12 graphic design trends to get you inspired in 2021
By: Jenn Pereira
Tags: Graphics, Trends, Graphic Design, UI, Resources

The good thing about graphic design trends is that each year is a new opportunity to be reborn and start over. And with the tough year, we just passed, the graphic design trends of 2021 could be the big breath of fresh air we all need.

While past trends were driven by the promise of a new decade, drawing inspiration from science fiction and futuristic technologies, the trends of 2021 put people first. We’ve collected the opinions and predictions of our international community of graphic designers, and everything seems to be heading towards trends that are firmly entrenched in the present, ranging from traditional symbolism and natural elements to analog painting.

Graphic design is all about turning the mundane into something special. It’s exciting to see how far the designers of this generation will take graphic designs to their limits and potential. Here are some of the exciting trends in graphic design this year:

1. Abstract psychedelia

Psychedelia is associated with hallucinogenic substances and creative experimentation against the backdrop of social revolution. In short, psychedelia is synonymous with a certain openness. These days, the chaotic images of psychedelia promote freedom, giving designers the feeling that they are not restricted by convention.

Image Source: Grace Potter

In 2021, graphic designers will therefore revive psychedelia by using a lot of intense and complex colors and abstract elements, which would make M.C. Escher himself was very happy. These designs have a life of their own, in both their layout and their complexity, as no two are alike.

While distorted shapes and confusing images are in order, know that symmetry can stabilize even the most complicated of compositions. It’s as if this new psychedelia suggests that there are ways to stay grounded in reality even when the circumstances are completely absurd.

2. Symbol revival

In design, the little things count for a lot. Adding bands of color to a flag can unify an entire nation, and a shape as simple as a red octagon can save lives at the busiest intersections.

Image Source: Roark Revival

Historically, these symbols are universal. Whether it is to warn of a danger or to identify a cause, traditional symbols are powerful tools capable of transcending language. In 2021, designers will harness this strength to create ambitious icons, referring to resilience, growth, and taking responsibility.

For this, they will incorporate into their designs the symbols of power that everyone knows creatively, such as goddesses, stars, or lions. We also see designers modernizing classic visual motifs, such as the medieval crest of Eliza Osmo or the stained glass window made by Svart Ink. Through these traditional symbols, the designers create talismans that we will all need to ward off the fate of the past year.

3. Retro futurism

One of the returning trends in graphic design this year is retro-futurism. Along with the sci-fi dream of a bygone era, retro-futurism refers to the spectacularly failed and some successful predictions of the past. If those predictions had been right, we would have flying cars, ray guns, and domestic robots these days.

Image Source: Maiden and Flame Towers Panoramas

But, retro-futurism as a visual style has prevailed through the ages due to its bold, vintage, but upbeat imagination. Stylistically, this optimism is expressed through the use of bright colors, inspirational typography made on a computer, and the use of curves (fishbowl helmets, arches, domes, etc.). Rather than bringing us back to an idealized past, the retro-futurism of 2021 promises to take us back to the good old days for days to come.

4. Seamless surrealism

“Surrealism” is one of those artistic terms that we tend to associate with the impenetrable, that is, with absurd images. But what we often forget is that the word “surrealism” also contains the word “realism”. The real is intimately linked to the surreal, and 2020 is the year that best represents this, with a global epidemic that has profoundly changed our daily lives.

Graphic designers express this year’s anxiety with surreal collages or images that would be normal if used on their own, but which become odd when paired with each other. A man with an apple instead of his face can look quite ordinary if we only look at his neck and chest, for example.

The illusion is perfect, which makes it difficult to separate the different images. This has the effect of greeting the stranger nonchalantly and accepting impossible associations. As a concept, this trend will be used frequently in 2021 on image-oriented media (posters, album covers, and book covers).

5. Authentic representation

The Black Lives Matter movement has been one of the unprecedented watershed moments of global protests. It encouraged us to re-examine systemic biases, and we hope that the impact of the movement will continue to spill over into all industries in 2021, including graphic design.

Image Source: Ricardo Santos

Designers have already made efforts to move away from older designs in favor of inclusion and diversity in stock illustrations and photographs. We believe this will go even further in 2021.

Image Source: Michael Stidham

We have seen black graphic designers and artists rise in the immediacy of BLM protests, which has resulted in the portrayal of black men and women in today’s landscape. , in powerful and inspiring positions.

Image Source: Will Tullos

If there’s one thing design should avoid, it’s similarity. Showcasing diverse cultures, skin tones, ages, and identities is a great opportunity to create designs that, as each of us, are truly one of a kind.

6. Emoji design

Emojis have become omnipresent pictograms, which permits designers to apply emotion to statements, sites, or print media. The tone of voice of web designers or a little wink at the end of a sentence, and they are becoming more and more popular, even the central element of communication. Mainly but not only on social networks — Snapchat, Instagram — Emoji encourages interaction. The same can be said of all your creations, using Emojis creates reaction and response, they lighten the mood (and we all need them) and they communicate the feelings behind.

Image Source: SoLemon

For all of these reasons, the trend to use Emojis in design is very likely to accelerate over the next few years. The trend for 2021 will be the increasingly creative and imaginative use of emojis. Think about different styles and techniques to create them, but also different ways and places to incorporate them into your designs. You have the advantage that people know them and love them, now you have to push them out of their comfort zone while keeping the message clear.

7. Comics and pop art

Much like archenemies, old styles of design never really die. And this year, graphic designers are reviving the grainy colors, thick inking, and dynamic lines of vintage comics.

Image Source: ASAPP

Born in an era where printing techniques were still primitive, comics often used halftones (or halftone) or simplified shades of dots to represent color. Nowadays, this approach can breathe new life into modern minimalist trends, like flat design, thanks to the grainy textures and depth. Likewise, designers specializing in web design may stop using design grids and opt for asymmetric planks and biased shapes to create an impression of movement.

While spandex superheroes aren’t essential to this trend, in 2021 designers are turning to the texture and illustration techniques of their favorite graphic novels to save the modern design. Except for comics without. Nothing can save comics without it.

8. Fine art infusion

There has always been a separation between fine art and design, but in 2021 there is less concern for traditional boundaries. This trend is ideal for those who have physical and concrete products.

Image Source: Murat Kalkavan

Specifically, since fine art is associated with culture and chic, this trend will be useful for brands that have physical products and want to evoke a certain elegance. We think for example of bottles of wine and beauty products.

The paint also gives darker color tones than those created on a computer. So the designs created with this trend have an air of solemnity. Although it may seem a bit sad, these designs naturally invite the viewer to stop for a moment and think.

9. Nature-inspired design

It’s impossible to forget: many of us have spent a good part of the year locked inside. This is all the more true for designers whose lifestyles usually already resemble solo isolation… So, it is perhaps not surprising that the outside world and nature are making their way. in the graphic design trends of 2021.

Image Source: Taylor Nappi

Whether this trend manifests itself in the form of leafy patterns, natural colors, or breathtaking panorama illustrations, graphic design is going green. The best part about this trend is that it outshines green products.

The imagery of nature has the effect of evoking serenity, renewal, and growth — everything we truly wish for 2021.

10. Pixelate, duotone, blur and grain

Gradients and color transitions have been popular for a few years now. In 2021, many designers will be heading to new horizons by creating backgrounds that are even more blurry and more blended. Add to that a grain filter, and these designs manage to cross the line between transient and real.

Image Source: Blankenship

The advantage of this trend is that it allows prominent elements, like typography or images, to stand out against an almost indistinguishable background. To achieve this design style, you can isolate the subject first by removing its original background and replacing it with this type of background.

You can also use an automatic background remover tool to make transparent background if you don’t have time removing image background by hand. This type of background is also great in darker contexts, to contrast with the vibrant color gradients.

Grainy textures have an inherent grunge feel, and blurry images are capable of evoking shadow and the unseen. It’s almost more of a mood than a trend, and we expect to see it everywhere in dark, mysterious designs.

Image Source: Brianna Ailie

11. Socially conscious design

It seems fitting that 2020 was the year the world realized how much change had to be done, given that we were on the cusp of a new decade. From the healthcare system and the climate crisis to the Black Lives Matter movement as well as a global pandemic, 2020 has tested us all. The good news is that this could well be a turning point if everyone does their part.

Image Source: Socially Distanced Pals

In the same vein, designers around the world have come together to use their talent to improve their communities. We have seen this in the rise of artistic lettering which conveys a message of unity, responsibility, and guidance. This can be characterized in the form of protest art or in illustrations of wearing a mask. Whether through charities or personal design projects, 2021 is shaping up to be a pivotal year, in which design will have a role to play.

12. 3D typography design

Typography design got it in 2020, with designers using all kinds of ideas and playful concepts and viewers embracing them in style. Typography has always had an artistic flow, and we don’t expect it to go away anytime soon. Geometric or organic, the next trend seems to be the development of 3D typography, using the same ideas but adding rather than moving away.

Image Source: Mykyta

As AR/VR is popular, the use of ultra-realistic, 3D typography designs is also becoming more popular among UX/UI designers. Next to this 3D are elements of animation, texture, and pattern. In fact, typography design is fast becoming a great symbol of innovation in graphic design, using all the hottest techniques and using them in amazing and imaginative ways.

Tools To Create Trending Graphic Designs for Your Projects

Appealing visuals are what instantly draw attention to your work. These SaaS tools will allow designers to create beautiful designs faster and easier:

Pixelied: Full-suite Graphic Design Editor

There are designing tasks that even a professional designer finds time-consuming and tiring. With Pixelied, you will have an online graphic editor that is all you need to create epic designs in just a few clicks.

Pixelied has a growing library of templates that you need to make striking thumbnails, header images, post graphics, and more. There are also thousands of icons to choose from so you can add more life to your designs.

You can get started right away without paying anything for Pixelied. The free plan, however, has its limitations and you can only fully appreciate its awesomeness with a pro plan at only $9.95 a month.

Pixelixe: Creating Social Media Visuals

Working on images in bulk is not only tiring but can be very costly if you are going to hire someone to edit them. With Pixelixe, you can cut the time spent on creating multiple design formats with its image automation feature.

This is a great solution for when you need to create different design variants for social media posts. All you need is to integrate the Pixelixe API and it would auto-generate social media graphics in a click.

The automation feature on Pixelixe is available only for plans Automate, Scale, and Enterprise which starts at $49 a month.

Removal.AI: Background Remover and Photo Editor

When it comes to preparing product photos for presentations and uploads, only Removal.AI is the best solution to turn to.

It is common knowledge that online selling sites have certain requirements before you can upload product photos. These are put up not only for uniformity but more on making the photos look extra-appealing to the customers. The thing with selling something online is that you need the customers to appreciate the products even by just looking at photos. One way to do this is to have a plain white background so that the whole focus is on the product.

Removal.AI is the best tool to use for product photos and other images that need their backgrounds removed. With just a click of a button, the background is removed in an instant. This would be very helpful if you are going to upload product photos for your online shopping portal.

Aside from removing background from images, Removal.AI is also great for enhancing photos with its online photo editor. You can even use it to swap a new background for your edited photos.

It is always free to use Removal.AI but you can download high resolution images for as low as $0.15 per image.

Drawtify: Logo Maker

Want to hire a graphic designer, illustrator, and animator? Well, you can shelf that idea since Drawtify can be all that, for a fraction of the cost!

Drawtify is an online vector editor that lets you create exclusive graphics for your website. You can design your own logo and make stunning illustrations that you can use for all sorts of marketing materials. Not only that, Drawtify also has infographic templates that you can edit to make detailed and eye-catching presentations.

You can try this tool for free but you can unlock the premium features for as low as $8.33 a month.

Icons8 Mega Creator: Icons and Illustrations Library

It can be pretty challenging to come up with design concepts on a regular basis. The Icons8 Mega Creator tool ensures that you will have a fresh perspective every single time.

Mega Creator has everything that you need to create astonishing graphics. You do not need to worry about drying out your creative juices because it has thousands of templates to spark brilliant ideas.

Mega Creator is free to use but you will have to pay for a subscription if you want to use their collection of icons, photos, illustrations, and music. You can get access to all of these assets as a set for only $29.

Filecamp: Digital Asset Management Tool

Filecamp is a low-cost digital asset management tool that would make organizing, sharing, and distribution of digital assets a breeze.

You can definitely benefit from having an organized filing system. You can boost productivity for one. It would also allow the whole team to collaborate with no difficulty because the UI is so simple to use.

The basic plan for a Filecamp subscription is only $29 per month. You can choose to upgrade for more features with the Advanced and Professional plans at $59 and $89 per month.

Tools for team collaboration- A better way to connect with your team is in order if you are looking forward to achieving your company goals. These SaaS tools are perfectly designed to help your team manage all communications easily:

Text Blaze: Content Management & Text Templates

Aside from giving what the customers need, you must also be able to do it fast. This becomes a problem when creating content. Usually, errors crop up when you are hurrying up to finish by the deadline. When it comes to giving information, it is necessary that you have to be swift and accurate at the same time.

Text Blaze is a versatile tool that helps in two ways. First, it lets you speed type so you can get more done in less time. And second, it helps eliminate mistakes by providing dynamic templates that can be customized.

The advantage of using Text Blaze is that it would reduce the need to open a lot of tools to check your content. All you need to do is create templates, forms, and formulas so that repeatable processes are done consistently and in a fast manner.

Try this tool for free or unlock all of its useful features for a premium subscription that starts at $2.99 a month.

Baseline: Content Creation Automation

Smoothly creates consistent designs by automating content creation using Baseline.

This tool lets you create on-brand designs to boost your presence. It has hundreds of branded assets that you can edit and customize to fit your own brand. with its selection of cool effects and stock photos, you can enhance branded assets to make it your own design.

Premium plans for you to access and explore all of Baseline’s assets starts at $12 a month.

You turn…

Predictions are not just for the superstitious, because through technology and mathematics, we can tell what trends will be like in the future. But the world doesn’t stop and neither does the need for the next exciting new innovation.

The world of graphics is a world of unprecedented growth, a world in which if you want to be on top you have to keep running. Tastes change, technology advances, and we’re either catching up with their coat stories or pushing forward.

These top design trends of 2021 are here for you to see, inspire yourself, lead in the right direction, argue, dismiss as complete nonsense, spark your mojo — it’s up to you. 2021, will be nothing if not interesting, so let’s look ahead and continue.