The notion of design is an ancient one, which first emerged in the form of primitive cave paintings more than 18,500 years ago. Over time, it has become an increasingly sophisticated and prominent concept, with applications such as graphic design enabling brands to successfully communicate messages to customers.
The graphic design sector is also fast-paced, as it constantly evolves in line with technological advancement and consumer behaviour.
In order to keep pace with this, it is crucial that you strive to understand the key graphic design trends that will help your venture to grow in the year head. Here are some initial ideas to help you on your way: –
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The Revival of Hand-drawn Images and Illustration
In the digital age, you could be forgiven for thinking that hand-drawn images would become increasingly moribund. While this may have been the case for a while, however, the art of manually outlining products, logos and other visual elements has enjoyed a significant revival that will continue in 2017.
This is part of a wider trend in the worlds of sales and marketing, where consumers are increasingly appreciative of materials that bear a strong human element.
Hand-drawing has its limitations, but it offers two main advantages to brands. Firstly, it creates a sense of freedom among designers, who can leverage a design tool that represents the fearlessness of youth. Secondly, it enables you to develop unique and quirk graphic elements, which either capture the essence of your brand or help to position a fun and novelty product.
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Graphic Design Elements Will Continue to Improve Your Content
Not only is content marketing is now one of the most significant areas of focus for brands, but it is also increasingly reliant on graphic design elements. Make no mistake; colour, typographic and the use of striking visual elements can help to enhance your online content, helping you to successfully engage visitors and improve your SEO ranking in equal measure.
So, what are the best examples of this? The first is the use of visual elements such as GIFs, which help to convey emotions and personality that cannot be portrayed by text. The same can be said for emojis, which represent an increasingly effective marketing tool in an age where the engagement of customers is key.
Typography is also key, with bold typography and a combination of different fonts serve to capture the imagination of readers who are often saturated with content.
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Minimalism and White Space Continue to Drive Brand Messaging
While minimalism has been a popular design ethos for years now, it is arguably more pivotal now than ever before. The primary reason for this is simple; as brands are being forced to compete harder than ever in the digital age and it is increasingly important that they are able to share a concise message from a single point of focus.
We have also seen the methods used to drive minimalism change in recent times, with the application of white space providing a relevant case in point. This will become even more important this year, as designers continue to use white and negative spaces to enhance layouts and draw attention to key messages and actionable calls to action.
It is easy to describe this ethos as less is more, but the truth is that it remains a little more complicated than this. It is more a case of brands understanding that customers are now immune to gimmicky graphical elements and the bewildering use of colour, as they instead look to leverage design as a way of showcasing their value proposition as clearly and as concisely as possible.