Graphic design is more influential than ever before. Quality design elicits customer engagement, defines your brand, and helps you stand out from the competition. Knowing how to create graphics that draw the attention of customers and integrating them into your marketing efforts can take your business to a higher level.
The only problem is that people’s preferences change over time. They are influenced by various factors such as media, fashion, culture, and technology. This is why trends tend to come and go gradually and silently.
Although we’ve seen many of the graphic design trends for 2016 start to shape in the last year, it’s hard to make a certain forecast. However, graphic design professionals have agreed that sticking to certain styles will guarantee that your graphics look up to date and trendy.
How to create graphics that will make your business shine
If you want to learn how to create graphics that will make a difference in your marketing results, it’s good to follow the latest trends. Just don’t let your focus get overwhelmed with trying to be trendy, because that’s not the magic formula to success. You can reap the greatest benefits only if you choose to follow trends that fit your project and your business brand in general.
Try new things, because it’s the only way to keep your brand fresh. Just make sure to create visuals that will best reach your target audience. Here are the trends that we encourage you to consider in 2016.
1. Modern retro style
We are currently witnessing an embrace of retro in design, fashion, and other industries. It seems as if the visual trends of the past are here to stay because they bring a feeling of something warm and familiar. However, “retro” can mean a few different things, referring to different specific trends from the past.
Old retro or vintage refers to the early 20th century, from the 1900s through the 60s. Modern retro covers stylistic influences from the period between the late 1970s and the early 90s. It refers to early PCs and cell phones, video games, and pixel art. The modern retro style started as a trend in designing logos, but it’s rapidly taking over all the other aspects of graphic design.
2. Flat design
When it comes to visual style, less is always better. This is the reason why a lot of big brands have adopted flat design in the past few years. The predictions are that this trend will grow to be even more popular this year in a form that designers like to call Flat 2.0.
Flat 2.0 is the evolution of flat design that makes it more usable. It incorporates some three-dimensional effects and depth that makes this design attractive and elegant. You can achieve this type of design by using highlights, shadows, bold colors and simple shapes.
3. Rich colors
The modern retro style from the 80s and the 90s will influence the use of colors in 2016. Color trends are moving away from the muted palettes we’ve been using lately toward richer, more vibrant tones. Bright pastels, neons, and rich, bold accent colors will be taking over the world of graphic design.
When thinking about how to create graphics to grab the attention of your audience this year, always opt for happy, sunny, and vibrant hues. Choosing boring, washed-out colors will only make your brand and your visuals seem outdated.
4. Geometrical shapes and grids
Geometric shapes and patterns are also part of the modern retro design from the 80s. You can use these shapes in all sorts of ways and you won’t make a mistake. Try to incorporate them in your designs as backgrounds, as an illustrative technique, or as individual graphic elements.
Grids have also been around for years now. And that’s no wonder, since grids help designers organize information in a more logical and meaningful way. The only difference is that they were mostly used in print design in the past, while today they find their use in all aspects of design. Some websites are entirely organized in a grid system, like Pinterest.
5. Cool typography
Since it’s becoming a key element in branding efforts, consumers are now more aware of the use of typography. They expect to see artistic typefaces as part of the marketing efforts of any serious brand. Don’t forget that typography is a language itself – make the most out of it in your graphic design to create a statement.
Typography trends in 2016 comprise of big fonts which are dramatic in terms of size, color, and texture. Italic and all caps will be often used for logos and headings. Old-style serifs and hand-drawn typefaces will also be often utilized this year.
6. Infographics
Infographics have been one of the hottest trends on all digital marketing channels in the last few years. This year, they will continue to dominate the online space and there are good reasons for that. Since they combine written information with visuals, they make it easier for people to comprehend new ideas and concepts. Infographics are also shared 300% more than any other piece of visual content.
They are a great tool for improving the results of your marketing efforts on social media, content marketing and SEO. Just make sure to apply colors, typography, and visuals according to the latest trends, in order to make your infographics shine. Consumers want more than simple bullets and cute icons.
7. Visual storytelling
People like stories. When done right, stories evoke deep emotions and encourage greater engagement which leads to a change in behavior. Stories leave people, both satisfied and eager for more. Since designers are working toward making visuals play a content function in 2016, storytelling is expected to be taken to another level – that of “visual storytelling”.
Visuals always work better than text. They help your story come to life and feel true. This explains the latest research findings – 100 million people worldwide watch at least one video per day. What is more important, 80% of them can recall watching a video ad up to 30 days after seeing it. This is why videos are a proven method for increasing both brand awareness and sales.
Knowing how to create graphics that grab the attention and have a long-term effect on your target audience is a huge competitive advantage. Hence, having a tool that helps you quickly and easily apply the latest design trends in your graphics can really make your brand shine. This is exactly why we created Youzign for you. We wanted to make sure that perfect graphics are only a few clicks away for you. Checkout Youzign today and watch your marketing results improve.
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