Graphic Design Ideas And Trends for 2018

“Good Design is good business” is a popular phrase, but what is good design?

There are multiple answers to this question. But most of the answers might fall under the criteria of:

• Minimal
• One that actually works for you
• Easily recognizable
• Interacts well with users
• In line with current trends

Well, all the above factors are a big yes or a partial ‘not necessary’, a good design is perceived as good only when it is trendy.

So here are some Graphic design ideas, we feel will dominate in 2018. Some were already a part of 2017 trends list while others are really ‘futuristic’ types.

Graphic Design Ideas

The beauty of graphic design is, it evolves in a faster and drastic way that anything that was a peak trend in the previous year, might become less popular in the next year and almost unfamous in the following years to come. But that is not the end, the same trend might become popular again after 3-5 years.

The louder, brighter look

2018 will see a considerable increase in use of bright and even bolder colors.

Even in 2017 we saw, some bold color palettes, but they were in a lesser number or we can say that they were in experimental phase for most of the designers. In 2018 these graphic design ideas of putting together odd colors which was considered unfair, will occupy a dominant place.

When use of bold colors were considered naive before, it will be trendy in 2018!

So go for it! Try different palettes and enjoy designing!

Here are some graphic design ideas for bold and louder look.

Yellow and pink

A surprising rare combination of pale pink and deep purple

Teal contrasted with bright violet to create stunning visuals. A neutral Hit always!

Fortune favours the bold

Being Bold, is considered adventurous in graphic design too!

It’s not only the visual graphics that engage the user, but the correct use of typography that enables the user to visually connect to the graphic design. Isn’t that important as well?

In 2018, we predict that use of bold typography will continue to dominate the graphic design industry.

Typography blended with the appropriate graphics is a perfect visual treat for the user.

Choosing the right typography for any graphic design is a critical part, which every graphic designer should practice and master.(Yes! Experience counts here!)

Here are some ideas and inspirations for typographies.

Geometry keeps you in shape

Geometric design is an interesting graphic design trend which has been there for quite some time but will gain its full momentum by the end of 2018.

Geometry designs can be used in websites and any type of graphic designs to visually convey a pattern or sequence of events.

Interestingly, geometry designs need not be the usual squares or polygons. It can also be multiple designs nested to form a cluster or smooth wavy designs that blends well with the concept.

Get double exposure

This is a traditional way that photographers followed where multiple photos get exposed to one film to create a surreal effect.

This is a trend in the graphic design market for some time now and the same will continue to influence the market in a more intense way.

Hand-drawn illustrations

Hand drawn illustrations will never be outdated because it is original and unique. These are everlasting graphic design trends and will continue to be for the coming years.

It’s not only the photos that are getting replaced by hand-drawn illustrations but icons and even the fonts appear better and cool once they are hand-drawn.

There are some other cool trends that we expect to entertain the graphic designers in 2018. We don’t think they will dominate, but you can see them frequently in 2018, as they are grabbing good attention.

Cinemagraphs – moving graphics

Instead of posting images that is static, images that have subtle animations in the background can be used to attract users.

Caution: Overdoing this will create irritation and your graphic might not perform well.

Hongkiat features some cool graphic design ideas for subtle image animations.

No harm in cropping

Cropping certain parts of text to make it blend with the background is also a trendy idea. This way the text looks more prominent and is highly noticeable. Here are some good graphic design ideas where you can use cropped text.

Use a digital paintbrush

New inventions have brought in lot of innovations to the graphic design industry. Devices like wacom, Ipad, Surface pro have aggressively invaded the digital market which enables the designers to draw hands-free on digital devices that gives stunning effects.

Softwares like Photoshop Sketch, Procreate, Penultimate, Paper… (The list is long!) have been developed for the ease of graphic designers (also aspiring graphic designers!) to create cleaner, smoother, versatile effects that we used to create with a photoshop brush.

We have sourced some digital paintbrush effects from behance, and here are some graphics from which we can take inspirations.

Summing up our graphic design ideas & trends for 2018

You don’t design for brands. You design for users who interact with your brand.

With all the above highlighted trends, here are some more additional tips.

• Take bold decisions when it comes to color
• Be flexible in Typography but don’t compromise on quality.
• Try new methods like double exposure, digital paintbrush and duotones so that your graphics stay healthy in the market.

Following trends just for the sake of being trendy is wrong. If you decide to try a trend, make sure it will be appropriate for your project and audience. If you really want to try them, experiment it with your personal projects.

All the best!!

What do you think about these trends? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Also Read – Logo Design Trends 2018