Design Trends in 2020
– Bold contrasting colors: If you’re like me, you can’t just pick up a magazine and read it. You pick apart pretty much everything from layout, to color, to font choices. I’m doomed for life on just relaxing with a publication. I noticed this year there’s a lack of pastels/light colors in designs. It’s bolder and brighter than ever before (can you say hello, welcome back 80’s?). Welcome bold and vivid colors with open arms! Shutterstock came out with the
2020 color trends, and yep, the top ones that are dominating are bold colors: Lush Lava (#FF4500), Phantom Blue (#191970) and Aqua Menthe (#7FFFD4). Last year it was millennial pink, which seems to keep coming back. This year stark colors are designed to catch your eye and make an impact.
– Anarchy: Just like the above trend, designers are going outside of guidelines. It’s like doing the things that you aren’t taught and on purpose. Examples of this are not lining up the ends of words in headlines or typography, clashing colors like previously mentioned, or not having repetitive/consistent elements. Personally, this specific trend drives my perfectionist quality nuts, so I stay clear of it; at least when it comes to alignment.
– Maximalist designs: A couple of years ago, a minimalist approach was popular. The simpler, the better. Look around, maxmalistic designs are everywhere. There’s an increase in white space with bright colors. People are trying to stand out more, so being bolder has proven to be more successful. Text is particularly fun with this. Varying text sizes and arranging them have been one of my friends to do.
– Collages are trending as well along with subtle aesthetic graphics. Layered and random collage-like designs are a great way to add a homey and authentic feel to the design.
– Neumorphism is an odd word, right? It’s quite the opposite of the bold trend and I’m seeing it on a lot of trend lists. Neumorphism is a ‘slang’ word in design meaning circles which essentially crosses the words ‘new’ and skeumorphism. It’s essentially a minimalist soft, plastic-like design. With soft shadows and lights that remind me of 3D, the trend popped up in a lot of digital designs and ads this year.
Filip Legierski
Michal Malewicz
– On the web design side of things, story-telling and animated graphics are everywhere. This is pretty self-explanatory. Brands are telling visual stories that stick in people’s memories; they’re creating relatable and attractive graphics that lead to better sales.
Speaking of trends, I see a trend with the trends (confusing, right?) Meaning, the trends mentioned above tend to break the status quo in design principles. Geeze, way to be a rebel! Seriously though, I love it. It’s taking what you learn, inserting what you feel, and creating something out of the ordinary. It totally reflects this year. It’s the year of individualism and the design trends are totally reflecting that! Remember, be you, be inspired, and think outside.