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5 Rising Graphic Design Trends

Posted: 4 February, 2025

As we dive deeper into this decade, it's clear that we're moving away from the clean, minimalist design styles that have dominated the aesthetic landscape in recent years.

Instead, retro styles are making a big comeback, and we're also seeing design trends inspired by even older eras.

In addition to this nostalgic revival, we are also seeing innovative new ways of using 3D software. These fresh techniques are letting us explore new ideas and push the limits of what design can be.

Collectively, these changing trends are set to offer lots of exciting new ideas that will shake things up creatively. As we welcome these changes, we can look forward to a mix of old and new styles that will engage and inspire people in fun and interesting ways.

In the next sections, we’ve highlighted some trends that we think are going to take off in the near future.

Romantic typography

Continuing on from 2024, this seems like a trend that isn’t going away any time soon. Often used as the centrepiece hero of a design, this typography trend is inspired by things like the 60’s art nouveau revival, traditional calligraphy and abstract design. The trend combines unusual shapes with elegant lines in a fresh and contemporary way.

Archaic illustration

We’re seeing a lot of illustration use from the medieval, renaissance and baroque periods recently - especially in print design. This movement seems to go hand and hand with the maximalist, elegant style that’s becoming mainstream. Plus, a lot of these pieces are from the public domain, which is an easy way to add some depth and detail without needing to create your own art. Often, these illustrations are tweaked - distorted, cut up, or edited - giving the designs a bit of a punk edge.

3D illustration

Often appearing like inflated balloons or mercurial and reflective liquid bubbles, this trend turns hyper-realistic 3D renderings into whimsical shapes or blobby looking text characters. This style emphasises the absurdness of abstract design and also demonstrates just how accessible 3D software has become.

Naturalism

Perhaps in response to the hyper commercialised product design of the last decade, this year we’re seeing far more natural aspects used in product design. Most often with photography, but also 3D software, this trend uses highly detailed assets of natural features like water, earth and leaves. This results in a far more textural feeling than the previous minimalist trend.

Retro character illustration

This particular illustration style draws heavily from the whimsical aesthetics of mid-century cartoon designs, which were characterized by their bold lines, vibrant colors, and playful characters. It often uses half-tone textures, which give the style depth and a nostalgic touch. Combining it with retro fonts adds to the charm and sense of history. This combination results in an artistic approach that is undeniably playful and lighthearted, embodying a spirit of creativity that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The fusion of these elements creates a delightful and engaging design that captures the essence of the past while still appealing to contemporary audiences.

All these changing trends are bringing some fun and fresh ideas to design. These shifts are a great chance for creators to try out new ways to express themselves. We're really excited to dive into these new movements and see how we can bring them into our work. We can't wait to see how they can make our designs more unique and creative!