Today, we take a glimpse at some of the biggest 2024 design trends to learn from what worked best as well as the failures to plan ahead for the new year.
2024 was big year for every industry in design. With the buzz and fear around AI beginning to settle down, in 2024 we saw many new advancements and improvements in both the web and graphic design worlds.
There is a lot to unpack so let’s dive right into these design reflections.
1. Design Trends of 2024: Winners & Losers
Every year, we see new trends taking over the world of design and 2024 was no different. Some of the new design trends did not survive long but there are a few that will be more popular this year as well.
Normalizing AI-Generated Graphics
AI-generated graphics saw a massive improvement over the past few months. More importantly, we saw many people, especially designers, finally accepting the use of AI in graphic design. As a result, design projects became much more affordable and easier to produce. Designers no longer have to seek the perfect stock photo, illustration, icon pack, or background elsewhere, they can generate them themselves.
Beyond Minimalism
If there’s one design trend that never seems to fade away that is minimalist design. Over the past few months, we witnessed designers taking minimalism to the next level by adding uncommon elements like large typography, gradients, and subtle animations. Apple’s official website featuring dynamic motion effects is a great example of this new trend.
Overuse of Brutalism
When used right, the brutalism-style designs are quite effective at making creations stand out. Due to its popularity, this trend was overused across various types of designs, including projects that don’t quite fit into this design concept.
Complex Micro-Interactions
Adding micro-interactions is still one of the best ways to boost engagement in web design. Unfortunately, users got tired of this trend after exploring websites stuffed with too many frustratingly complex micro-interactions that didn’t serve a function.
2. Prioritizing Accessibility Above All
With all the accessibility laws and guidelines aside, it’s genuinely heartwarming to see when designers prioritize accessibility above all else to create designs that are accessible to all.
In 2024, there was a shift towards creating designs that are more accessible to everyone. Designers made sure the functions, colors, animations, and effects were attractive as well as usable by people with disabilities.
Websites were designed with more accessibility options, mobile apps featured options to switch between color-blind modes, and even graphic designers were careful to choose color-blind-friendly color palettes.
This is one trend that we want to see being normalized across all mediums of design. Much like how we used to make mobile-first designs, we would love to see accessibility-first designs be the most popular trend this year.
3. Using AI to Supercharge Work
Many designers were skeptical about the use of AI in design workflows. However, with AI tools becoming more advanced and useful, even the most veteran designers started using them to improve their design process. Repetitive and mundane tasks were handed over to AI tools, freeing up plenty of precious time to focus on what matters.
Designers finally realized that AI is not here to replace them. It’s to be used as a tool to make the work less stressful, as well as to make design projects more affordable.
4. Shift Toward Sustainable Design
Sustainable design was a big topic of discussion in 2024. Thankfully, it wasn’t limited to just discussions. Designers found many creative eco-friendly ways to make both digital and print designs to improve the carbon footprint.
Web designers looked for hosting providers that used renewable energy and found ways to optimize images, colors, and scripts to minimize the impact on energy requirements. Graphic designers chose minimal designs over complex and colorful designs to reduce waste and advocated using sustainable packaging and materials for print designs.
Every small change you make matters on the grand scale of things. Big changes begin with small steps and it starts with you!
5. Storytelling is Still King
Time after time, Storytelling proves to be the king of all design. When it comes to creating memorable designs that make emotional connections with users, nothing is more effective than storytelling.
Some of the most impactful designs of 2024 utilized emotional storytelling to connect with users on a much more deep and personal level. From posters to website designs, telling compelling stories is much more effective at building trust and creating campaigns that prioritize human values.
6. Rising Demand for Nostalgia-Driven Designs
Designers keep taking advantage of our subconscious desire to go back in time to the “good old days”, but we’re not complaining. Designs inspired by classic retro themes from the 80s and 90s were quite popular in 2024.
New websites often featured bright neon colors, psychedelic-style fonts were highly sought after, and washed-out low-contrast colors and textures were to be seen everywhere.
These nostalgia-driven designs were popular for a reason. They spoke to the inner child in all of us and made us feel like these designs were part of our childhood.
7. More Authentic Visuals
Overly polished images, artificial-looking stock photos, and smooth CGI illustrations are finally going away. Designers now prefer using more authentic and “real-looking” visuals in their designs.
As a result, lately, we witness more websites using more raw-looking photos and images that users can actually relate to. Unfiltered and lightly edited photos made designs look much more “real” as well.
Hand-drawn illustrations, raw photography, and natural visuals will offer the perfect human-centric balance to all the AI-generated designs we see today.
Conclusion
The world of design is always a balance of successes and failures. We learn from failed trends and concepts to make more successful designs. The past year provided us with more than enough lessons for us to make our designs more accessible, engaging, and creative than ever before.
We’re excited to see how design will evolve and what kind of lessons this year will bring to us. Are you?
0 Commentaires