The New Wave: 2024 Design Trend Forecast
Design, like all things in the world, is prone to change.
With the massive shifts in our culture, the Gen Z takeover of the creative industry, and the adult comeback of Barbie and The Little Mermaid, it’s inevitable that the graphic design and art that accompanies these cultural milestones will change alongside it.
As fellow designers and artists, it’s important to keep our repertoires as fresh and captivating as possible so we can present the most relevant and effective content for our clients. Staying ahead of the design curve is half the battle.
As an all-around marketing agency, Near Creative’s top priority is to help those in need — whether they wield the power of Photoshop or influencer marketing expertise.
Together, let’s explore the five graphic design trends that are forecasted to be at the forefront of the design sphere in 2024.
1. Maximalist Brutalism: Bold, Chaotic, and Unapologetic
Enter the world of Maximalist Brutalism, where excess is the norm and chaos is celebrated. Think— Taylor Swift’s Reputation album cover.
Textures, patterns, stray elements, colors, zebra stripes, random brush strokes… You name it! Gone are the days of a one-word title on an empty background. Anything goes in the bold, raw, and unapologetically chaotic aesthetic of maximalist brutalism. Designers will now embrace the chaos of the world and happily reflect this on their screens.
2. Vintage Graphic Prints: A Nostalgic Resurgence
Everything old is new again, and in 2024, vintage and graphic prints are making a stylish comeback.
Y2K who? People are turning time straight back into the 1930s. Nothing is too old when it comes to design! Art is a tale even older than time. Ask Benjamin Button.
Risograph-like prints, manga halftones, and grit-textured graphics will be all the rage in 2024. Texture is king in this era of maximalist brutalism. If it doesn’t look like it survived World War II, then we don’t need it!
3. Inkblot Cartoon Styles: Crossing the Lines
Aligned with the creative industry’s strategy to jump into time machines and go out with the new and in with the old, Inkblot Cartoon Styles, also known as the Rubber Hose Style, have now taken over the design sphere. Steamboat Willie-esque art will stand out in a crowd filled with flat, 2D vector graphics.
Truly, there’s just something about this rough, vintage style that audiences of all ages will gobble up in 2024.
4. Textured and 3D Typography: Time to Bounce!
Bounce, bounce, bounce! 3D design is a trampoline and we’re jumping on it.
Branching off the maximalist brutalism trend and marrying the past with Y2K, even typography is snaking its way into the processed, well-designed, and illusionary depth of 3D design. Bloated, glassy, and reflective typography, as well as jelly-like, shadowed, and almost iridescent types, are the main elements that will take over 2024’s typographical sphere, especially for the younger, more hip audiences.
Goodbye Helvetica, and hello fonts named after French Rivieras.
5. AI as a Tool for Creatives: Changing a Mindset
Perhaps Near’s most controversial forecast for the 2024 Design Trends is the stubborn designer’s inevitable concession to the world of AI.
With the rise of photo apps that use AI technology to face swap with celebrities, the increasing popularity of ChatGPT, or audio apps that take Bruno Mars’ voice and layer it onto a NewJeans song, AI has now become a tool used by the general public. But “AI” or “artificial intelligence” has been on the receiving end of valid skepticism, especially in the industry of creative professionals.
Near Creative hopes boldly that 2024 will challenge the designer’s traditional take on AI — instead of the constant and debilitating fear that “AI will steal our jobs and art,” designers all over the creative scape will begin to view AI as a “tool to assist us as we do our jobs.”
Near Creative still stands with all artists' belief that all art requires human endeavor. In the end, AI should not get the last say. The responsibility of conceptualizing and creating remains solely ours because that’s the joy (and work) of being a creative! AI, if used, is only a tool to get you unstuck and help you create better.
There you have it, folks! Near Creative’s design trend forecast for 2024 is a vibrant tapestry that takes the textures of old and the elements of new to create fresh perspectives on the constantly chaotic. Design, in all its dynamism, is only limited to the creativity of its designer. At the end of the day, trends are just trends, and you hold all the power.
We hope that our take on 2024’s design sphere helps you navigate your 366-day journey with fresh content to make you stand out.
