Design is an ever-changing thing. You can tell by looking at any van with a wizard airbrushed on the side or by walking into a fully carpeted bathroom. It’s almost alive in how it changes and adapts to the tastes of people, in response to current events of the time period, different regions and cultures, design trends that came before, and even changes the world itself is undergoing.
Naturally, with asset creation being one of our specialties, we keep our fingers on the pulse of all things design! What’s on the way out, what’s the new hotness, we’ve got our eyes everywhere making sure that what we produce will have the cutting edge our clients need to slash through the competition and dazzle their audience’s eyeballs. Stand-out designs that elevate the perception of your brand make for greater impact and (you guessed it) enhanced conversion rates and customer loyalty.
However, as we gazed into our crystal ball to see what new trends would be up and coming in 2023, we realized that knowing the future is no fun if you can’t tell anyone about it! So without further ado, here are 7 design trends to keep your eye on in 2023!
Surrealism
It’s all about telling a story in a way that people won’t expect, but in a cleaner way than has been done before. Take up space and create new, exciting worlds with boundary-pushing visuals. If you go this route, try including an airbrushed style that gives everything a soft focus. Give it that '80s sheen, with an update for a new century! The COVID-19 pandemic took reality as we knew it and turned it on its head, so you’ll see that reflected in several of the trends on this list.
Mysticism
New age, but new! This is a style with bold imagery rooted in nature, magic, and expression. Stars, moons, flora, fauna, crystals, and tarot all fit in the realm of mysticism. Bold shapes are going to be a good foundation for these assets, provided that you bear in mind where they stem from. At their heart, a lot of these designs are going to strike you as something you’d see carved into a temple wall, with muted tones like faded paint.
Minimalist Non-Design
Sometimes the best branding is… no branding at all. If you’re using color, it’s extremely muted. You’re using an understated font without flair. Little to no images. No flowery copy. Your bare-bones method of expression conveys authenticity and transparency. In being straight to the point, confident, and without secrets, you not only seem like a good buy, but you seem more human somehow.
Punk Isn’t Dead
You heard it here, folks! The punk aesthetic is alive and well in the form of this design trend. We’re talking about the organized chaos that is collage, the mixed typefaces of a ransom note, and the construction of assets that remind you of old concert posters. If you’re going to use this form of design, don’t be afraid to lean into grit and grime and use some texture!
Gradients
Yes, you read that right; It’s gradients again! They’ve been a trend for a while, but the way in which they’re utilized keeps shifting, so it’s something to be aware of. In 2023, this means bold colors, multiple gradients, and experimental execution. We’re also adding a little graininess these days. These ain’t ya mama’s gradients.
Risograph Revival
In the mid-’80s, the Riso Kagaku Company developed a printing technique that was good for cheap mass production that used a combination of low-saturation colors and dots called the Risograph. Well, now it’s back, and its use is increasing in the marketing world! It gives assets a deep vintage look, and is being used in tandem with abstraction to create something new and bold!
Artificial Intelligence
We’ve arrived at the design elephant in the room. AI art is on the rise, and it won’t be going away any time soon. Tools like Dall-E or Midjourney are altering the art world, and marketers–seeing this swift rise in popularity–are flocking to work AI-generated assets into their campaigns. Bear in mind that with this trend, there comes a bit of controversy. AI art, in certain instances, has been known to copy the styles of living human artists, sometimes to the point of recreating their signatures on something that it created. While we think that AI can be good to conceptualize new assets and styles, we’d advise that you be cautious in directly applying anything AI-created.
