8 Design Trends For 2024

Trends come and trends go, some linger, and others reemerge; so what can we expect to see trending next year in the world of graphic design?

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
No shocker here, Artificial Intelligence is not going anywhere. With its capabilities continuously growing and primary design software, Adobe, incorporating it into their programs, AI is here to stay. Utilizing it as an assistant, AI can help expedite our work, provide inspiration (great when you’re in a slump), and allow us to easily create mass variations. But remember, what it creates to aid you is all dependent on the prompts you input. Make sure you’re descriptive and provide feedback (thumbs up / down) to help it learn so you get the results you want quicker.

3D & IMMERSIVE DESIGN
With the aid of AI, we’ll see more 3D / Immersive Design appearing. This trend is ideal for web design, but can be incorporated into traditional marketing. Make your products really pop by adding shadows and highlights against 2D elements or drive clients to your desired destination with a 3D CTA (call-to-action) button.

image source: freepik

ORGANIC / ABSTRACT SHAPES
I’ve always been one to design on a grid (I love internal edges), but I’m excited to dive into the world of organic / abstract shapes. By incorporating these unique shapes, we add an element of fluidity making layouts feel more natural.

image source: wepik & marq

MAXIMALISM
We’ve had a few years of minimalist design, but 2024 is going to shake things up with a dive into maximalism. This can be as simple as the addition of vibrant colors, asymmetrical layouts, and dynamic typography. Don’t forget, amongst this design you will still need a primary focus that instantly grabs attention.

image source: Vivid

TYPOGRAPHY
With the advancements we’re seeing in technology, get ready to see movement in typography as well - literally. Gone(ish) are the days of static type. Now entering the playfield is animated text. Not ready to dip your toe into this trend? Then go bigger and bolder with large typefaces. Either way, we’ll be seeing a heavy lean on typography to garner attention.

BRIGHT COLORS
It seems the world of Design isn’t over the Barbie craze. Get ready for bright colors (like pink and highlighter yellow) to take over the jewel tones we’ve been seeing. These bright colors are excellent for dark mode (a web trend we saw increase this year), but be weary - make sure you’re not going so bright it hurts the eye and turns viewers away. Balance is key when working with color, you can check out a previous article I wrote to help you learn The Value of Color.

NOSTALGIA
No surprise here, nostalgia is sticking around. If you're a child or teen of the 80s then you probably have a soft spot for pixels. (cue Mario music) Pixels and dots have been around via typography, but they’re making their way back into imagery. But, as fun as a full graphic would seem done in pixel art, try using some restraint. Instead, choose either your text or background to pixelate and incorporate into a modern layout.

SUSTAINABILITY
Eco-friendly and sustainability have become more and more important in our daily lives. So much so that it has entered the world of design. If you insist on printing flyers or catalogs, instead of keeping things digital, opt for papers that are made from recycled materials and can be recycled or composted when they no longer serve their purpose. There are also eco-friendly inks and dyes that can be used when printing. When designing flyers around sustainable / eco-friendly products, make sure they truly are to avoid greenwashing.

If you’re curious how these trends differ from the past two years, check out my previous blogs covering 2023 Trends and 2022 Trends.