In the fast-paced digital art era, graphic design trends come and go. Each year offers ideas that dictate the latest in the digital art world. In fact, a few trends became outdated after basking in the glory, while others stayed for several years.
The year 2020 is all about looking toward the future. This is true with the emerging designs in zero-gravity layouts, with realistic textures and open compositions. All these while illustrations becoming more abstract, and the “overall design feels” becoming more natural and harmonious.
What to Expect in 2020: Important Trends in Graphic Design
In the Philippines, the average graphic designer salary as of 2019 is ₱20,353 a month, as stated by Indeed.
As someone who aims to enter this industry, know how tough the competition can get nowadays.
So as a designer, sticking to old techniques and staying in your comfort zone may seem the safest ways to go.
However…
Art evolves, so do the techniques, approaches, and styles we can use. Hence, you must keep up with these changes to further improve your craft.
Now, what are the trends in graphic design this coming 2020? Read on.
3D Depth and Realism
3D became a major hit in the 2019 graphic design world. And as this craze stays until 2020, designers will mix and match it with other realities, such as photos and 2D objects. Further, more depth and detailed textures in 3D will also dominate designs in 2020.
Geometric Designs
Since more and more designers are opting for minimalist approaches in their works, the use of plain geometric shapes makes it to the top graphic design trends in 2020. Though it seems easy, creating geometric compositions require a lot of work to ensure they deliver the right message.
Simplified Illustrations
Lack of detail—this allows designers to focus on the message they need to convey more than the art itself. Even if this technique is anything but new, it will continue to thrive for the coming years. In fact, designs in 2020 will show oversimplified and sketchy illustrations.
Monochromes
In 2017, we saw the duotone craze used by designers. This evolved into a simpler version for 2019—monochromes. Again, since more and more are opting for minimalistic designs, going monochrome will be a common practice in 2020. This will be widely used as photo filters or as partial elements in graphic compositions.
Isometric Illustrations
In 2020, we’ll still see isometric designs—another trend that has been on the run for years. Commonly used in web design, presentations, and infographics, this style can illustrate 3D objects on 2D surfaces.
Gradients
Used as color filters and backgrounds, gradients have been famous in 2019. Also, we see gradients on mobile app icon designs—and in 2020, designers will add this style to complex designs and even simple graphics to enhance depth and emphasize textures.
Typography
Typography maintains its drift among the graphic design trends in 2020. An essential part of the design, this is one of the most versatile, adaptable techniques in graphic design. In 2020, a lot of brands will still continue to apply bold fonts or strong typography on their designs.
Line Art
In 2018 and 2019, outline typography became a trend. Next year, this technique will continue to evolve to fully animated and illustrated line art designs and patterns. Further, this allows designers to be more creative in conceptualizing ideas through the free flow of lines.
Muted Tones
The graphic design world will step back from the more vivid and loud colors of 2018 and 2019—stepping forward to more muted color palettes. This move contributes to a more minimal approach to digital design in general. Now, how can we tell muted tones apart? Here’s a quick guide from Venngage:
Like any art, the field of graphic design goes beyond the rules and trends.
With that, don’t be afraid to try new styles and discover your own! Keeping up with the important trends in graphic design puts you at a competitive pace in your craft. However, being able to bring more of your personality to what you create makes the whole process more worthwhile and unique.
So, once you know the top graphic design rules by heart, it’s time to mix and match styles! Read on for a bonus idea on mixed media designs.
2D Illustration Style Videos Using 3D
Give more life to 2D graphics using 3D techniques. As one of the fast-emerging digital design trends nowadays, combining simple 2D techniques with in-depth effects of 3D will soon join the dominant graphic design trends in 2020.
Hone Your Graphic Design Skills with CIIT Philippines
Now that you know the predicted graphic design trends in 2020, what’s your next step? As an artist, you must consider these changes and keep your designs updated while conforming to the basic rules in graphic design. Plus, you may use this guide as your reference as you prepare, build, and improve your art portfolio.
As the top graphic design school, let’s help you unleash your potential! Dare to create designs that challenge the norm and bring more life to digital art through our CIIT bachelor of multimedia arts degree. You may also check our CIIT multimedia specialist short course. Be part of our growing artistic family! Visit CIIT Alabang or CIIT Kamuning for inquiries or contact CIIT for your queries. We’d love to hear from you!
Curious about the works of the CIIT community? View our online CIIT Gallery!
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10 Basic Graphic Design Rules You Should Never Break
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Sources: Venngage | GraphicMama
