With everything around going all trendy, graphic designs have also picked up the line and are showing certain fads and trends sure to dominate the year. Some of the trends may cross this year and continue beyond. And it is always good to know the trends beforehand as photographs, images, pictures, vectors, illustrations, all are linked to Infographics – they are their soul. Let’s now go through some of these relevant graphic design trends.
Most of the downloads worldwide are in the vector format, owing to the manifold advantages of the format. Then comes the photo format, that is high in demand as well, and lastly illustration.
We also have interesting local trends and ‘what is hot where’ in our list. USA was enticed by a rather unusual theme – Throwback, that ruled everywhere, from election campaigns to bakery. In South Africa it was the Back In Future theme that prevailed. However with a tinge of vintage vectors, colors and graphics. UK got flooded with Anglophiles getting united with the UK national symbol. It was all about celebrating and commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen, and also the Olympics. Netherlands preferred the traditional Dutch Tulips with lavish colors and bright hue. Russia saw the massive craze for Fashion Photography featuring gorgeous fashion divas and models. (No doubt the hub of some best fashion photographers) 😉 The French are the worshipers of great Outdoors, Tours, Fun Outside, Recreation, Entertainment, Travels, and the likes. Images promoting these were greatly demanded and are still on the rise, gradually flooding the market. Simple, Minimalism, Cubism and Modern Design trends are the prevalent craze right now in Brazil. The simpler, the better patterns – crowded and jam-packed designs are out of the market and trend. Germany is one step ahead with Stark Whitish Backgrounds and Minimalism that allows the subject to shine. Australia is fond of vibe and energy, thus showing the trend of Warm Tones and Vibrant Colors. Finally, whimsical and incoherent Floral Designs is what China is looking forward to.
Time for some evolving trends now. Three yesteryear trends have perhaps came back, and this time in the form of Green, Nostalgic and Geometric designs. Green is an all-prevalent color, but nowadays it has been seen prevailing in all aspects; from organic produce to sustainable manufacturing. Old fashioned vintage elements giving way to simplicity and modernism, is where the key essence of Nostalgia resides. And square, triangular, hexagonal, pentagonal, all other Geometric patterns are getting hyped all the more.
Apart from this, various other trends are treading forward, some are here to stay. Such as, Macro, Global and Minimalism. As the names suggest, graphics have gone beyond just the superficial and dived deep and close. Close to the macro level. Graphic designers are thinking globally and acting locally. That’s how the ‘Glocal’‘ trend in design works. And Minimalism says everything though in a lesser tone. With clean lines and simple shapes, the clutter is cut.
It is no longer just about photographs. Designers are opting more on scalable vectors rather than the raster images for web and mobile designs. While it was just a meagre 6% back in 2005, it increased to 29% on 2012, and the percentage is continuing to soar high every day.
And last but not least, the color scheme. The hues all set to shine this year, are mostly the bright ones, yellow (#FFFF00), blue (#0000FF), red (#FF0000) and another shade of blue, the aqua (#00FFFF). The colors with all their shades are going to smear the year.
So this was the list of some graphic design trends that are to be followed in the oncoming years and are already in use in many places. But most importantly, now that the trends are known, Infographics can get some fresh air and take up some of these trends in them. Especially since Infographics are a fast boosting trend as well, with +525% in the last year!!! Follow these trends – create your Infographics in the trendy designs and make your users’ eyes out on stalks! All the best 🙂
Note: Images used in this article are taken from Shutterstock’s Annual Design Trends. 2013 Edition Infographic.
