The great thing about graphic design trends is that each year arrives with the opportunity for a reset. And given the challenging shape of 2020, the design trends of 2021 may offer us the biggest breath of fresh air yet.
While past trends were driven by the promise of a new decade, borrowing from sci-fi and futuristic tech, 2021’s graphic design trends are putting people first. We sampled opinions from our global community of graphic designers, and their predictions—ranging from classic symbolism to natural elements to analog painting—signal trends that are grounded in the here and now.
Graphic design is all about transforming the plain into something special. So let’s take a look at how the designers of 2021 are influencing the trajectory of this decade.
Abstract Psychedelia
Psychedelia has its roots in the music and art scene of the 60s. It is associated with hallucinogens and creative experimentation under the backdrop of social upheaval: in short, the opening of one’s mind. In contrast from then to now, it seems to fit the times: the chaotic imagery of psychedelia fostering freedom, the sense that designers are no longer bound by traditional constraints.