6 Inspirational Graphic Design Trends For 2019

A compelling design offers the best chance to engage your customers and prospects, and leave a memorable impression.

Here are 6 graphic design trends and styles that will be most trendy and hot in 2019:

Read 12 Graphic Design Trends that Will Be Most Influential in 2019 to see all 12 graphic design trends.

Bold typography

Typography is a fundamental part of graphic design. As such, it’s no surprise every year that designers take typography in a different direction.

Recently we’ve noticed an increase in the use of type as a bold, often primary element in graphic and web design. Allowing your typography to stand front and center creates a powerful impression.

by thevierde on crowdspring

With advertisers and marketers fighting to stand out in increasingly competitive marketplaces, using distinctive typography can be an effective strategy to make a stronger impact on consumers.

Don’t be afraid to use bright colors, 3D effects, and unusual spacing to further emphasize the boldness of your type.

by elike_smith on crowdspring

The best part about the bold type trend?

It’s surprisingly versatile and works well in a wide variety of mediums.

Gradients and Duotones

by JStyle on crowdspring

Designers tend to have a love-hate relationship with gradients.

If the last year is any indication, all signs point to a giant heart emoji as gradients seem to be everywhere, including logo design.

Gradients can add a sense of movement and dynamism to design, and companies are tossing out gradients like visual candy.

Check out the use of gradients and duotones in designs from streaming music services like Apple, Spotify, and Pandora.

Other companies are getting in on the multicolored action too (Stripe, tech site The Verge, and mattress retailer Purple, among many others).

If you want to give your brand energy and a youthful vibe, mixing several colors could be what you’re looking for.

Sites like uiGradients and ShapeFactory’s Duotone have generators that help you test out color combinations. As with light and dark color schemes, be sure your choices have enough contrast so any text you use is still readable.

by delicious_graphics on crowdspring

by flydesignonly on crowdspring

Vivid colors

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The use of vivid colors continues the spread of 80s and 90s nostalgia into every nook and cranny of our existence. Companies and brands continue to go bold with their color choices.

Color is an important part of branding and product design. As we wrote:

Color has a deep and often subconscious effect on our behavior. Color is often used to persuade or influence us. According to a study examining the effect of color on sales, 92.6% of people surveyed by the CCI: Institute for Color Research said that color was the most important factor when purchasing products.

In part, this trend is a continuation of the 80s color palette blown up and updated for a new generation of consumers.

All of the pastel shades have morphed into their brilliant counterparts.

Companies have planted their flags on energetic, eye-catching colors that jump out and grab the viewer’s attention.

Image courtesy of Apple

Apple is one of the most influential companies on the vanguard of what’s on trend for design.

The release of 2018’s brightly colored iPhone XR reflected the growing trend for bold colors.

It’s not just Apple parading a lively palette of hues and shades. Nike, Adidas, and other clothing companies also tapped into vivid colors for their marketing efforts as well as their products.

Image courtesy of Nike

Metallic effects

Metallic effects are back in a big way.

Until recently, most metallic effects in design fell out of favor.

This has changed as companies like Apple and Samsung add metallic flourishes (or even whole elements) into their designs.

Done well, metallic design can be sophisticated and classy. Take care to not overdo it, however, as the line between classy and classless is a fine one.

by muxalex on crowdspring * Courtesy of Converse

Text on backgrounds

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Text set on background images is an old graphic design trend that is again coming back in style.

The look features bold typography on evocative, visually engaging backgrounds.

In addition to its visual impact, designers use text on background colors to align a business with its vision, mission, and brand values. This helps to strengthen a company’s brand identity.

Visually linking a business with its core brand aspirations and character is a great way to further your message to consumers.

Whatever the reason, adding an image behind your text is an effective way to draw attention to your copy.

Pantone color of the Year

Pantone is going on twenty years of major influence across many industries with its choice for Color of the Year.

The color selected influences product development and consumer purchasing from everywhere from apparel, merchandise, industrial design, packaging design, and anything you can think of where color is involved.

This year, Pantone has declared “Living Coral” the color of the year for 2019.

Image courtesy of Pantone Color Institute

Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute Leatrice Eiseman said in a statement:

With consumers craving human interaction and social connection, the humanizing and heartening qualities displayed by the convivial Pantone Living Coral hit a responsive chord.

Pantone selects a new color every year based on several considerations. New trends in design, art, travel, social media, and even the socioeconomic climate are all considered in choosing the color for the year ahead.

We’re looking forward to seeing this warm, comforting color appearing everywhere from logo design all the way down to the throw pillows in your mom’s house.

Design, like consumer’s tastes, evolves over time. It’s crucial the look and feel of your business changes along with it.

Incorporating trends into your design is a good way to keep the spark alive.

The key is to find trends that work with your existing brand, not against it.