FEBRUARY 8, 2019
Below are our design trend predictions for 2019.
Breaking Stereotypes
Body positivity is a huge movement coming into 2019, especially for how the women’s bodies are represented. Realistic representations of the female form will be a trend in 2019. Challenging male stereotypes will also become a popular move for brands this year, which has been seen already with advertising campaigns from two classically patriarchal companies that are Gillette and Guinness. The campaigns initially have received some backlash, however the progressive look ahead is definitely a step in the right direction for brands who have previously been accused of being dinosaurs in the modern world.
GRADIENTS
This has been a building trend throughout the last few years. Now with Instagram and Apple using gradients consistently throughout their branding, it is a trend which we can expect to see persisting this year.
MORE MOTION
Scroll down your social media feeds nowadays and a large percentage is moving content. Because there is such an overload of content, brands and influencers need something to catch the user’s eye, and movement is an ideal way to do that. Motion design is becoming easier and faster to create with technology advancing at the rate it currently is, which makes it a much more accessible tool for designers to use.
A REACTION TO ‘BLANDING’
Last year saw a huge movement to simplify logos from some of the biggest brands in the world, a trend which some have dubbed ‘blanding’. Many argue that the simplification of so many logos into similar sans serif fonts, only makes them look the same.
Because some of biggest companies have been accused of losing their identities due to the ‘blanding’ trend, there will be a natural reaction to this. In 2019 there will be a push towards using more traditional typefaces for logos, exciting colour palettes and interesting organic elements within design. This rebound from the norm will introduce some emotion and personality back into the brands who are brave enough to go against the grain.
CUSTOM ILLUSTRATIONS
Because of platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest, these days there is so much visual content available for consumers to feast their eyes upon. A 2019 trend will be an increase of using bespoke illustrations on packaging and marketing outputs. Rather than a standard stock imagery picture to promote a product, companies are increasingly looking to illustrators for a new way to connect to their audience.
VIVID COLOUR PALETTES
As the world turns digital, the colours are becoming brighter and bolder. With many pieces of work now only intended for a digital platform, designers can use intense bold colours without having to worry about them being dulled down in CMYK print processes.
