My Favorite 2020 Graphic Design Trends

“IN A WORLD WITH AN INCREASINGLY SHORT ATTENTION SPAN, 2020 WILL BE ALL ABOUT ULTRA MINIMALISM THAT STRIPS AWAY ALL THE EXCESS.”

Every year brings about a fresh set of design trends. It can sometimes get really overwhelming to keep track of them all, much less to decide which ones will have staying power.

I was recently asked to give my own trend predictions for the Haute Stock 2020 Graphic Design Trend Report. Here’s what I wrote:

In a world with an increasingly short attention span, 2020 will be all about ultra minimalism that strips away all the excess, with a focus on typography, large uninterrupted color spaces, and illustrations with simple, flowing lines. Gradients in fresh colors will be everywhere too (blame this on Instagram’s new logo), but in general, muted colors will be much more prevalent.  It doesn’t mean you can’t have colorful designs, but the colors will be muted, less vibrant, and so easier on the eyes. Typography will be very important, with a preference for simple, bold typefaces and editorial style layouts.

Let’s break this down:

Colors will be muted – less saturated. This is achieved by mixing a little black into the hue. It doesn’t mean you can’t have colorful designs, just soften the colors and decrease their vibrance. We already started seeing this last year, but they will continue to gain popularity. It’s actually a really great way to add colors to your designs without looking garish or over the top.

Large, uninterrupted color spaces will be prevalent. It’s a very minimalist aesthetic with only one or two focal points and lots of white (i.e. blank) space. Again, keep the colors muted.

3. Illustrations with simple, flowing lines and abstract shapes are fun to draw and can be used for a variety of graphic design projects: branding, posters, editorial design, etc. (I did a collection for Haute Stock for this month’s graphics pack.)

We are seeing a greater emphasis on typography, with editorial style layouts, and simple high-quality typefaces. Serifs and sans-serifs are both extremely popular, with an increasing preference for unique details in the letterforms. Handwritten fonts and calligraphy will still be popular for weddings and wedding-related designs though (but not for brand identities).

Yes, gradients are back in a big way! Blame it on Instagram’s new logo. I keep seeing gradients everywhere now, but most of them are not the psychedelic kind. Keep the colors fresh and soft, and start playing!

Almost all of these trends can be combined with much success. A muted colorspace with simple typography and illustration with flowing lines would look really great on a brand identity design, for example.

Which are your favorite graphic design trends for 2020? Do share in the comments!