In 2023, we’re going to see plenty of design statements that demand attention. From big and bold brutalism, warm and fuzzy nostalgia, to weird and wacky custom fonts, here’s just a few trends that began to develop in 2022 and will most definitely flourish in the world of graphic design this year.

Brutalism

Anyone who has visited a large city will have seen a form of brutalist architecture - buildings characterised by a highly expressive style emphasising its materials, textures and construction. We don’t need to tell you that brutalist forms are often seen as harsh or cold.

But how is this relevant to graphic and web design trends? This aesthetic has been adapted to graphic design using minimal elements such as black-and-white colour palettes, duality, text-heavy pages, overlapping images and high contrast. Alongside this, bold images and buttons are used to add depth to the design. This style shifts the attention to function over form while making a bold statement, and is definitely going to be a feature in graphic design this year.

Nostalgia

This trend embraces all the fun things of the past, giving the audience a warm fuzzy feeling. Great for targeting millennials, who grew up in the 80s and 90s, this trend sends them straight back to their childhood. They can feel worry-free, with no gas bills or interest rates - only Furbies and Game Boys.

In 2022, we saw huge brands such as Skims, Coach and New Balance pay homage to 80s advertising, using text-heavy, punchy headlines and copy, faux 1-800 numbers and VHS grain. We also saw brands such as Spotify with their Wrapped campaign giving a nod to the 90s by using playful animation, layering, primary colours, stretched geometric shapes and cartoon styles. I believe this will be a very popular trend over the next 12 months, in part because it comes with emotion, it makes the audience feel something, which is definitely hard to ignore.

Y2K (Year 2000)

Much like the nostalgia trend, the Y2K (year 2000) trend, which gained traction in 2022, is set to have a big impact this year because it also makes the audience feel.

Plus, who doesn't love The Simple Life and flip phones? Originally this aesthetic started on social media, born out of a celebration of old technology and the early days of the internet with added 2000s pop culture. Think GIFs, bright colours, iridescent gradients, layering, kitsch textures and metallics, just to name a few. With the addition of modern technology, this trend is taking the early 2000s to the next level. A very fun and playful trend.

Custom Fonts

Hand lettering and bespoke fonts sees us stepping away from the likes of Open Sans and Helvetica in 2023. With the help of developing technology, brands are able to become more experiential with typography to create exciting designs. Building a unique identity in this way helps brands get noticed in a busy marketplace.

Maximalism

Step aside less-is-more because maximalism is all about more-is-definitely-more. A shift from the minimalism loved by millennials, this trend is a style that screams for your attention. The aesthetic is filled with bold colour palettes, layering, thick strokes, large patterns and prominent typography, leaving no white space behind.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools are now hard to miss. Whether it’s ChatGPT for written material, or DALL-E for graphics, these sometimes quite uncanny online services took the world by storm in 2022, and there’s no sign of their capabilities, or popularity, slowing down in 2023.

Looking for teddy bears mixing chemicals as mad scientists in a steampunk style? Just type it in, and you’ll have a selection to choose from. They are also able to take existing images and expand their compositions into something completely new. Tools like DALL-E can remove objects from images while taking into consideration textures, shadows and more to place that object into a new place within the image. They can also enhance images with higher resolution, and create new variations of original artwork.

A Busy Year Ahead

2023 is set to be a groundbreaking year for graphic and UX design. From old school nostalgia, to cutting edge AI tools, there’ll be plenty of unique and innovative design to see from brands across the next 12 months.