In 2018 we have seen an explosion of chaotic colour palettes, more metallics and Pantone’s penchant for purple. What design trends in 2019 will shape our world in print and digital?
Constantly evolving technology presents print and digital designers with opportunities to innovate, using techniques we might once have only dreamed of.
Digital device displays are a million miles from they were just a couple of years ago. Much improved screen resolution meant that the use of metallics took off in 2018 and this is something that will continue to grow as a key design trend in 2019. Metallics aren’t just for the digital designers. Print designers can go to town with this effect, confident that printing equipment has developed significantly to produce stunning metallic results.
Colour transitions and gradients are set to be big in 2019, again assisted by technological advancements. Making gradients work effectively on screen isn’t an easy task but screen resolutions are now built to do this beautifully. As typography is getting bigger and bolder, using gradients on your text is a brilliant way to create stand out messaging. We can see this being big in 2019, along with 3D effects to really catch the eye of your audience.
Millenials. Have you worked out how to reach this new wave of consumers, future employees, stakeholders and influencers? One way that we’ve seen millennials shaking things up in the world of design is the growing use of infographics on social media, combining text and images to deliver an impactful message. Look out for this in 2019. Millenials communicate in this very visual style and it’s likely to continue to grow across all areas of design; from branding and marketing to fashion and interiors.
There has been a big uptake in the idea of ‘homemade’ and ‘handmade’ over the past couple of years, with independent brands reigning supreme amongst some audiences. This has been reflected in design trends and we are confident it will continue to do so in 2019. Illustrations and doodle style graphics, along with handwritten typography will be used to denote authenticity and a handmade appeal.
The global voice of what’s hot and what’s not in colour, Pantone, closely monitors trends and influencing factors to select its colour of the year. In 2018, it was Ultra violet. We saw this reflected in dreamy, pastel
colour schemes and galactic style imagery, which is also in keeping with the gradients and colour transitions previously discussed. Whilst Pantone will choose a different colour for 2019, we can’t see these space inspired themes going anywhere for a while.
On the one hand, chaotic designs and bringing less order to once predictable layouts seem to be on the rise. This is fitting in a world where politics and order seem to be constantly shifting in response to discontent with the status quo. We think that unpredictable designs in page layouts – on and offline – will become a popular design trend in 2019. However, chaos and unpredictability won’t necessarily be the only way to get heard in a chaotic and unpredictable world. We’ve noticed a lot of duo tone designs
recently and they really stand out. Using two colours instead of ten might be considered simple, but perhaps the best way of breaking through the noise, is to make less noise…
Negative space is our design trend of 2019 to watch out for, and the one we are perhaps most excited about. In case you aren’t familiar with this concept, it’s the space surrounding an object within a design. This blog by Creative Bloq explains it well and presents some great examples of how designers have used negative space in creative and clever ways. It isn’t a new trend, as you’ll see from the examples, but we predict that it will be used a lot more in 2019. In contrast to the bolder, more chaotic design trends, negative space is less obvious. It offers subtlety and thoughtfulness, and demands attention and admiration.
As designers, the world is our oyster in 2019. New technologies and improved displays mean that very few colours and techniques are off limit. With this in mind, we do need to keep an eye on the evolving audiences that we design for and the trends that they themselves are developing. ‘Out of this world’ colours and effects are, for the time being at least, here to stay, so embrace galactic hues and pastel transitions. It’s too early to say what Pantone will present us with for 2019, but you can be sure it will be in sync with the wider world of design including the catwalks and interiors. So, watch this space for your ultimate colour inspiration for 2019!
