Since its birth in the 1400s, graphic design has drastically changed. Today there isn’t one method that dominates graphic design today & trends emerge from year to year utilizing various techniques & styles.
Technology now plays a significant role in the creation of digital work available in many fields. Portfolio design, presentations, signage, logos, websites, animations & even architectural production have all travelled far since the dawn of the digital revolution. Let’s take a more in-depth look into how graphic design is evolving:
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User Experience is at the Forefront of Design Decisions.
The future of graphic design is anyone’s guess, but if the past few years are anything to go by, it’s safe to say that user experience will remain supreme. Designs will become more personalized & more interactive over time. Regardless of where design goes next, expect to see increasingly more customized designs that enhance user experience.
For example, websites need to be mobile responsive more than ever to keep up with evolving hardware, screen sizes & resolution. So graphic, UX & UI designers tend to favour simplicity to speed up overall rendering. Print advertising has adapted for integration with mobile devices, meaning that a new, users will experience immersive advertising.
Speaking of content marketing & social media, graphic designers embrace a range of new skills to power their craft. In the past, designing media for a company was all about explaining what the business did in the most effective way possible. While that’s still a typical graphic design component today, there are so many new concepts to think about too.
For instance, psychology & buyer behaviour now plays a part in graphic design. Many branding experts look at things like the psychology of colour & the impact of shapes to make sure they’re conveying each client’s right personality. At the same time, designers aren’t only creating imagery for a single platform anymore. Logos, visual identity assets, & graphic design elements all have to perform equally well on apps, mobile devices, & larger screens too. This means that new disciplines like “responsive” design” have emerged.
Video Marketing & Motion Graphics Are Prevalent.
By the year 2011, about 64 per cent of people had access to faster Internet speeds with home broadband & that number continues a steady rise through today. Faster Internet speed frees designers up to add features such as videos & engage users when they land on a website. Users upload thousands of hours of videos online every day — this trend continues into the foreseeable future & impacts the ways people use videos in design.
Since 2016, we’ve seen more & more animated elements in designs. Motion graphics appear in logos, backgrounds & typography. Now that Flash is the persona non grata of design, designers need something to take it’s placed & still create motion on a page, which captures the eye of site visitors & engages them.
Tastes Have Become Minimal.
Today’s customers are busier & more rushed than ever before. They don’t have the time to deal with companies who can’t convey their personality & intent within the most specific possible graphic. In the past, companies who wanted to make a significant impact would go big, bold & even complex with their logo designs & websites. Today, simplicity is the key to success. Graphic designers have begun to make bigger & bolder choices combined with flat graphics & simple shapes. Function has overridden superfluous design details today, & brands are striving to reduce their core assets, while simultaneously packing more meaning into every element.
Artificial Intelligence May Dictate Future Graphic Design Trends.
As artificial intelligence & machine learning enters the design space, it may even be possible to determine how people feel about a brand without asking them. Things like sentiment analysis could lead to more intuitive design practices.
Artificial intelligence (AI) impacts the same way people complete design work. Designers in the future will move more toward the side of creative genius, letting AI do much of the grunt work of design. In addition to changing the way designers work, AI’s impact is already evident in elements such as interactive videos for moviegoers via an app or websites that create an experience for the user.
Firedrop allows people to create a website using AI with their chatbot & AI website builder named Sacha. Sacha greets you & takes you through a series of questions. Your answers determine how your site looks at the end of the session.
The Impact of Graphic Design on Conversions Is More Significant.
Technology has enabled brands to have more exposure online, allowing businesses to interact with their clients & consumers, allowing us to review & analyze real-time data to measure & see what sources are driving more traffic. We can analyze digitally the type of content & graphics that are getting more media impressions, more likes, more saves &, ultimately, are more appealing & converting to an audience.
With the internet as the primary source of marketing exposure, companies have invested so much on content creation for customer communication, analytics & real-time feedback from consumers. Content marketing & the evolution of graphic design for digital marketing is continuing to rise.
Whether companies invest in B2C marketing or their B2B marketing strategy, they’ll need to use modern graphic design to show their customers that they understand them if they want to establish loyalty. Something as simple as using hand-drawn images for your audience instead of stock photos or animations instead of static pictures could be the key to turning prospects into brand advocates.
Companies Are Investing More in Graphic Design.
The number of people investing in graphic design companies has gone up astronomically. The technology ensures that brands have more opportunities for exposure online. Those who want to interact with their clients memorably need an image, & that’s where graphic design comes in.
What’s more, the online world means that companies can analyze real-time data & find out which graphical elements have the best impact on their business. This means that brands aren’t just investing more into designers; they’re also getting a higher return on investment. Graphic design has become a global conversation between brands, their customers, & the people with the creativity to bridge the gap.
Professional Graphic Designers Work Differently.
Like most professions, graphic design has undergone some significant changes over the years. Along with the improvement of digital graphics technology, careers in this field have also evolved. Graphic designers use various methods to create visuals of their ideas & incorporate messages, symbols, & images in their designs. Technology has become the trusty sidekick for designers by making it easier for them to take creative briefs from their clients & create designs based on their requests. The artistic endeavour focuses on presentations & visual communications.
With graphic design software now readily available on laptops & mobile phones through apps, it has made it much easier for graphic designers to work anywhere globally, making it easier for companies to outsource talent without hiring in-house. Graphic designers can now work anywhere they want & still be connected with their offices. This occasion led to the rise of freelance designers currently working in their respective creative spaces anywhere globally, which some companies have realized is much more cost-efficient than hiring someone in-house.
Usually, these designers work with many different stakeholders when they are completing a project. Where pencils, pens, & ink were the primary tools used by graphic designers, most designers work digitally now. Graphic designers must pursue an associate’s or bachelor’s degree to be competitive in their field. There has been an uprise in companies such as Fiveer & Upwork. Who have built businesses on creative freelancers where companies, sole proprietors or individuals can source freelance talent.
It’s Never Been Easier for Graphic Designers to Train Up.
The internet made all kinds of information immediately available, & graphic design education was no exception. In particular, this decade saw online learning become increasingly commonplace among everyone from industry veterans to complete beginners.
Many traditional schools, including MIT & Harvard, moved their classes online with edX in 2012 & coursera in 2011. Meanwhile, entirely new digital spaces emerged dedicated to DIY learning, such as Udemy in 2010, Skillshare & General Assembly in 2011. This makes design education & the talent pool more accessible & diverse than ever before.
So, What’s Next?
Graphic design is a crucial component of visual business communication. It can be applied to something as simple as a smartphone app or as complex as an entire brand identity. While graphic design’s nature might have changed over the years, the underlying aim remains the same. Today, just as they always have, graphic designers give their clients a different way to speak to their audience.
As the technology we have access to continues to evolve with things like virtual reality, augmented reality, & more, there’s no doubt that modern graphic design will continue to change. However, in a world governed by user experience, the artists who know how to use imagery & text to convey emotion & connect with their audience should be prepared to time-proof their techniques.
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