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Are you curious about the trends that will shape the creative design industries in the coming year? Here are the top creative trends we foresee for 2022.
Now that another year has come to an end, many interesting creative design trends have emerged in 2021, including the meteoric rise of 3D design, the resurrection of retro designs, and more social awareness and responsibility.
With 2022 rapidly approaching, we’re once again considering what the future holds.
As is customary, we’ve gathered our specialists and asked them to anticipate what trends, styles, and themes will affect the creative industries in the coming year. So, what will be the most popular trends in 2022?
Here are the top graphic design trends our experts forecast for 2022 and beyond.
Design Trend Forecasts
Design trends are constantly developing and evolving in one of the most imaginative creative sectors — Graphic Design. Here are some of the top graphic design trends to look out for in the coming year, ranging from dreamy gradients and simple logos to abstract surrealism and maximalism.
1. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT)
Over the previous few years, crypto art has gotten a lot of attention, and with some buyers spending millions of US Dollars on memes, artworks, and other NFT collectibles on Opensea.io, the NFT trend is certain to continue.
The image below is an NFT titled “Daft Punk Toy Face II” by Amrit Pal Design. Guess what? It sold for 8.00 ETH, which was $32,954.32 at the time of sale (Feb 24, 2021 at 7:13pm)
Daft Punk Toy Face II NFT by Amrit Pal on Foundation
Non-fungible tokens are one-of-a-kind digital files that are published directly onto a blockchain, allowing only one person to claim ownership.
Collectors and designers alike are drawn to NFTs because they may buy and sell work without fear of it being copied without permission.
Amrit Pal Design, a 3D designer has offered his Toy Faces series as a series of NFTs, which have been bought by high profile celebrities and collectors all around the world.
“NFTs are probably the best way to monetise digital art at the moment,” Amrit says. “You make money on the sale of your NFT, and the fascinating part is you also get a percentage on the secondary sale of the artwork. This is a great way to sell your personal projects or create something new and thrive as an artist.”
While not everyone is a fan of NFTs – primarily because of their environmental impact and copyright concerns – we predict this market to rise in 2022 as more artists and purchasers seek to participate in the NFT craze.
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2. 3D Modeling
3D Illustration and 3D typography are on the rise, thanks to the advancement of new design software and technology, and we expect 3D to continue to grow in 2022.
It’s all about embracing innovation and giving Visual Design a sense of depth and dimension.
Designers are already incorporating 3D animation, images, and hyperrealism into their UI Designs, resulting in some eye-catching works like this 3D Web UI prototype by Phenomenon Studio for Range Rover, and this 3D IKEA typography by designer Eslam Mohamed.
3D design is ideal for web design, branding, and social media assets, ranging from the very lifelike to the compellingly abstract.
While 3D has been around for a while, it’s now being integrated more effortlessly into designs. From bright, colourful elements to hyper-realistic abstract designs, 3D is here to stay, and it’s making things pop!
3. Retro Minimalism
Fireboy DML and Ed Sheeran Retro-themed Album Art for Peru Remix. December 2021.
Retro minimalism is back! This design is reminiscent of retro 1970s publication cover designs, with old-school fonts, warm tones, organic colour palettes, and natural textures.
As seen in the design for Fireboy DML and Ed Sheeran’s Peru Remix, the album art is as stylish as it is functional.
“Think serif typefaces, warm dusty tones, gentle shadows, and natural textures,” Envato Graphics Specialist, Kate McKinnes advises that the approach is especially effective when it comes to product mockups and visual layouts.
In 2022, we predict retro minimalism to become more ubiquitous, particularly in the realm of branding.
If you are a graphic designer, check out this 30-page Minimal Retro Editorial Magazine Template to try this minimalist vintage in one of your upcoming projects. And if you aren’t a graphic designer, you could still recommend this to your graphic designer to draw inspiration from.
4. Dreamy Gradients
Dreamy gradients are projected to be the next big thing in graphic design, with their glamorous look and feel.
Soft pastels and gritty textures are common in dreamy gradients, which provide a dreamy feel to anything from presentation design to branding and social media posts.
Technically, gradients have come a long way in terms of what’s feasible. In the artistic world, this has led to intriguing discoveries, with irregular and multicolour blends gaining more popularity in the graphic design community.
Firefox and Microsoft Edge New Logos
As evident in the rebranding of Microsoft Edge, and more recently, Firefox, more and more designers are beginning to experiment with this captivating aesthetic, which evokes a relaxing vibe.
