, playful elements, and lots of different and new color combinations and shapes are all on cue this year. 

In general, 2022 is going to have lots of abstract designs when it comes to typography. This trend might not be welcomed by everyone, as people who are not interested in experimentative abstract typography, will not find it appealing to them.

#2 Anti-Design

By reading this title don’t mistake this for any rebel protesting gang! 

What Anti-Design means is, that even in the designing field there are rules to be followed to achieve a seamless experience for users to navigate be it a website or an app. But these rules have created a homogeneity where most of the websites started looking similar because they are considering only the usability aspect of it. Now, anti-designers are trying to break all rules and find new liberating designs on their own. Their design will not follow the standard guidelines and will always be dynamic and different. Anti-Design is also related to the concept of Brutalism, which is more exuberant and vibrant when compared to minimalism, which is more subtle and minimal.

These approaches happen in almost every field. There will be people who want to stand out by doing or inventing something that is very unique to what is already existing in the market. And Design is apparently a convenient sector where there is always plenty of room for folks who want to go berserk in their own way.

#3 Simplified Logos

This trend is more apparent as we are seeing famous brands trying to recreate their logos. And they are making it simpler. This changing of Logo can be a branding technique through which the brand is trying to gather new audiences or make its brand philosophy more visible and apprehensible. Brands like Pringles, Burger King, Volvo have all cut back on the complex design elements and made a simpler one, which is more minimal and approachable for people to know more about it or ultimately buy the product.

So, in the year 2022, we will look at reinvention of brands through simplified logos approach. Even till date where there are many advanced things happening, simplicity still holds its ground!

#4 Crypto art

Nowadays terms like Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) and crypto are used in day-to-day conversations. The popularity seems humongous. Designs can also be sold through NFT’s.

There are people who are spending millions to own things through NFT. The artworks will be directly published into the blockchain. In the year 2022, this is going to become even more popular and many people will use this platform to sell their graphic designs.

There is also privacy in this and copyright will be maintained. Which means no need to worry about duplicate items. 

In this a digital art form is treated as a physical form and they can be brought, traded and sold. This is a trending topic now although many are not aware of this. This will bloom this year and more exploration can happen in this field. Some NFT-based artworks are being sold for millions of dollars. This shows how the market is for designers to get into Crypto art. Only thing needed is proper knowledge of what and how to do it. If this is learnt properly one can easily dwell into this arena and make handsome profits.

#5 90’s Retro

There is always something special about design inspiration being taken from the past. Graphic designing in the year 2022 will use lots of references and details from the 90’s. These references and patterns can be easily identified by the 90’s generation people and rekindling those design elements is always exciting. Simplified shapes, blocky lettering, memphis design patterns, 3D visuals, etc.

This would be a nostalgic ride for the designers and it would bring back so many elements that will fuse with modern design elements. The Millennial population will be more in-tune with this trend. Not only graphic design, but even movies and series bring back the 90’s superiority. We can see fashion constantly building 90’s theme garments. So, now it's time for Graphic designers to travel back in time and bring back 90’s retro themed posters, typography, sketches/illustrations, etc.

#6 2D and3D

3D is nothing but providing depth and dimension to the design. 3D illustration is gaining more popularity with the help of more advanced softwares. The trend this year will move from flat vector illustrations to 3D. These can be used in web designing, social media content creation, for freelance works, etc. 

The design will have bright vibrant colors with abstract elements to it. This might attract new followers to this trend and people will start experimenting more with it. These 3D designs can be used in multiple sectors from E-commerce, to gaming industry, travel industry, web developers, etc. All these businesses will need the help of a Graphic design team to execute product display, providing information, User-Interface (UI) and User-Experience (UX). All these combined will provide a seamless and cohesive experience for the users to navigate the platform.

#7 Interactive data visualization

Data visualization is very important, especially in the research field. When it comes to data visualizations, one thing that is very critical is whether all the numbers and stats are clearly defined and is apprehensible even to a layman. They are used mainly in reports and other documents. Before we used simpler things like charts and graphs, but now there are softwares now which can create visualizations which are sophisticated and advanced. 

One more thing that has added up to this is it is also made interactive. Which means that we can choose what we want to see and the chart or the graph changes accordingly. 

This topic might sound a little dull, but creatively so much can be done to take it to the next stage. Graphic designing in 2022, will explore more in this territory.

#8 Parametric patterns

Patterns are something that will never go out of style. The term parametric pattern comes from the term ‘Parametric equations’ which comes under geometry in Mathematics. So, the patterns are all geometric and abstract at the same time. Mostly in the past, the designers have used them to add a visual element to the background. But in the year 2022, parametric patterns are going to take forefront and occupy a major part in the designing process.

The pattern and lines are very fluid and three dimensional which gives some depth to it. 

Symbolically speaking these complicated patterns can also communicate a concept. When there is a topic which is very complex and difficult to grasp, these patterns can be used which will reflect the subject very well. 

“This is an example of how design can communicate with minimum graphical elements. The main focus is a parametric pattern that I illustrated to represent clutter, noise, barrier in one’s head.” 

- BitiliBlack, Designer at 99designs by Vista

ENDNOTE

Designs and trends keep evolving all the time. It is these changes that are keeping the brand alive. The brand can be a company or an individual who is working on their own. It is changes and confusion at times that brings in more people. After the Lockdown and pandemic, the whole design culture changed. People started doing things on their own, in their own ways. Even in this article, we saw about Anti-Design. Breaking the rules and creating a new one. Unique ones’. Everyone wants to find joy and exuberance in whatever activity they are doing. Design is one such profession where everyday there can be something new to look at, something new to ponder our thoughts over and develop and innovate things. It is this freedom that gives the designer the satisfaction and pride. 

Graphic designing has evolved to the point where every industry in the world depends on it, in one way or another. It is graphic design that binds an invisible thread between the corporate world and the common audience. It is because of the skill that they bring in, that we are able to enjoy all the technologies. 

At the same time, there is no necessity that we have to understand and go only by the trends predicted. We can also create our own path. Trend analysis and forecasting can be like a guide point which can help us when we feel lost. Otherwise, it is not mandatory to always rely on it. 

This article is intended to benefit people who are interested in, or already a graphic designer. Trends of 2022 have a lot of interesting elements that can be used to create amazing things. I hope this article helped you in fine tuning your skills and making you feel ready to face the world!