Graphic Design Trends 2024: Nostalgia Rewind, Surreal Dimensions, and More!

As the world changes, so does graphic design. For the last couple of years, we have seen its rapid evolution, driven by innovative technology and fast-paced digitalization. As we enter 2024, we can expect the continuation of certain trends, the revival of some old styles, and the emergence of new aesthetics. From advertising to social media, packaging, and visual identity, these trends will influence everything, shaping the industry and inspiring creative experiments. To make sure your creative projects are visually impactful, keep up with the latest tendencies!

We’re introducing dynamic and expressive graphic design trends that are set to dominate the industry in 2024. From Nostalgia Rewind to Surreal Dimensions, we highlighted key elements of every trend, ​​the reasons behind their growing popularity, and their impact on graphic design. Dive in for insights and ways to incorporate them into your work. Enjoy a special collection of visuals carefully selected by our content curators.

About the graphic design trends project

The annual Graphic Design Trends project by Depositphotos is a deep dive into what to expect from the upcoming year in the design world. It provides valuable insights into the latest styles, colors, typefaces, and aesthetics that will help designers, brands, and all types of creators stand out with their projects and campaigns. Continuing the 2024 Creative Design Trends Report, this project enables design professionals to remain at the forefront of the constantly changing industry.

Every year, we identify the trends that have gained the most traction and provide guidance on where they can be applied. As we delve into each trend, you’ll discover how they are shaping the design landscape and how you can incorporate them into your work. Our content team carefully selected a set of visual references that can be a source of inspiration for designing ads, packaging, social media or marketing materials, and more. Let’s explore the future of graphic design!

Unveiling the Graphic Design Trends for 2024

Moving into 2024, the graphic design world will continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. And for designers who are passionate about their work, this means there are endless opportunities to create innovative designs that can make a statement. Whether it’s through embracing past inspirations, diving into typographic experiments, or championing sustainability, these trends challenge us to rethink conventional aesthetics. Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into every trend!

#1. Nostalgia Rewind

Expect to see a resurgence of retro styles! In 2024, people are clinging to the simplicity of older times, needing a break from technological advancement. As surreal generative AI overwhelms our social feeds, this trend becomes particularly attractive. It leverages the emotional power of past decades through a modern lens, featuring geometric patterns of the ’70s, neon gradients of the ’80s, or grunge textures of the ’90s.

To capture the essence of the past while appealing to contemporary tastes, incorporate vintage color schemes that mix muted pastels with more vibrant hues. And don’t forget about experimental typography, which can elevate your designs by offering that extra twist on classic styles.

#2. Type Transformed

Fonts will speak through shape and color rather than words. This trend pushes the boundaries of traditional typography to redefine text as a primary element of design. Aligning with the broader creative design trend “A Way with Words,” it also refers to a more conscious use of text and font in 2024.

Display fonts and serif fonts are taking center stage with multiple fonts of varying weights and sizes grouped together. To engage your audience’s senses, include fluidity in form, the bold use of scale and color, and integrate some layered textures.

#3. Green by Design

Despite today’s increasing focus on sustainability, businesses still face challenges integrating sustainable design into their projects. Yet, the rise of innovative technologies and AI offers ways to tackle these challenges, paving the way to sustainable designs and visuals that reflect environmental awareness.

This trend offers a clean, uncluttered aesthetic that uses fewer resources, both in terms of digital space and physical materials. Graphics of this kind will imitate eco-friendly materials and textures, such as metal and glass surfaces. To reinforce your environmental message, add natural forms and structures—such as leaf patterns and water ripples—and combine them with earth tones—such as greens, browns, and blues.

#4. Risoprint Revival

Risograph printing is favored not only for its visual appeal, but also for its eco-friendliness—the technique is renowned for its low environmental footprint. This trend revisits the retro charm of risoprint in digital designs, featuring distinct grainy textures and vivid overlays. The risograph effect typically employs 1-3 colors per design, presenting a creative challenge that encourages exploring new color combinations.

Incorporate this trend into your designs by applying bright inks, halftone gradients, and the purposeful misalignment of layers to encourage a handmade feel and add tactile depth to digital designs.

#5. Hand-Drawn Touch

Anticipate a move towards incorporating hand-drawn illustrations in graphic designs. Brands and corporations are adopting this approach to present an approachable image and add more emotions to digital experiences.

The distinctiveness of this trend lies in the deliberate imperfections of organic lines, the use of varying stroke widths within illustrations, and handwritten or calligraphic fonts. The tactile feel of pencil, ink, or crayon, combined with digitally simulated watercolor techniques and soft color transitions, reinforce the personalized feel and amplify the authenticity of designs.

#6. Narrative Illustrations

Contrary to text-first designs, brands are also embracing illustrations to enrich storytelling, exploring visual narratives in areas traditionally filled with text. Through visual language, this trend allows audiences to not only read, but also immerse themselves in a narrative.

At the core of this trend are detailed illustrations, expressive characters, and the strategic integration of typography. To effectively convey a story’s themes and messages, its distinctive elements also use a careful arrangement of elements that guide the viewer’s eye. A mindful selection of colors, on the other hand, reinforces the narrative’s emotional impact.

#7. Surreal Dimensions

3D design is a trend that grows every year and shows no sign of stopping. With the increasing integration of AI in stock photography and design platforms, we’ll see more creators producing designs with immersive qualities. Qualities that feel like they’re straight out of a dream world.

To capture this trend, experiment with complex, dream-like scenes; rich color palettes; and fluid, dynamic lighting that imitates natural light sources and creates surreal effects. This trend draws audiences with hyper-realistic textures that mimic real-life materials, as well as fluid forms and lines that suggest movement within static 3D designs.

To wrap up

Whether you’re a professional designer or just starting out, staying up-to-date with the latest trends is crucial for creating visually stunning and impactful designs. Leveraging the nostalgic elements, innovative typography, and eco-conscious designs, we look forward to seeing your extraordinary designs come to life in 2024.

While these graphic design trends provide a starting point in your creative search, it’s essential to remember that good design is more than just following the latest tendencies. It’s about creating meaningful visuals infused with your personal style. By doing so, you can create unique works that are not only trending, but also have their own identity, showcasing your unique vision.

We hope our report has been informative and motivating for your future projects. Share your favorite graphic design trend by connecting with us on our social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. We would love to hear from you! And if you are looking for more sources of creative inspiration to enhance your designs, you may want to check out our annual 2024 Creative Design Trends Report with a comprehensive overview of the latest tendencies in the creative industry, featuring insights from leading creative professionals and experts in the field.

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